When I was younger, I always dreamed of becoming a professional reader. I wanted my entire daily work to consist of reading books, thinking critically about what was good, what was bad, and what I would change, and then sharing my thoughts with other people. I hoped it would be a full-time job.
Unfortunately, there is no degree in book reading. You cannot work as a professional book reader. But It is possible to make money reading books online and offline. Here is a list of 12 ways. Some of them are pretty typical and some are a little less conventional, but all of them will allow you to make money reading books.
I have separated these into several different categories.
Make money reading books for social media
One of the most common and fun ways to make money reading books is to create a social media profile where you gain a reputation for reading books, having interesting thoughts, and influencing others to read or not read certain titles.
All you need to get started is a concrete way to publish. You don’t even need to buy books at first – just use a library card.
Here are some of the best ways to make money reading books using social media.
1. Post your video thoughts on BookTok (and BookTube, and BookStagram)
TikTok gets a bad rap, but it’s actually boosting literacy rates in the United States. Personally, I’ve read a lot of books from the BookTok trend that I’ve loved, like The Hating Game, anything by Emily Henry, and The Song of Achilles, to name a few.
The good news is that BookTok is one of the best ways to make money reading books.
This process is similar to any of the video book reviews. First, create an account. Make it clear that these are book reviews and explain what genre you like..
Next, start reviewing. This requires a bit of thought: how can you make your videos stand out? How can you build a reputation as a trusted Bookfluencer?
There is a creator fund. In 2021, Cait Jacobs stated that this TikTok fund only gives you 2-4 cents for every 1,000 views, so you’ll need a lot of views.
However, sponsorships are also a potential source of income.
Create the video once and then post it on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to make the most of your money. It may take some time, but you can make money reading books this way.
2. Write your review on a blog to earn money reading books
What better way to make money reading than by paying homage to the book with the written word? Blogging is a great way to make money reading books. It’s a less demanding program than video content, so You can post once or twice a week while reading and reviewing books.and thus gradually gain audiences.
Put ads on it and you’re good to go. It may take a while to start gaining followers, but if you really like the books, you’ll read them anyway – just post your reviews on your own site instead of (or in addition to) Goodreads.
3. Post about books on Medium
Medium has a royalty payment system. It works like this: when a member reads your post, you earn a small portion of their monthly fee. More views = more money.
Post your reviews in a publication and earn money reading books that way.
You don’t need to do any SEO to make money from ad views. You don’t even need to host your own website. Just post your thoughts, get 100 followers, and start making money reading books and posting your thoughts.
4. Podcast
Podcasts work similarly to BookTok or Bookstagram for making money reading books, except instead of recording both your voice and your face, it’s just your voice.
Find a co-host or host yourself. Share your latest thoughts on the books you’ve read. Earn money through sponsorships.
Right now, most podcasts don’t make money through any ads, but if your podcast grows, you can leverage your audience to get support from Patreon, sell extra content or get some kind of deal exclusive with a podcasting company.
5. Use affiliate links
Affiliate links permeate all of these methods, but they are important enough to give them their own category as one of the best ways to make money reading books.
This is how you can make money:
- First, join an affiliate program like Bookshop.org.
- Then, read a book.
- Find the book on the platform.
- Recommend it to a friend on your blog, podcast, social media or newsletter.
- When someone buys that book thanks to your recommendation, you will earn 10% of the sale.
Freelance and other jobs
What if you don’t want to create a social media profile? What if you want to get paid today, not in a few months when your first advertising revenue or sponsorship comes in?
Consider taking a career path or starting a side business. Some of the best ways to make money reading books are through freelance work or other jobs. Pros: instant money. Cons: you don’t have as much control over the books you read.
6. Narrate audiobooks
Who hasn’t heard the sweet tones of an audiobook reader?
The good news is that if you have a sweet voice, you are in high demand as an audiobook narrator. You can make money by reading books aloud. Fun fact: Audiobooks are becoming more and more popularIn the United States alone, the proportion of people who have read an audiobook has doubled in the past 10 years.
Here are two programs where you can upload some samples, get signed, and get paid to read (or narrate) books.
With ACX, which is Amazon Audible’s program, you can choose a royalty fee or a finished hourly rate.
Findaway Voices is a similar program. You can sign up, Upload samples and be chosen based on your accent or tone.
7. Unleash your passion for grammar and become an editor
This is both a professional option and a freelance option. Depending on your studies, you can apply for full-time editing jobs or simply post your work on a platform like Upwork or Fiverr.
8. Become a literary agent
This is a professional option. In my opinion, it is a very romantic way to make money reading books. Your job is to Select the best manuscripts, read them and make them shineBehind each of your favorite books there is a literary agent who believed in it long before you did.
If you don’t have the right qualifications, I recommend you start with an internship. Start working a lot online, because your job is to meet the right people. Understand the publishing process inside and out. Then, get paid to read books, even if they’re unpublished.
9. Translate books
Do you know more than one language? Amazing news: you can get paid to read books in English or any other language and translate them. I love reading books in German and English, so I am very grateful to translators who help me share works in other languages.
You can also correct books in another languageYou can search for these types of jobs on sites like FlexJobs, Fiverr, or Upwork.
10. Correct books
It can be a full-time profession, but more often than not it is a side job. I think it is One of the best ways to make money reading books Because by the time a proofreader comes along, the book is usually more polished and ready for publication. Editors have to deal with raw material, but proofreaders only look for small errors.
You need a critical eye and a grammar checker running in your head at all times, but it is possible to make money reading books this way.
11. Design book covers
Do you have a good instinct for design? Maybe you are even a graphic designer? Then this is one of the best ways to make money reading books for you.
You will read books, think about how you would convey the main idea, design the cover, and get paid.
You can go both ways here: freelance or apply for in-house jobs as a book cover designer. Either option will allow you to make money reading books.
Another way
It’s a small gesture, but they don’t fit neatly into the other categories of the best ways to make money by reading books. Therefore, they have their own category.
12. Create a paid reading club
All you need for this is friends (or a social circle). Pick a book, build buzz, ask for a small fee to host it, and create a book club.
I pay $5 a month to join my town’s book club and consider it money well spent. Once a month, I spend an afternoon with my friends talking about a bookThe organizer, Alice, earns between $25 and $75 a month, depending on how many people come.
You won’t get rich, but it’s a great way to make money reading books because you get to read books that you really like and are excited to read. Plus, you get to hang out with friends.
The best way to make money reading books doesn’t exist yet
In my dreams, there is a future utopia. In that future, I comfortably read the books I want and make a living doing so. However, we are not in that utopia yet. Today, the main ways to make money reading books are
- Posting content on social media
- Working as a freelance editor, designer or proofreader.
- Submitting reviews to payment platforms
- Some other options, such as creating a reading club.
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Tags: Money, Tips, Culture, Books, Lists