Get paid to read books. That's right. Now, you can make money from reading. Really, even kids can earn extra cash on the side on this side gig or past time. You can even work from home doing this job.
Believe it or not:
There are ways to help you make money online while enjoying the comfort of reading from wherever you may be. Seriously!
The best yet:
You don't have to do a ton to make cash.
That's the great thing about this opportunity. Unlike other money-making ideas that require you to put a lot of time and effort, this gig doesn't do that.
Some people who found this side hustle have been able to:
- make a few hundred dollars month after month
- find an easy way to earn money online without leaving home
- earn passive income using a way that resulted from just reading
Interested? Fascinated? Read to make money online without investment?
If you are, then, keep on reading!
13 Super Easy Ways To Get Paid To Read Books (Up To $100/Day)
Here are some of the ways to read and earn money on the side. Some of these ways involve getting paid to read emails or reading any subject books.
Have fun!
1. Be A Literary Agent Freelance Reading
If you're looking for an opportunity to read the next New York Times Best Seller before it hits the shelves, then becoming a literary agent's freelance reader could be for you.
What's a freelance reading position?
In a nutshell, freelance readers give literary agents a heads up based on a synopsis and an excerpt from a manuscript. You let the agent know if it's worth their time to read and consider.
To become a freelance reader, you'll need first to find a literary agent, and then you'll need to make sure he or she still accepts unsolicited manuscripts.
Not all agents do this, but it's worth a little research if reading the latest (and potentially the greatest!) interests you.
If you're able to get your foot in the door, there's a good chance the agent will keep you busy. To date, there are more than one million new titles published each year!
2. Sell Your Books
The average American reads about 4 books a year, but if you love to read, you probably have quite a few more laying around.
Why not put those books to good use by selling them and putting some cashback in your wallet?
And after you've sold your books, why not get a few new ones from free? Read 19 Best Places To Get Free Sample Boxes to find out how you can get free books.
3. Do Affiliate Marketing
Last but not least on our list of ways to get paid to read books is affiliate marketing.
The difference between affiliate marketing and the rest of the opportunities listed in this article is that the amount you can make from affiliate marketing is endless.
Think about it.
You've written a review on one of the millions of books from Amazon and write a positive review of a book on your blog, putting an affiliate link leads back to Amazon.
Every time a person clicks on that link and shops around on Amazon (even if he/she doesn't end up buying the recommended book), you're still earning a commission for that sale.
If you're are a part of the 30 percent of Americans who say they have side jobs because they need more money to pay for necessary living expenses, affiliate marketing could be a right solution for you.
If you’re interested in learning more about monetizing your blog, check out this article.
4. Become a Proofreader
The literary world has changed a lot over the past couple of years.
Many authors have ditched working with agents. Instead, the trend is for authors to self-publish their books.
Self-publishing has created a demand for independent proofreaders, meaning you have the opportunity to read and earn money.
You can find authors looking for proofreaders practically anywhere on the internet. I would suggest creating accounts on websites like Upwork and Fiverr to find work.
5. Get Paid to Review Books
One simple way to get paid to read books is to write book reviews.
There are many websites out there that will pay you to review books. Some of the bigger ones include:
Another possibility to consider is finding the work on your own by becoming a freelance writer who specializes in book reviews.
Websites like Upwork and Fiverr are also good places to look for this type of work.
You'll literally read and earn money for reading the books and writing a review. How cool is that!
7. Start a Book Review Blog
There are tons of review blogs out there, and it's an excellent way to earn money. Why not join in on the fun and get paid to read books and write reviews for your blog?
As your blog grows, you can do both paid and unpaid reviews. Spoiler alert: Authors and publishers pay very good money to get their book reviewed.
While my blog is not book-review focused, I can tell you that blogging can be very lucrative. In just over 1.5 years, I've earned more than $180,000.
How do you get going? Just start writing and choose a blog host, like Bluehost that costs only $2.95/mo. That's just a cup of coffee or even less.
Click here to learn how to create your blog in less than 15 minutes.
8. Become a Voice Actor
It's probably no surprise that audiobooks have gained popularity over the past few years. In fact, half of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to at least one audiobook in the past year.
So, another way to get paid to read books is by becoming a voice actor.
All it really takes is having a good voice and being able to read out loud.
Professional voice actors can make a pretty penny, too. Some professional voice actors make an average of $3,000 per audiobook!
If you're just getting started with voice-over work, take a look at ACX (Audible’s Creative Exchange). ACX is a place where authors planning to publish on the Audible platform can connect with narrators.
On any given day, there are over a thousand titles open for auditions making your chances of landing a gig pretty good.
9. Become a Researcher for Authors
Something you might want to consider if you're going to get paid to read books, is specializing in finding interesting stories for authors and journalists to write about.
How can you go about finding this type of work?
There are a few different options. You can start by reaching out to authors you admire and see if they need a research assistant.
There are sites like Ask Wonder that hire researchers. Another way to find work as a research assistant is by signing up for websites like Upwork and Fiverr.
10. Create a Book Summary Business
Book summaries have been around for a long time, and so has the book summary business. And with the advent of the internet, a lot of doors have opened for creators of book summaries.
There are a few different ways you could go about your business model for your book summary business:
- Creating a book summary business could be as easy as creating a business model where you focus on one genre of books, review top books in that space, and sell the reviews on your website.
- Another idea is packaging up book summaries and creating an online course with the information.
- Last but not least, you could publish your summaries as an ebook and sell it. This could bring in some good cash, especially if you're writing reviews for books students often read for class.
11. Create the Layout & Design for Books
If you like a beautifully laid out book, why not try your hand at it?
There are plenty of resources out there, including free sites like The Book Designer, that will teach you what you need to know about book design and layout.
Some smaller publishing houses may hire freelance designers, however, with the surge of ebooks, you’re probably better off looking to freelance websites to help land you a job with a self-publishing author.
12. Get Paid to Edit or Copy Edit Books
Editing or copyediting is one of the best ways to get paid to read books.
There are major and smaller publishing houses as well as self-publishing authors all looking to hire editors online for the sole purpose of editing books.
What does copyediting a book entail?
It's pretty simple.
As you read and review the book, you're looking for ways to improve the style, clarity, grammar, and accuracy of the text. You'll also make sure there are no spelling errors or issues with punctuation.
13. Become a Blog Content Editor
If you simply love to read and don't care whether you get paid for reading a book or something else, one very in-demand gig is blog editing.
Blog editing mainly consists of reading and editing blog posts for clarity and grammar.
With enough experience, some people make upwards of $30+ per hour. Finding work is as easy as creating a profile on freelance websites like the ones mentioned above.
14. Translate Books for Cash
If you speak more than one language, there may be an opportunity for you to get paid to read books and translate them.
Many sites will pay you to read books and translate from English to another language or vice versa.
For example, on Guru.com, you can find different translation-related jobs from translating texts to all kinds of ebooks and websites, too.
The going hourly rate isn’t bad, either.
Depending on the task, you could make anywhere from $25 to $40/hr.
15. Write book summaries
While book reviews are mostly done for people who read for pleasure, book summaries can be used by those people who are doing research or study for a specific topic.
That's where you come in.
Not all writers, publishers, or book creators will create summaries of their books, and that's where you can help them out with.
If you have time to read and write book reviews, then, get ready to apply for some freelance jobs on abstract sites like getAbstract.
Final Thoughts On How To Get Paid To Read Books:
I know by now you're probably scratching your head and wondering why you didn't do this before.
I understand. I said the same thing to myself. But now you know everything there is about getting paid to read books.
Here's the reality:
Books are getting expensive year after year. I know how it feels to buy new books especially if you are an avid reader like me. That applies to someone who likes to read physical books.
Now, you can save up for books and earn more by becoming a professional reader on the side. Who doesn't like that, right?
So, what are you waiting for? Are you willing to put in the time and energy to make this side hustle happen? Start now.
