Many of us read books because we love reading; some read to gain knowledge, others just for fun and utilizing their free time.
However, we all know there is no career related to reading books, nor can it provide monetary gains. But you can still earn money by reading books through many alternative side hustles that later can be turned into full-time job roles.
Honestly, there is no legitimate nine-to-five job where you can get paid for only reading books daily. Although, there are other methods through which you can earn some extra cash with the help of reading books.
Hi! I am Priyanka from Hooked to Books, and in this article, I will share 11 ways to get paid to read books in 2024.
Instead of thinking about how to get paid to read books, go through this blog post to find the best way that suits you. Are you excited to know more? Then, let’s quickly get started!
11 Best Ways to Get Paid to Read Books
Have a look at the list of 11 ways to get paid to read books in 2024, and choose one option for yourself that you think will be best for you!
1. Start a Book Blog
After finishing a book, we often look for someone to share our opinions about the book or vent about a particular character. But we rarely have someone to do so. Book blogs can be of great help in this regard!
Starting your own book blog not only provides a space to express your thoughts about books openly and give recommendations but is also an excellent way to earn money.
However, you must understand that making money through a book blog takes time and effort. Once you’ve established good traffic, you can generate income through the blog.
Affiliate marketing, paid guest posts, sponsorship, and ads are some of the ways to earn money through your book blog.
You need to find a platform for the blog, apply various strategies, and be consistent with your efforts to grow your audience.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is another great way to generate income by reading books. If you have an online presence or are trying to build one, then affiliate programs can help you with revenue generation.
In this, you have to promote books or book-related things through affiliate links on your website or anywhere you prefer, and if the viewers make purchases using it, you earn a commission.
However, it also requires proper strategies; only then can you attract the audience enough to make a buying decision.
3. Join BookTok
On the TikTok platform, the book community is called BookTok; on Instagram, it’s known as Bookstagram; and on YouTube, it’s called BookTube.
These community spaces greatly influence the readers, and their book recommendations and reviews can surge enough attention to a particular literary work.
Becoming a part of these spaces will help you to create a name for yourself as a book reviewer/influencer and also help you earn money.
But it requires the right approaches and hard work to gain enough followers; only after that can revenue generation begin.
After having a good number of followers, you can earn money through brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing. The best advice is to stay genuine and induce personalization in your content to gain the viewers’ trust.
4. Freelance Book Reviewer
You can start writing book reviews for various websites that look for reviewers. You can get paid a certain amount for one review, and sometimes, you also get to keep the book.
Being a freelance book reviewer provides a flexible schedule and the freedom to choose your projects. This practice can help you with future publishing or journalism careers. It also helps you to build a strong portfolio.
5. Proofread
Proofreading is also a good way to make some money. However, proofreaders are quick readers, must have attention to detail, and should have a good understanding of spelling and grammar.
If you have these skills, you can advertise yourself as a proofreader. You can get gigs from various platforms for proofreading books and other literary pieces to receive a certain amount for your work.
6. Book Podcaster
Starting a book podcast is another excellent method to monetize your love for reading. Here, you can review books or talk about literature in general.
It’s the same process where you must plan and execute the right strategies and put consistent efforts to increase your audience. Once the podcast gains traction, you can incorporate various ways to generate revenue.
Advertising and sponsorship are some of the best ways to earn money through your book-related podcast.
7. Start a Book Club
Bibliophiles love to be a part of book clubs where they can meet like-minded people to discuss books and authors.
You can either start an online or offline book club. Initially, you must gather members, make the club enjoyable, create a dedicated following with consistent hard work, and keep it engaging for smooth running.
Once it is established, you can charge fees from the members as an organizer of the club or arrange paid events, webinars, and more to gain monetary benefits.
8. Audiobook Narrator
If you’re someone who studied drama, was part of a radio team, used to read books out loud to a group of people, or loves narration in general, then an audiobook narrator is one of the most suitable jobs for you.
You can work with publishers or self-published authors or audition at various platforms that help you with the same.
If you have good voice and narrative skills, choose this role, as it is a highly lucrative option.
9. Book Website Writer
If you love reading and writing both, you can start writing book reviews for various websites. Plenty of websites hire reviewers and pay a fixed amount for a particular review. This helps to have a portfolio that showcases your published work.
Now, this can be done as a freelancer, or you can work as a full-time writer for some website. You can also choose the type of book reviews you want to write and pitch only to those organizations.
10. Become an Editor
An editor is a full-time job role that you can find in the publishing industry. Proofreading is a part of editing, but an editor plays a crucial role.
The editor’s job is to review the final draft, edit it vigorously to remove fluffs, grammatical mistakes, or any unnecessary additions, and polish the content to its core to make it ready for publishing.
However, becoming an editor requires a graduate degree. But there are freelance editor roles for small and less famous literary works where you can apply if you have some experience.
11. Translate Books
Multilingual individuals can use their language skills to translate books and earn money. But translating a book requires a thorough understanding of the process and language.
You need to comprehend the author’s writing style and language usage and translate it into the second language correctly so it does not lose the original essence and readers can relate to it similarly.
To become a translator, you must have an equivalent degree and some experience to land the job. It is a good career option to choose.
Wrap-Up
Overall, it can be said that reading books does help in finding related side hustles or full-time career opportunities only if you are willing to put in consistent efforts.
I believe these jobs are suitable and exciting for readers as they somehow require them to read and write, and as book lovers, what’s better than doing something you love through which you can also earn money?
I hope now you are not wondering how to get paid to read books and have already chosen the best options for yourself from the above list to get started with.