There are many ways you can earn money online today. Even people with hobbies are turning them into ways to make money online like selling their handicrafts and artwork on Etsy. If your hobby is not an activity that produces something physical and involves things you do for personal enjoyment and playing games, watching movies, or reading books you can still turn them into a profitable side hustle and earn extra money in your free time. If you are a person that enjoys reading books then you can still make some extra cash in your free time doing exactly that that you love.
Why would someone pay you to read books?
If you read lots of books then your experience is of value to many other people. You can write reviews of books you have read and get paid for that. There are many websites online that are prepared to pay you for your work invested in writing book reviews. It is free to get started and you can start making money online using this method even if you have no experience in writing book reviews.
Your reviews will then be of value to other readers looking to choose their next book to read. Those are the future target audience of book reviews written by you and other more or less experienced book reviewers
What do you need to do to get paid reading and reviewing books?
If you are a paid book reviewer first step is when a book is published you will receive a copy. You will have the time necessary to read the book and after you read it you will need to write a review. Finally, your review is being published on a website where readers can read the review that will help them make a decision whether to get the book or not.
9 Websites To Get Paid Reading Books And Writing Reviews
If you are looking for legitimate sites that pay you to read books and write reviews there are many options you can check out. Some of them however require that you have certain experience and you will need to submit samples of your previous work when you apply. Here is a list of sites where you can find book reviewing side hustle gigs:
1. Online Book Club
OnlineBookClub is a popular website among book readers. They have lots of useful information for book lovers including many book reviews. If you are a book reviewer for Onne Book Club you can be paid for your written reviews and the compensation is in the range of $5 to $30 dollars for every written review.
2. Reedsy Discovery
This is another website where you can make money online by writing and reviewing books. Your reviews are helpful to other book readers and you don’t get paid a determined amount of money for every review you make but on Reedsy Discovery you will be rewarded with tips of $1 and more from visitors who will read and know how to appreciate your work on reading the books and writing a quality review.
3. Writerful Books
Writerful Books pays a very generous sum of money for each book review. The payment for each book review can be as high as $100, although the average is somewhere between $10 to $50. You might think that this is very good money for book lovers to make doing something they love but there is a reason for that. Writerful Books hires experienced book reviewers and when you apply have some sample of your previous book reviewers to showcase your skills and experience.
4. Kirkus Media
Kirkus Media is a legitimate option for book reviewers looking for an online side hustle to make extra money in their free time reading books and writing reviews. They welcome book reviewers at if you are interested then you too can apply. They are on the lookout for book reviewers to write reviews in English and Spanish language. If you speak English and /or Spanish you can apply and start making money writing book reviews. They expect their paid reviewers to be able to deliver their work in two weeks’ time, have experience and write 350-word reviews. If you have browsed Amazon and come across a book page the reviews you see are probably from Kirkus Media.
5. Any Subject Book
You can also check for book review jobs at AnySubjectBooks. You can choose books based on your preferences. If you love romance books you can write detailed and in-depth reviews on romance books. And if romance is not your thing then you can choose whatever genre you enjoy reading, Fiction, Crime, and others.
6. US Review of Books
US Review of Books publishes a monthly newsletter containing book reviews. They expect their reviews to be professionally written and to apply you will need to submit also sample work, professional references as well a resume. When you become a reviewer you can request to review a book when it is posted and you will get to read it and write the review. Reviews need to be in the range of 250 to 300 words
7. Women’s Review of Books
Women’s Review of Books is another site where you can find a side hustle job as a book reader and reviewer. They pay a very generous $100 per review but their requirements are also high. Thy requires the reviewers to have experience and their writers are academics and professionals with experience. If you meet the requirements you can apply and if you are accepted you can start making money writing book reviews.
8. Upwork
Upwork is one of the greatest freelance jobs websites in the world. If you have ever looked for a freelance job you could do online you probably have come across Upwork. On the Upwork platform, you can find online jobs from any category. Man freelance writers graphic designers, photographers, and all people with some kind of skills can find jobs that are their best fit.
Among many different jobs posted on Upwork, there are also book reviews. Some of the jobs are on a book-by-book basis but some can be for a long-term project. First, you will need to open an account and create your profile. Make sure to list your skills and create your portfolio to showcase your skills by providing some of your past book reviews. This is will increase your chances to be hired for a job
9. BookBrowse
BookBrowse focuses on reviews on books for young adults, fiction, and nonfiction. The requirements for a review are more than 300 words and to apply for book reviewer gigs you will need a sample of your previous work. On average you can expect there will be one review per month
Conclusion
People usually read books to relax in their free time and they usually don’t find this to be something difficult. They do this because they love it. If you are such a person that loves reading books why not monetize your love for reading. This way you can, for one thing, save money for buying books because you can expect to get books for free and secondly you spend an hour o write a review of the book you just read and get paid for that.
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