Nick's Random Gibberish (9) : The Obsession With ARCs

Nick's Random Gibberish is a weekly post here at Nick's Book Blog where I, Nick, will talk about random topics from personal posts to discussion posts.

Hi guys! 

Today's topic is a little bit controversial. I debated whether it was a good idea to even talk about this on my blog, but after having read Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner's post, which is absolutely brilliant by the way, and a push from my friend Nereyda at Mostly YA Book Obsessed, I finally got the courage to type this all out. Some of you will probably resent me for this, but I wanted to lift it off my chest because this is something I've been struggling with since the past few months and I've made many observations on Twitter and different blogs that indicate that I'm not the only one. Are some of us obsessed with ARCs? My answer? Yes.

When I first started blogging back in December 2011, I didn't even have a freaking clue as to what an ARC was. I started blogging as a way to share my love for books, find other book lovers and to find a hobby while I waited for college to start. Of course, as my blog grew, I found out what ARCs were but because I was an international blogger, I didn't have access to physical ones. I think the idea of ARCs are fantastic. Every time I get an e-ARC or even a ARC, I get all excited like it's my first time. Reading books in advance is always awesome, especially if it's a book you've waited like 5 years for or it's from a favorite author. There's no denying how much happiness they bring into us readers' lives. But is there a point when this desire to have more ARCs can border on unhealthy behavior?

Here's the thing , during the past few months, I've noticed something about myself when it comes to ARCs, especially now that publishers are releasing them almost half a year before the book comes out. I'm completely ashamed to admit this, but I often find myself perusing Twitter or even Goodreads and I'm overwhelmed with jealousy when someone has an ARC that I don't. I've been blogging for 3 years and I only started requesting physical ARCs late last year. I've had multiple conversations with Nereyda and Rashika from The Social Potato and every time I come to the conclusion, that I have grown into this envious person that I don't want to be. I'm utterly ashamed of my behavior every time I feel jealous or think things "I've been blogging for so many years and X has only been blogging for 1 month. Why is X getting all the ARCs and not me? Why do publishers hate me? What do I have to do to get the coveted ARCs that everyone but me seems to be getting?". 

And I can assure you, I'm not the only one who has grown this obsession. Why do I say this? Because I frequently see people complaining about not getting so and so ARCs or just expressions of envy when someone received a coveted ARC. Honestly, I don't blame these people because I've gone through that exact same thing. I think what really triggered me into this realization that my self-pity and envy was unhealthy was actually seeing others go through this. 

Social media doesn't help this cause either. 75% of the tweets on my feed are about ARCs. One reason I stopped doing Stacking the Shelves posts was because it was making me even more jealous. I joined Instagram last year and I have no idea why I did that because that's not a place for someone like me. It also doesn't help when you have people flaunting their ARCs in your face all the time. I don't mean just sharing a picture when they get the books or anything, but there are some people who will take 5 pictures of the same book in the same day just to remind you that they have the ARC. I admit this is a bit of a prickly situation. People should be allowed to do whatever they want to. At the same time, you've got to think about what you are doing and if it does not come across as showing off.

In conclusion what I want to say is, I don't want to be this person. I don't want to be the kind of blogger who blogs for ARCs. I don't want to be greedy. And neither should you. I want to be the kind of blogger that I was when I first started out. How am I working towards that?
Talking to friends like Nereyda who steer me in the right direction. Deleting my Instagram account that gave me a headache. Ignoring, unfollowing or muting those people who won't stop talking about what ARCs they got. Picking up a book that has been on my TBR for the longest time and that friends have recommended. And finally, taking a step back and reflecting on why I really started blogging whenever that envy bug hits me.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever felt an intense kind of ARC envy? How do you battle it if you did? Do you have a completely opposite reaction to the business of ARCs than I do? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments below!