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THE BONE THIEF
Traveling ARC Program
Team Structure & Points
You know we had to make this just a little competitive!
- Each reader will be placed onto a team based on location. Each team will have its own ARC.
- Teams earn points for completed reads and group posts.
- At each checkpoint, the highest-scoring team wins a prize! There may even be individual giveaways along the way.
- Earn:
- 1 point for each completed read
- 1 point for each post to the group (but please don’t spam!)
- 1 point for each social media post or story outside of Facebook (tag us so we see it!)
- 1 point for requesting the book through your local library
- 1 point for each local Indie bookstore or chain to see if they plan to order
- 1 point for each review shared to:
- Goodreads
- Storygraph
- Netgalley
- Amazon (reminder: reviews can only be posted to Amazon on or after the book is released 10/28/25).
- Checkpoints will take place on
- June 30th
- July 31st
- August 31st
- September 30th
- October 27th
Shipping Details
- Confirm the next reader’s address with your team captain before mailing
- Use Media Mail via USPS to reduce shipping costs (typically $4-6)
- Add tracking if possible and share the info with your team captain
- Mail the book in secure, waterproof packaging to prevent any damage
What Can I Post in social media?
- A photo of the book when it arrives (with or without you in the picture) with a caption letting us know where the book landed
- Ex: “The ARC made it to Providence, Rhode Island”
- A few thoughts or first impressions once you’re a few chapters in
- Reactions to favorite lines or scenes (share page numbers instead of describing the scenes so we don’t give anything away to folks who haven’t read yet!)
- A post when you’ve finished and shipped the book to the next reader
- And be sure to tag Vanessa (and your captain if they’re on socials with you!)
Reminder:
Please don’t post spoilers! All participants and teams will be at different points in their ARC journey, so keep posts spoiler-free for those who haven’t received their copies yet.
If you’re unsure, it’s best to leave it out, wait until the end of the project or keep an eye out for spoiler-friendly threads!
What Are the
Team Captain's Responsibilities?
How Does This Work?
Physical ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) of The Bone Thief will make their way from reader to reader across a number of different teams.
- Fill out the interest form and get matched with a team based on your location.
- Read the book! You’ll have up to 2 weeks from the date you receive before you’ll need to ship it to the next reader.
- When the book arrives, if you’re on socials, then share a quick update in the Facebook group, Instagram, Threads, or any other platforms! Be sure to tag Vanessa so we can see it and reshare!
- Once you’re done, mail the book to the next reader using USPS Media Mail, and post to the group that it’s on its way!
What Is a Traveling ARC?
A Traveling ARC is a collaborative reading experience built around a single physical copy of a book (an ARC, or Advanced Reader Copy) that is passed from reader to reader, one at a time.
ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy, which is a pre-release version of a book (so a few typos!) that publishers and authors use to generate early interest and feedback before the official launch.
We’re sharing one physical copy per team so you can get an early read in your hands! Each reader receives the book by mail, reads it within a set window of time, and then sends it to the next person on their team!
FAQs
Q: How do I find out who my team captain is?
A: Once teams are finalized, you’ll receive an email with your team name, reading order, and the name of your team captain. If you haven’t received that information by June 1st, please reach out to alyssa@florifundamentals.com or DM on socials.
Q: Who will receive my mailing address?
A: Vanessa and the organizer will keep all mailing addresses in a master list for smooth tracking. Each team captain will have access to the mailing addresses of everyone on their team.
Q: Do I need to be in the Facebook group?
A: Not at all! But If you’re on Facebook, we’d love for you to join the group to keep up with all team updates and important information, but we’ll share on email and all socials too!
If you’re not a social media fan, you can email your team captain a picture if you’d like us to share it (either on our socials or just privately among the group — we totally understand if you’d prefer to stay off socials!)
Q: What if I’m running behind?
A: Let your team captain know so we can adjust as needed.
Q: Do I need to annotate the book?
A: Annotating is where people mark favorite lines, write little notes, add stickers or tabs, and it’s totally optional! We do encourage you to leave your name, location (and social media handle if you have them) on the library card within the book we’re adding for fun!
Q: What if I lose or damage the book?
A: Notify your team captain or the organizer right away. Accidents happen, but we do ask that everyone take care when reading and shipping.
Q: Is there a cutoff for Interest Form Submissions?
A: This program will run from June 1st through October 28th (pub day!) and will accept participants throughout!
Still Have Questions?
The organizer is always available to answer any questions that may come up. Feel free to get in touch directly through the Facebook group or email us at alyssa@florifundamentals.com.
The Team Captain is the point person for the team. As a Team Captain, you will be asked to:
- Keep the book moving!
- Each person has about 1-2 weeks to read the book before sending it to the next teammate.
- You’ll have the team’s reading order. Just send a quick reminder when it’s someone’s turn (we’ll give you a message template!)
- Encourage simple Facebook, Instagram and social media posts.
- Everyone is asked to post a quick photo in the Facebook group, IG, etc., when the book reaches them, if they’re on socials (totally okay if they’re not!!).
- It can be a selfie or just the book! Suggested caption: “It’s made it to [City/State!]
- You don’t need to moderate or track anything. We just ask that you like and comment when you can to keep the energy going!
- Check in occasionally.
- Once a week, just let us know:
- Who currently has the book
- If everything is moving along or if anything seems stuck
- Once a week, just let us know:
We’ll handle tracking team points and any issues that may rise. You’re just our eyes and ears and can help flag problems early! If something feels off (shipping delay, radio silence, etc.) just let us know and we’ll take it from there!