It’s wonderful to read books. However, the vast majority of people do it for pleasure rather than profit. If you’re unaware, there are several ways to get paid to read books.
Though you won’t get rich doing this job, you can definitely earn extra money as a side hustle.
In this post, we’ll look at 6 different ways to make money reading books. All of them pay for a reading, but they also include some additional tasks.
If you’re not sure what I’m up to, let’s start with the first one that requires you to review books.
Get Paid to Read Books
1. Get Paid to Read Books by Reviewing them
If you don’t mind writing a short honest review after reading the book, you can try the following companies:
Online Book Club
Online Book Club was founded ten years ago and is well-known as a fantastic resource for book lovers.
If you enjoy reading books and discovering new authors, they have a book reviewer position where you have to read a given book and write a short honest review of it.
Depending on your reading experience, you can write reviews either positive, negative, or even both.
If it is accepted, you will be paid $5 to $60 per review and as a bonus, you can keep the book with you.
Just keep in mind that they will not pay you for the first review, but you will still get the book for free.
Kirkus Media
Kirkus Reviews is a book review magazine based in the United States that was founded in 1933.
They cover nearly all genres and lengths of books in digital, hardcover, and paperback formats.
They are always looking for experienced book reviewers of English and Spanish-language titles.
The reviews must be around 350 words long and should be completed within two weeks of receiving the book.
To apply for the position, send your resume, writing samples, and a list of reviewing specialties to David Rapp, Kirkus Indie Editor, at [email protected].
Women’s Review of Books
Women’s review of books is the leading feminist book review organization, reviewing scholarship as well as fiction, graphic novels, poetry, and memoir mostly written by women.
They are constantly on the lookout for experienced reviewers, academics, and journalists to provide feedback on their books.
To apply, sign up for an account on their website and enter all of your credentials, as well as any previously published reviews.
After they approve your request and assign you a book, you must write a brief review, typically 1200 words long, after reading it.
If your review is accepted, you could earn up to $100 per review.
Related – Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews ($200/Review)
2. Get Paid to Read Books for Audiobooks
If you have a good voice and the necessary equipment, you should consider lending your voice for audiobook narration.
Audiobooks are voice recordings of a book’s text that you listen to instead of reading. They are recorded by narrators who get paid on an hourly basis.
To get started, ensure you have a computer/laptop, editing software, headphone, a microphone, a pop screen, & a silent place.
The average hourly wage for this job is around $100-$225, but as a beginner, you may earn less. Here is one company that pays for the same job.
Related: Top 5 Online Transcription Jobs for Extra Income
ACX
ACX is a marketplace where authors, literary agents, publishers, and other rights holders can connect with engineers, narrators, recording studios, and other audiobook producers.
They have a narrator position available where you must read and record the contents of a book for audiobooks.
To begin, all you have to do is create an account on their official website and upload several audio samples based on accents, genre, and style to build your profile.
Then you can look for interesting books and record a few minutes of the manuscript.
If you are the Rights Holder’s first choice, you will receive the offer.
The payments are made on a per-finished-hour basis, or a 50/50 split of royalties.
3. Get Paid to Read Books as a Translator
If you’re bilingual and love to read, you can translate books from one language to another.
Both fiction and nonfiction books are translated into multiple languages to help authors and publishers to reach new audiences.
These jobs are handled by a translator familiar with not only the required language but also slang, idioms, technical terms, and, most importantly, cultural differences that help the translation go smoothly.
To get a job, you can create and build your profile on a freelance marketplace.
You can also join translation agencies, which connect translators with customers.
However, be aware that they will take a pay cut in exchange for providing better translation jobs that you would not be able to get on your own.
The pay for translation jobs varies greatly ($24/hour or more). You could be paid per word, per page, per hour, or at a flat rate.
Related: 7 Legit Sites to Make Money as a Translator Online
4. Get Paid to Read Manuscripts
Many literary management agencies receive so many submissions that they are unable to read the entire manuscripts that authors submit to them.
As a result, they rely on freelance readers.
A freelance reader’s responsibilities include
- Reading the manuscript and then writing a 2-3 page report.
- Thoughts on whether the agency should pass on it or represent it?
- Describe the main characters and major plot points, as well as analyze the prose style.
They get paid around $25 to $100 an hour and the job is kind of similar to writing book reports in high school.
5. Get Paid to Read Books as a Proofreader
Proofreading is another way to get paid to read books.
If you don’t know what it is, it is the process of correcting errors in written work.
It includes correcting grammatical, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typo rules, as well as paying close attention to detail.
When you carry out a job, you must read a book and correct any errors before handing it over to the client.
There are no set hours, but there are definitely deadlines.
On freelance job sites like Fiverr and Upwork, a typical Proofreader earns around $30-$40 per hour.
Related: 21 Best Proofreading Jobs to Work from Home ($11/Page)
6. Get Paid to Read Books as a Copyeditor
Copyediting is a more specialized field than proofreading in which they make more significant edits in addition to proofreading.
It includes correcting style, formatting, clarity, and flow & suggesting other changes that make the writing more readable.
Copyeditors are paid on a per-word, per-page, per-hour, or flat-rate basis.
Depending on the type of editing, they can earn between $30 and $60 per hour.
Moreover, if you’re just starting out, a copyediting certificate can help you gain credibility and get your foot in the door.
Conclusion:
Even though getting paid to read books may appear to be a piece of cake, there will always be some additional tasks such as writing a review, proofreading, editing, translating, and so on.
So, choose the one that best matches your skillset and then apply for the job. You will have a better chance of success this way.
If you think this post was helpful, please share it with your friends and on social media.
