How Does Pen Pinery Vet Its ARC Readers?

It's one of the first questions romance authors ask when they find Pen Pinery. And it's a fair one; you've spent months writing your book and you want to know it's going to land in the right hands.

Here's the honest answer: Pen Pinery doesn't vet readers on your behalf. And that's actually by design.

Why Central Vetting Doesn't Make Sense for Romance ARCs

Think about what vetting would actually look like. A cozy closed door romance author needs completely different readers than a dark mafia romance author. A debut author might prioritize enthusiastic new readers over seasoned reviewers. An established author might want readers with a strong review history on Amazon.

No platform can make those calls for you. Only you know what matters most for your specific book.

So instead of guessing, Pen Pinery puts the decision where it belongs, with you.

What You Actually Get

When readers apply for your ARC on Pen Pinery, you can see:

Read-to-review ratio. This tells you how often a reader follows through with a review after accepting an ARC. A reader with a high ratio is someone who actually does the work. A reader with a low ratio might be collecting ARCs without finishing them.

Platform activity. You can see how active a reader is on the platform — whether they're regularly applying for books and engaging with the community.

Reviews they've left. Browse through feedback from other authors' books to get a sense of how a reader writes and whether their taste aligns with yours.

Their reading preferences. Readers fill out their profile with the subgenres and tropes they love. You can see immediately whether your dark romantasy is going to land with someone who actually reads dark romantasy.

You Approve Every Reader

Nothing happens without your say. Readers apply, you review their profile, and you decide who gets a copy of your book. Approve the ones that look like a great fit. Skip the ones that don't. There's no pressure and no obligation to accept every application.

Pen Pinery doesn't vet readers because you are the best person to vet them for your book. We give you the data, the profile information, and the final call. Your ARC, your readers, your decision.

If you're a romance author looking for ARC readers you can actually trust to leave reviews, Pen Pinery is worth checking out.