Why do pirates expect people to download ARCs of books on their sites instead of paying for the final version?

Pirates already offer low quality copies of movies that were recorded in a cinema. They offer copies of software and games that come in .iso format that you have to “mount”, and then you need to find a crack for it.
Their target audience is people who are already willing and able to jump through some minor hoops to get their “warez” for free, and/or early.

ARCs are often distributed a library conferences and book shows. In my experience, the ARC is an almost-finished product: it still has typos and may lack a foreword and editor’s note, but the story (if fiction) or the report (if non-fiction) is essentially complete and not going to change.

So .. if a person likes an author and wants to read an ARC, they can 99% sure that content of the book is not going to change. It’s not like the protagonist in a murder mystery is going to change.

Personal anecdote: I did get an ARC at one bookseller’s convention, and I found a couple of typos, and one case a hole in the plot. I emailed the author before the final print was made, and he told his publisher to fix the issues and make a small plot change. So (a) authors are interested in what people notice about their stories, and (b) publishers will (usually) make changes.

The bottom line: If you like a particular author, you’re going to get the book a couple of months early be reading an ARC.

Of course, the author isn’t being paid for that, so in essence you’re screwing the author. But content-wise, it will be 99% of what the book is when published.

In the scene there’s kudos in being first.

I have been privilege to many pre releases of books, music, movies from the artists or studios wanting my feedback.

In the end I do purchase the material. Don’t download from pirates. Pirates can’t read anyway.