Get Paid To Read Books

Get Paid To Read Books Via Apps

Getting paid to read books via apps is easy to get started with.

You get paid for the amount of words you read. 

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Reading Books via Apps?

Earnings are relatively low compared to other ways to make money online. 

$0.25 to $1 is the typical range for about 20,000 words (source). 20,000 words would take the average reader at least 2 hours to finish, according to Words to Time.

Most apps also pay via a point system. 

😎 Legit Places to Make Money Reading Books via Apps

• Booksta
  Read and earn coins that you can later redeem for gift cards. Popular vendors include Amazon, eBay and Delta Air Lines.
• Bookshout
  Another similar app but you can’t earn cash. You can only redeem points for ebooks in their store.

🤓 What Skills Do I Need to Make Money Reading Books via Apps?

Skills that could help you include:

• Fast reading ability (but natural enough that speed trackers don’t suspect foul play)
• Concentration and focus

📱 What Equipment Do I Need to Read Books via Apps?

You can get started with most apps with only a smartphone. 

A tablet or eReader, thanks to larger screens, could help improve reading speed.

The Pros and Cons of Getting Paid to Read Books Via Apps

Get Paid To Write Book Reviews

An experienced book reviewer writing for high-profile websites can make good money from reading books.

Most people get started leaving honest reviews on websites like Amazon and Goodreads first, then graduate to paid work later.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn As a Book Reviewer?

Earnings are variable. For many clients, you’ll be expected to pitch a rate. Typical earnings range between $10 to $100 per review.

😎 Legit Places to Get Paid Writing Book Reviews

Here are 4 legit sites that pay writers per review.

• Online Book Club:
  Pays anything between $5 to $60 per book review.

Other sites that pay freelancers for book reviews but aren’t that clear on rates include:

• Dog Eared Reviews
  Book marketing company that pays for positive (4 stars and above) reviews only.
• Kirkus Media
  Looks for 350-word reviews of books of all genres.
• NetGalley
  Connects publishers with readers via a membership platform.
• Publishers Weekly
  Sometimes offers freelance positions for reviewers and editors.
• Tyndale Blog Network
  Rewards users with points for social media shares and quizzes more than reviews.
• U.S. Review of Books
  Asks for 300-500 word book reviews. Pays monthly.

Gain more experience reviewing books and the potential to earn (or turn it into a full-time gig) could be a reality.

Here are some high profile places you could land freelance opportunities. You’ll have to pitch the editorial team for each.

• Chicago Review of Books
• NewYorker.com
• NPR.org

Most big news and culture sites pay book reviewers well.

A few book review sites that give advanced book copies in exchange for reviews include (but don’t pay for reviews):

• Book Browse
• Moody Press
• Lola’s Blog Tours
• Edelweiss
• Bethany House

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need to Be Successful Reviewing Books

To be successful in book reviewing you’ll need to be able to write well, give honest reviews and work to tight deadlines.

Freelance writing courses could help. Earn More Writing scores well according to our review.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need to Review Books

You’ll only need a computer and basic word processing software to get started.

The Pros and Cons of Writing Book Reviews

Get Paid To Write Book Summaries

Summaries are becoming more popular with people too busy to read books.

Getting paid to write them is another legit way to earn.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Writing Book Summaries?

The best gigs, with well-known companies like Blinkist and GetAbstract, are usually full-time.

This article estimates similar content writing positions paying around $75,000 per year. Don’t take this as the norm though, you’ll need extensive experience to land anything near this.

😎 Legit Places to Get Started Writing Book Summaries

Here are 2 legit places to earn cash writing book summaries:

• Booklist Publications
  Pays $12.50 for 175-word book summaries. Also pays out $5 for rejections.
• New Pages
  Looks for 100 to 200-word summaries on books or literary magazines. Doesn’t specify pay.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need to Write Book Summaries

To do well writing book summaries you’ll need the ability to read fast and distil things down to a few major points.

Skills are similar to those needed by book reviewers.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need Writing Book Summaries

A computer and basic word processing software.

The Pros and Cons of Writing Book Summaries

Get Paid To Proofread Books

Proofreading is an important part of the publishing process. Authors or publishing companies will sometimes pay you to read texts first before they go out to the public.

This is a role that’s slowly becoming more automated, especially with tools like Grammarly.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Proofreading?

Basic book proofreading jobs don’t pay that well. But when combined with other writing-based roles, especially editing and writing, you can expect to make anything between $35,000 – $120,000 for a full time remote position.

It’s possible to work with publishing houses directly as a proofreader. Doing so can often lead to higher paying opportunities. It involves reaching out and making contacts though. 

😎 Legit Places to Get Started Proofreading

The best places to get started proofreading are the same as those we recommend for finding editing jobs: Flexjobs, Upwork and PeoplePerHour.

Similar opportunities to find work proofreading include getting paid to read manuscripts. AgentQuery is a good site to check out if that’s something you’re interested in. Sometimes they post book review opportunities too.

• More info about proofreading jobs

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need to Be Successful Proofreading

Entry level proofreading jobs require only basic skills.

You’ll need to have a close eye for detail and be able to communicate any errors quickly.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need For Proofreading

Basic computer equipment only.

The Pros and Cons of Proofreading

Get Paid To Read and Edit Books

Experienced editors have lots of opportunities when it comes to earning cash via reading.

Their role is important in helping to make texts easier to read. Most editors combine their work with other skills like proofreading and copywriting to increase their hourly rates.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Editing Books?

The median salary for book editors is around $59,000 per year.

Many top level editors can make more than this, especially if they have direct connections with big publishers. 

Entry-level editing work usually pays in the region of $10 – 20 per hour.

😎 3 Legit Places to Get Started Editing Books

• FlexJobs
  There are lots of remote editing opportunities here. Most are US-based full-time positions but there are lots of freelance and part-time positions listed too.
• Upwork
  Upwork is the place to go for freelance or hourly-based editing positions. A few of their recent listings include positions editing short stories in paranormal romance, non fiction business books and childrens books.
• PeoplePerHour
  Many editors get started advertising their services here and taking on short-term gigs to build their experience. You’ll notice lots of proofreading and editing opportunities here.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need Editing Books

Most top level editors have a range of skills. These include:

• Proofreading
  Editors skim texts and identify problems
• Grammatical changes
  Editors have a high command of the language and know how to use grammar precisely
• Writing
  Changing wording to improve readability 

A lot of these skills can be developed and improved through courses. Check out our articles:

• Best Copy Editing Courses on Udemy
• Best Writing Courses on Udemy
• Earn More Writing Course Review

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need Editing Books

You don’t need any specialist equipment to make a good living in editing. A basic computer set-up should be enough.

The Pros and Cons of Editing Books

• More info about editing jobs

Get Paid To Read Books Aloud

Getting paid to read books aloud sounds like a dream gig for a keen reader.

You get to read and others get to listen to the audio recording of the book. It’s not as easy as it sounds however.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Reading Books Aloud?

There’s no such thing as typical earnings when it comes to narrating or reading books aloud. Pay depends on the length and type of book. The more experienced you are the more you’re likely to earn.

Business books tend to pay more than short children’s books. Especially those written by established authors. Most books in this genre pay around $50 – 100 per finished hour on sites like ACX.

Jobs are almost always on a freelance basis, meaning earnings are less dependable than some of the other full-time options on this list.

😎 The Best Place To Get Started Reading Books Aloud

Amazon’s ACX is like a freelance marketplace for publishers looking to convert texts into audiobooks.

Connecting narrators and sound engineers to authors or publishing groups, you have to audition for gigs. Each new listing shows reading time and earning rate (usually per finished hour).

Voices and Bunny Studio are two other places to explore but most opportunities are for things like adverts or podcasts rather than audiobooks.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need To Read Books Aloud

Most narrators scoring gigs at ACX are trained actors with a background in theatre or film.

You’ll need a good reading voice and understanding of pacing to do well.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need To Read Books Aloud

Reading books aloud needs some specialist equipment. Basic things include:

• Microphone
• Voice editing software
• Access to a soundproof studio

The Pros and Cons of Reading Books Aloud

Get Paid to Read and Translate Books

Getting paid to read a book and translate it into another language is a highly technical skill.

To make it work you’ll need an audience in the language you’re translating a book to or from. 

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Reading and Translating Books?

The pay in translation work varies a lot. Generally it depends on three factors:

• Experience
• Language competency
• Speed

The better you are in each the higher hourly rate you’ll be able to command. But you’ll also need to work in languages that are in high demand. 

Less widely spoken languages seem to have less competition when it comes to jobs though.

😎 Legit Places To Get Started Translating Books

The best places to find translation jobs are the same as those for editing and proofreading work. These all require working in English to some extent.

• FlexJobs
  Recent opportunities here include German, French, Italian and Japanese book translation work. Earning ranges from $25 – $30 per hour.
• Upwork
  Book translations aren’t as common as stand-alone article translation work but they still appear regularly. Earnings range from $6 – $25 per hour.

More options and info about translation jobs.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need To Read and Translate Books

Basic computer equipment is all you’ll need.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need To Read and Translate Books

Aside from having mastery in another language, you’ll also need these skills:

• Writing ability
• Communication
• Organization

The Pros and Cons of Reading and Translating Books

Get Paid To Blog About Books

Starting a blog about books gives you a lot of creative control over what you can read.

It also opens up the possibility of more monetization options. But you’ll need a broad skill-set – successful bloggers don’t just read and write!

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Blogging About Books?

Blog earnings are variable. Work hard and it’s possible to make a full-time living (and more).

Here are the ways most bloggers make money:

• Amazon Affiliates
  Make a commission from recommending books and reading-related products on Amazon (eg. tablets and Kindle devices). The higher the cost of the item, the more money you’ll make, but Amazon’s commission rates are notoriously low, usually less than 5% of the purchase price.
• Display advertising
  Placing ads on your blog is another way to increase your earnings. The more traffic you can drive to your site, the more impressions the ads will get. You’ll make more as a result. Popular ad platforms include Ezoic, AdThrive and Mediavine.
• Sponsored posts
  Sometimes publishers of product marketers will pay you to promote things on your blog. Usually they’ll do this by providing a guest post talking about their product or service.

😎 Legit Blogs About Books That Earn Money

There are many legit blogs centered on reading books. Here are two interesting ones:

• Brainpickings
  Brainpickings started as an email series set up by Maria Popova talking about the lessons she was learning from books, creativity and art. Originally intended to be shared among her colleagues in advertising, Brainpickings has since grown into a blog that’s read by over 7 million people monthly. It’s monetized mainly by donations.
• Nat Eliason
  Nat Eliason has grown his personal blog into a monetization machine that promotes his courses and marketing business. The site gets a lot of traction thanks to Nat’s book notes (a category he calls “The Brain”). There are over 250 books covered here, mainly non-fiction. Nat earns from packaging these notes as well as affiliate commissions through Amazon.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need to Read and Blog About Books

To do well in blogging you’ll need a broad skill-set. You’ll need to have some technical experience setting up a site and using a content management system like WordPress.

You’ll also need to be persistent, disciplined and resilient. It can take a long time to get results.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need to Read and Blog About Books

You only need a basic computer set-up to get started blogging. 

The Pros and Cons of Reading and Blogging About Books

Get Paid To Podcast About Books

Just like blogging, you can earn by podcasting about books. A lot of the pros and cons are similar.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Podcasting About Books?

Podcasts mainly earn by paid sponsorship. The amount you can earn depends on the number of downloads from listeners.

Industry standards are around $20 – 25 per 1000 listens for a 60-second mid-roll promotion (source).

Patreon is another popular way to earn money from podcasting. Subscribers pay a monthly recurring fee for early access.

😎 Legit Podcasts About Books That Earn Money

• Book Riot
  A weekly podcast connected to another successful book blog. Has over 400 episodes available for public download.
• So Many Damn Books
  Popular podcast run by two New York-based book-enthusiasts that earns from both Patreon donations and advertising sponsorship.
• Book Fight
  Another two-person podcast that earns from Patreon and commissions from book sales made through Book Fight’s website. 

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need to Podcast About Books

To make a good podcast you’ll need sound recording, editing and software skills.

You’ll also need strong research and organization skills to plan podcasts, book guests and publicize your show. 

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need to Podcast About Books

As well as basic computing equipment you’ll want a good microphone.

Access to a soundproofed studio could also help improve production quality.

The Pros and Cons of Podcasting About Books

Get Paid to Talk About Books on YouTube

YouTube is a creative and potentially lucrative platform to share your love of books and reading.

Becoming a successful “booktuber” isn’t easy however. There’s a lot of skills you’ll have to master.

🤑 How Much Can You Earn As a Booktuber?

Creators on YouTube monetize their videos via a mix of YouTube advertising, affiliate commissions and sponsorships. The more views you get, the more money you’ll make.

• See examples of YouTubers from different niches and how much money they make

😎 Legit Booktubers Earning Money Reading and Talking About Books

• PolandBananasBOOKS
  With over 400K subscribers, Christine Riccio makes weekly vlogs about books, comedy and everything in between. Some of her more popular videos discuss the Harry Potter and Twilight fiction series.
• Jessethereader
  Jesse is another big booktuber who does predictions, round-ups, unboxing and other fun book-related activities. His most watched videos are list-type comedy videos but he also has interviews, challenges and product reviews.
• Katytastic
  Kat talks about both reading and writing on her YouTube channel. Her updates are less frequent than the above examples but she’s still grown a sizable platform of 250K subscribers.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need To Read and Talk About Books On YouTube

You’ll need to have some diverse skills to make it on YouTube. 

Video editing and recording skills are a must starting out. You’ll need to get comfortable talking in front of a camera and be creative when it comes to video topics.

Building a personal brand is crucial to making YouTube work.

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need To Read and Talk About Books On YouTube

You can get started making videos with basic video recording equipment on a decent smartphone or laptop. 

Develop a following and you could reinvest into more high-tech hardware and software later.

The Pros and Cons of Becoming A Booktuber

Get Paid To Read Books As A Publisher

Starting a book publishing business could bring a lot of opportunities to read and discover new books and authors. Although it isn’t necessary, it’s definitely one perk of the job that will appeal to book lovers. 

🤑 How Much Can You Earn Publishing Books?

Running a publishing business isn’t easy. You won’t earn per hour or project. You’ll have to buy or negotiate the publishing rights to books and hope they sell well to earn a percentage.

How much you earn depends entirely on your business skills.

😎 The Best Sites To Get Started In Publishing

To do well in publishing you’ll need to tap into self-published authors and market their books effectively. Sites like Amazon and Goodreads can be great for this. Especially the new author or self-published categories of either site. 

Approaching bloggers or YouTubers that have good audiences is another idea. You could strike up book deals with these creators and negotiate a percentage of the sales on your behalf.

🤓 What Skills You’ll Need To Be Successful In Publishing

Doing well in publishing means doing well in business. To do that, you’ll need the following skills:

• An eye for talent
• Ability to negotiate (especially when it comes to royalties, commissions or percentages)
• Marketing
• Organization and management

💻 What Equipment You’ll Need To Get Started In Publishing

Starting out, it makes most sense to stick to digital books rather than paper.

A basic computer set-up is enough.

The Pros and Cons of Publishing