An advance reading copy, advance review copy, advance reader's edition, advance copy, or reader's edition (ARC or ARE) is a free copy of a new book given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, celebrities, or others, or as a contest or school prize,[1] before the book is printed for mass distribution.

ARCs may lack the final dust jacket, formatting, and binding of the finished product. The text of an advance edition may also differ slightly from the market book (the final version that is distributed for sale), because changes may be made after advance readers make comments or find errors in the manuscript. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_copy