21 Easy Ways To Get Paid To Read Books

get paid to read books

If you love to read and give your opinion, why not combine those two passions and get paid to read books? I bet you’re the avid reader who always has your nose stuck in a book. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since you can get paid to do it with the book review opportunities available online!

Can You Really Make Money Reading Books?

Quality book reviewers are always in demand because authors are continuously publishing new books for the public to enjoy. However, being a quality reviewer doesn’t mean you have to be a professional with years of writing experience. Plenty of book review websites provide opportunities for beginners who want to perform a beta reading for a pretty penny.

On the other hand, don’t get discouraged if you are more experienced and want to put your talent to good use. Many websites post opportunities where you can audition for the job. In addition, they are often looking for experienced book reviewers, so you have a great chance of being noticed. So keep reading if you want to learn how to hack this money-earning opportunity!

How To Earn Money – Just By Reading

how to save money for beginners by reading books

In recent years, many websites have emerged that allow a person to give an honest review about a book they read, good or bad. How great would it feel just to let your words flow without feeling judged or scrutinized for giving your honest opinion? This is what the world of reading books can provide for you while getting free copies of books before the general public.

Aside from just that, you receive passive income that could lead to thousands of dollars in your pocket! You can initially approach this gig as just a side hustle, but you may be able to make a full-time job out of it. This is an extremely low-cost opportunity that can allow you to build your freelance skills while also building your bank account!

How Much Book Readers Are Paid

Now, this is a tough one because the number is so variable! For example, some websites may pay you $5 while others will pay you over $1,000 to read books in exchange for writing a simple review.

Additionally, some of the reviews you write will be as short as 350-word reviews, while others will require you to go more in-depth with 1000-1500 words. Think of this as an excellent opportunity to expand your writing potential.

Also, some companies hire on a freelance basis. This means the prices are highly variable, and sometimes you can even set your own prices. This can help you master your freelance skills while also understanding that people are willing to pay for your talent.

The answer to this broad question is not as simple as providing you with just one number. But that’s what’s so great about joining this community. The money-earning possibilities are endless!

Make A Career Out Of Book Reading

make a career out of reading books

Interestingly, writing book reviews is not the only potential career move you can make if you love to read books. Yes, of course, you can join websites to write honest reviews and provide your personal experiences on a book blog. Of course, this option is never off the table, but there are a few more opportunities you can add to your portfolio.

Some of these jobs include proofreading, copy editing, acquisitions editing, freelance content editing, etc. All of these options provide you the chance to read and write as part of the book publishing industry. However, to complete these jobs, you will need to apply great attention to detail to edit various content sources accurately.

Many people, including book publishing companies, want numerous eyes on their work before they officially submit it, and you can be that extra set of eyes for them before a book launch. There is no specific genre of book you have to read or edit, and those are the best type of books! You have complete autonomy to choose your next adventure.

The Top 3 Apps To Download To Get Paid To Read Books

top apps to download to get paid to read books

If you are anything like most people, you are always on the go! As you go from place to place throughout your day, it’s kind of difficult to carry your entire desktop set up with you. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps you can use to satisfy your craving for books and money!

Boosta is an app you can download from the GooglePlay app store to read on the go. You get to choose from hundreds of digital books including best-sellers and those from various online e-book stores. The app will give you weekly book recommendations as well.

Once you read the book of your choice, you only have to answer five questions on the app, and then you get rewarded coins that can be saved up to receive a gift card, coupons, and other offers.

Ebookjobs is also an app you can easily download from the GooglePlay app store. It allows you to download books and read them offline; no internet connection is required! Get some extra cash from reading books on this app.

Appgrooves provides a list of numerous apps you can use to read books, eBooks, magazines, surveys, etc., and get paid to do it! You will never get bored with the large variety of options this list provides.

Can You Read Books On YouTube To Make Money?

Unfortunately, no. Although there are many other great ways to make money by reading, this method is a bust. Reading books aloud on YouTube qualifies as Copyright infringement.

Recording yourself reading a book and then posting that recording through YouTube is illegal. The owner of the Copyright will ask you to take them down and could potentially sue you, so don’t get caught in this messy web!

Will Goodreads Pay Me To Review Books?

goodreads pay to read books

Goodreads is a top-rated social cataloging site with a fantastic mobile app for the public to utilize daily. You can easily use their mobile app to submit reviews of your favorite books.

Often, Goodreads has job openings for people who can produce professional book reviews and proofread work. Additionally, they are willing to pay you a lot of money to complete this in-house work.

Also, if you are a paid reviewer for another site, you can post the link to your reviews on the Goodreads website so their audience can see it. This has potential for significant exposure since Goodreads is a very commonly used website. Send them your resume with a few of your writing samples and previously published articles to apply for this great opportunity.

How Goodreads Makes And Pays Money

Goodreads focuses on the social community aspect of reading rather than just publishing paid reviews. Within the book publishing business, Amazon is truly at the forefront. Their rise to the top was aided by their vertical integration of Goodreads in 2013.

Goodreads offers its users the intangible information that is honest book reviews from people just like you! The more friends and recommendations you make, the more Goodreads targets you as a valuable influencer.

Additionally, Goodreads and Amazon put self-published authors in the spotlight beside large publishers to broaden their audience base. As a result, Amazon made a great decision to grab this potential competitor before Barnes & Noble did. A compelling business combination!

How To Get Paid To Read Books For Amazon

amazon get paid to read

Audiobook Creative Exchange of Amazon (ACX) has many excellent opportunities for you to get paid for reading books! All you have to do is select the book you want out of the thousands of books listed to use for your narrating audition. The audiobook market is booming and now is the time to tap into this industry and make additional money.

Once you get added to the list of narrators, you get paid by your pre-determined hourly rate. You also have the opportunity to earn royalties from Amazon through customers purchasing the audiobooks you narrated. Fortunately, this isn’t the only site that pays you for your reviewing services.

The Top 21 Ways To Get Paid To Read Books

These are the best ways we have found to get paid to read books and how you can make extra money every month by getting paid for your love of books!

1. Kirkus Media

This book review magazine is a source for other websites like Amazon to get book reviews. Seeing a book review before you commit to reading it is the specialty of Kirkus media. Next time you’re scrolling through Amazon to find your next book to read, pay attention to the review sources because you’ll most likely see one from Kirkus review media.

They are always on the lookout for experienced and novice book reviewers alike to write reviews. In addition, they always have an open application for people who want to help them produce this widely accepted content. Specifically, they focus on people who can review Spanish and English indie books.

To take on this job, you should be able to write 350-word reviews within a two-week time limit. Then, to get started with Kirkus media, all you have to do is send them your resume and some writing samples of your best work!

2. Reedsy Discovery

This site is best known for its extensive collection of indie books. However, if you are indeed an avid reader of all things indie, then you will love this chance to read the newest self-published books before most others. There are hundreds of different stories to choose from, and you can create your own individual brand through this site. Once you have an excellent reputation, authors will be able to contact you directly to complete book reviews for them!

To apply, you have to fill out a form to be accepted. Then, after you are officially a new book reviewer, you can begin searching for your next book. Also, you can get tips from other readers for your amazing book reviews. You deserve it, and they’re willing to oblige! 

3. Any Subject Books

One of the most intriguing parts about this service is that they pay you cash for your book reviews. This is a self-publishing service that hires book reviewers for individual books.

If you want to start on this site, make sure you’re ready to give in-depth book reviews that will provide a deeper level of honesty for readers to enjoy. They understand that most people have a specific genre they love to read, so they are willing to give you books up your alley specifically. If you love non-fiction books, they aren’t going to make you read a romance novel!

They don’t force you to accept any long-term requirements, given that their hiring method is focused on a book-by-book model. The overall pay you get for your review depends on the subject’s book volume and difficulty level.

For the best pay, make sure you write about various writing topics to include style, plot, characterization, tone, etc. Their application process is a little more variable, so you need to continuously check their site to see when they take on new book reviewers.

4. Book Browse

This site pays you in ARCs for your services. You have the opportunity to read Advance Readers’ Copies of various books, sometimes months before they are even scheduled to be published. There are usually about six different titles published in any given month.

You can browse through the ARC titles to see if any of them pique your interest. If you are interested, all you have to do is respond to the members-only newsletter to get your shot at reading the book.

Unfortunately, it would help if you were prepared for the chance that you don’t get the book you requested. Book Browse only has a maximum of 25 ARC copies for each published book, but don’t get discouraged. If you are chosen as a match, you will be expected to write a 50 to 100-word review on the book. Your review can’t exceed 300 words, so you’ll need to keep it short and sweet!

5. Online Book Club

The online book club prides itself on ensuring that anyone trying to sign up to be a part of their community for book lovers knows this is not a get-rich-quick scheme. They are looking for avid book readers who are genuinely excited about the ability to review the books they read during their off-hours. Don’t leave your 9 to 5 job for this site!

On a brighter note, the online book club site is extremely straightforward with your process for receiving and reviewing books. You will get a copy of the book for free, and you will get paid to write reviews of books.

Additionally, they aren’t trying to hide anything or trick anyone. They are extremely transparent about how much you will get paid, which is between $5 to $60. Getting started only requires going to their site and providing your email address so they can contact you with instructions before they start paying you cash for book reviews.

6. U.S. Review of Books

They use an extremely popular newsletter to post the book reviews they receive, as it says in the title, the U.S. Review of books is a nationwide organization that does not discriminate on the types of books it publishes. Therefore, you will easily be able to find numerous kinds of books and reviews to choose from.

When they publish a new book title, all you have to do is request to read it, and then they will assign you to the book. You only need to write a 250 to 300-word review, which is not long at all. This is a more prestigious site, so they expect the highest level of professionalism within your review.

To get started, you need to submit a portfolio that includes your resume, at least two professional references, and some sample work via email. Make sure you know exactly what they’re looking for in their book reviewers before you take the plunge and sign up!

7. Women’s Review of Books

The women’s review of books is part of the Wellesley Centers for Women. This is a highly respected feminist magazine that has been successfully publishing books for over 36 years. Fortunately for you, they are intently looking for new experienced reviewers to join them.

For their reviews, they focus on consciousness and action. Because of this, many of their writers are academics and journalists who have prior experience writing book reviews. If you are up to this task, you will receive a whopping $100 for every review. Compared to other sites, they compensate you heavily for your services. To get started, just send them your proposal via email.

8. Upwork

This one-stop freelance shop allows you to accept listings that people post when they are looking for somebody to complete book reviews. Upwork is the source of many different freelance gigs, and book reviews are just another service they’ve added to the list!

The pay for these jobs is quite variable, given each job is specific to the client who wants the service completed. There are also no strings attached! The client will likely hire you for one job, and then you’ll get your money and be good to go.

There is also a chance that you could meet a client who wants to collaborate with you for more long-term services, leading to a steady stream of income for you. You can sign up as a freelance book reviewer on this site today!

9. Moody Press

This is one of the best nonprofit publishing houses of Christian titles. Luckily, Moody press also produces bible study resources for their customers. Another large independent Christian book publisher is Bethany house. They want to uplift their readers and support them on their faith journey. They produce Christ-centered non-fiction titles as well as popular Christian fiction.

Moody Press has a blogger review program that allows you to receive free book copies that they publish. This is another site where you won’t necessarily get paid for your review, but you will receive the ARC of the book title for free.

All you have to do is complete your review within 60 days of reading the book. The MP Newsroom Bloggers Facebook group is an excellent place for you to chat with people currently involved in the program. From here, you can see if this is the right path for you!

10. New Pages

Short book reviews are the name of the game with this website. NewPages.com contains literary magazines and independent publishers that need short reviews. This is where you come in. This internet portal wants people to write a standard review between 100 and 200 words long on all the books and literary magazines you read.

They want to work with people who love to read small press books and uncommon magazines. Take a minute to look through their archive of past book reviews to see if this style of writing is what you’re looking for.

11. Publishers Weekly

This online magazine places a major focus on international book publishing to reach a broader audience. Not only does this site review traditionally published books, but it also creates an avenue for self-published authors to get their work reviewed by book readers. In addition, to support the large variety of material they post on their website, publishers weekly hire people to complete reviews of books on a freelance basis.

This is an extremely popular site for avid readers and book reviewers alike. Unfortunately, they are closed for applications every so often, but you should regularly check their page to see when they have job openings for you to get your foot in the door!

12. Tyndale Blog Network

The Tyndale blog network is most well-known for its program titled My Reader Rewards Club. After you are a member, you are eligible to earn rewards points for specific actions you take to support their site. This can include inviting friends to the program or sharing direct links to their website, MyReaderRewardsClub.com. For example, you can earn 10 points for just sharing this link on Facebook!

You can write reviews for Tyndale through Amazon or Barnes & Noble to receive 10 points. The current limit is 50 points per month. Once you gain enough points, you can receive more books from Tyndale to read and review. Check out their website for more specific information about joining this program.

13. Booklist Publications

This is an extremely prestigious review journal for librarians. The American Library Association spearheads this initiative. Therefore, it would be best to familiarize yourself with the various outlets that Booklist Publications contains before applying.

These book reviews can vary from published book reviews in the Booklist magazine to blog posts in The Booklist Reader. The reviews you complete will usually be on the shorter side, which is never really a bad thing! Although they are short, these 175-word reviews need to be written professionally so this site can continue to provide its readers with an excellent service.

To get started, have some of your previous writing samples on hand so you can send them to the relevant Booklist editor of your choice! Even though this is an exceptionally highly respected review journal, they still allow a freelance writer to review their books.

14. Instaread

If you don’t like to think too critically about the books you read, this site is probably perfect for you! They have an open call for book summaries that only require you to write about the main insights you took away from classically new, non-fiction books. The summaries are a bit on the longer side ranging between 1000 to 1500 words.

Be prepared to write more than you would for other book review sites. But, you won’t be doing all of this for naught! Instaread provides you with a heavy compensation of $100 per summary you complete. If you want to learn more or go ahead and get started, you can download the Instaread application from the App Store.

15. NetGalley

This service focuses on the connectivity part of reading books and writing honest reviews. NetGalley connects authors to book reviewers. Whether you are a bookseller, media professional, or librarian, you can still sign up for NetGalley.

When using this site, you have the opportunity to read books before they’re published. The publishers post their digital review copies on NetGalley for members to see. Once you find a book you like, you can request to read it. You can read the books you love, and the authors are able to get better at their craft through the constructive criticism you provide!

If all this didn’t sound good enough, it’s 100% free to sign up for this service. You just need to fill out a form and get started reading today.

16. getAbstract

If you specifically love to read non-fiction books, then this site is your match. The getAbstract site summarizes over 18,000 non-fiction books into various clips that last about 10 minutes each. Additionally, they have a career opportunities page that allows you to see what job listings they currently have available.

Interestingly, they are intently looking for people who write in the fields of technology and science. If this is you, they want you to write summaries of magazine articles and books for them. This is also an excellent job for freelancers because they pay their reviewers on a freelance basis. Do you fall into any of these categories? If the answer is yes, you can go to their website to learn further details about their application process.

17. Writerful Books

This site has various freelance opportunities for people in all stages of their book reviewing careers. They have open positions for beta reading as well as book reviews. If you are a book reviewer who wants your compelling voice to be heard, Writerful books is the site for you.

They usually prefer reviewers to review contemporary titles, including American, Australian, British, Irish, Canadian, and New Zealand authors. But if none of those pique your interest, you can still write book reviews on any book you want. This site usually pays its reviewers between $10 to $50 per completed review.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will always have a gig lined up for you to complete. However, if you are a regular poster of quality reviews, Writerful books may contact you to complete a book review. If you are ready to get started, go to their website and provide them with some of your best book review samples.

18. Voice Bunny

This company provides a great hourly rate to share your voice-over talent with the world. To get started with this company, you will need to go to their website and provide them with a voice quality test. This is a pretty simple and straightforward process.

After you’ve been selected to complete voiceovers for them, you can browse their site to search for jobs you would like to complete. There are thousands of different opportunities for you to showcase your skills, but you need to be able to truly deliver high-quality content to them in a short amount of time.

You are considered a freelance voice actor throughout this process because you can set your own hourly rate. Make sure you don’t set your prices too high to scare off potential clients, but you should also know what your talent is worth!

19. The Voices

This is another fantastic platform to use if you make a career out of your voice acting skills. To get started, you can either create a basic or premium membership on their website and then provide them with a demo of your voice. This site prides itself in having the ability to provide clients with high-quality voices, so make sure you put your best foot forward.

Once you provide them with your demo, the voice match engine will match your voice with client jobs. Specific jobs will require a particular kind of voice, so this feature is a great way to match you perfectly with clients looking for your type of service. After this match is made, you and the client will contact each other to produce great work directly.

This site also works more freelance, so you could potentially rack up a tremendous hourly rate from completing work here. Additionally, you can be sure that your money transfers are secure through SurePay.

20. Scribd

This is a highly well-known digital library with frequent job opportunities for those excited to join the reading space. They not only have openings for book reviewers, but they need proofreaders as well. Scribd supports a vast collection of eBooks as well as extraordinarily genuine reviews about numerous different books.

They have a large variety of reading material, from popular magazines to famous novels. They even promote a free 30-day trial for anyone interested. If you are chosen to be one of their in-house reviewers, you need to keep to their professional trend. They want honest, subjective reviews that will give readers great insight into what’s lying between the covers of the book they’re about to read! 

21. Fiverr

Want to branch out from simply reading books and writing reviews? This website also supports gigs that hire book editors of various skill levels. In addition, Fiverr is a world-renowned marketplace that allows freelancers to get paid for their skills.

The best thing about this site is that it is not only tailored to reading and writing. You could post a gig to promote any skill you have, from graphic design to transcription services, but let’s focus on the book reviews for this segment.

With Fiverr, you are a freelancer, so you get to name your price! Clients will click on your services and pay you to complete book reviews or audio recordings for them. The potential with this site is truly endless because you can price your gig anywhere between $5 to as much as $20,000. Now that’s heavy compensation!

Additionally, the sign-up process is also straightforward. You need to go to the website and fill out a profile. From there, you can add a few gigs that relate to writing book reviews and completing voice assignments. There are no limits to the services you can provide!

Audiobook Narration For Beginners

Maybe you are a book lover, but you also really love to read aloud. These passions will get you to the doorstep of narrating, but they won’t get you an invitation through the door.

A lot of famous and experienced narrators have some form of previous acting experience. This helps them know how to get into character when they have various characters with different accents and voices.

Additionally, they never start their narration without first knowing how the story ends, being objective with their tone, and painting the perfect picture.

Some essential skills you need are professionalism, stamina, organization, self-management, and a solid understanding of the craft itself. Being flexible in this industry is important because you may need to perform a wide variety of characters.

Just understand this is no walk in the park. It’s demanding work that takes a lot of practice and experimentation with your voice.

How To Become An Audible Book Reader

Have you been a book narrator for a while, and do you want to take your freelancing career to the next level? Then, you can put your talents to the test by applying to become an audible book reader.

Suppose you are ready to become a narrator for audible, email readers@audible.com. Include the following: a list of books you’ve narrated if any (specify which of these books are sold on Audible.com); a link to your website, if you have one; your contact information to include your residential city and state; and a two-minute MP3 clip of your best audiobook narration.

How Much Money Audiobook Narrators Can Make

Audiobook narrators make a generous salary! Most of the time, these payments are hourly rates, given the variation in the length of different audiobooks.

Freelance narrators who have experience earn between $90 to $250 per hour of reading, while union narrators with experience earn about $170 per hour. If you do the math, that’s about $1,350 for an eight-hour audiobook. Not too shabby! Whether you are reading indie books or non-fiction books, that hourly rate will stay the same.

How Much Celebrities Make Reading Audio Books

There is at least one celebrity that has a voice you would recognize anywhere. Businesses want this celebrity voice appeal to attract customers to their products and services by applying recognizable voices to various commercial ads.

In general, commercial voice actors can make anywhere from $3,000 to $1 million per ad recorded. The major stars only account for about 20 percent of the voices you hear; that’s the $1 million price point. On the other hand, the non-celebrity voice actors make up the additional 80% of voices, and they receive the more standard pay of $3,000-$5,000 per ad.

The most famous voices like Morgan Freeman can breach that $1 million mark; no surprise there!

Reading Could Be Your Next Career Move

Completing paid book reviews for various prestigious websites such as Chicago book review is a great way to earn extra money to put into your bank account! If you’ve been struggling to figure out your niche in the workforce, maybe your honest opinion is your most vital asset! Turn this asset into a full-time income by becoming a book reviewer.

For those with a 9-5 job, this amazing opportunity applies to you too! Just because you love your stable job doesn’t mean you can’t write a few book reviews for fun.

This can be the perfect side hustle to make yourself some extra spending money. There’s no shame in that. Whether you’re already an avid reader or you’re just someone who wants to immerse themselves in this community, sign up for some of these programs today!