Hi Book Lovers! I know you absolutely love reading books. What if I told you that you can actually get paid just for reading? Sounds too good to be true, right?
Through weeks I actually contacted some of the listed guys on fiverr, (what I searched to find the gigs? It’s explained ahead) Some ignored the mail, some responded and I discovered many real Side hustles that pay you to read in 2024.
But there is an additional step I learned in this process to do it faster and more effectively.
That can pave the way to professional higher paying profession a little faster, Now I’ve put together a complete guide to share it with you. the first thing I want to share-
Your biggest challenge will be to get accepted on the online platforms that pay you to read and I found a way we crack this within 2 months.
Your approval rate will be almost 100% with this legit way.
The fun and profits….. OK let’s Start now!
The Smart and the Shortest Way to Start: Freelancing for Audiobook Narration
Before you can start making money by reading audiobooks, you need to build up your skills and a portfolio that displays them. because Many sites that pay you to read books only want experienced narrators. This means you need to show them you have done some narration work before applying.
So that lead us to The best way to get started: Which is by doing freelance audiobook narration jobs. And specifically “Audiobook narration job only”
You would ask why.
But the reason for that is ‘less competition among the freelancing world which means we will get our first gig incredibly quick’ Just have a look at the difference in results on Fiverr when finding a freelancer for voice-over vs book reading vs audiobook narrator.
the first 1 is voice over that gives- 23000+ results😶
Moving on to Book Reading which gives 1200+ results (better than before)!!
And at last, when we search for audiobook narrator there are only 976 results compared to other keywords this is the best possible skill on which a beginner can compete.
Now we know what to do, Next step is how to start so for that,
Websites like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer.com, and PeoplePerHour let you create a profile. On your profile, you can share samples of your voice reading out loud Any book or English play you like you can also look for what’s trending currently by looking at your competitors,
At first, you can use your smartphone’s microphone to record your voice samples. Smartphones often have pretty good microphones built-in.
PRO TIP: When you first start on freelancing sites, you won’t have any reviews. And to get work on freelancing websites the first thing people look at is reviews Ask friends or family to place small orders and leave positive reviews. This will help you look more trustworthy to new clients.
As you start earning money from freelance jobs, you can buy a better microphone like the Blue Yeti.
after doing this for around 60 days As you complete more freelance audiobook jobs, you’ll build up a portfolio of work samples. This portfolio will help us get approved in sites like WeHearFM and ACX (Amazon’s audiobook platform).
Most of these audiobook sites want you to send in a voice demo and your work history before they’ll let you join. Your freelance portfolio helps prove you can read books professionally.
Now we will start out with our list of side hustles and I have mentioned 7 of them starting with Ofcourse audiobook narration which you can apply just after doing few freelancing projects:
1. Narrating Audiobooks on WeHearFM And ACX
Two popular websites for this are WeHearFM and ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) by Amazon.
WeHearFM
WeHearFM is a place where narrators (people who read out loud) and authors (book writers) work together to make audiobooks from regular books. Here’s how you can get started:
1. Become a Narrator: Sign up on WeHearFM and apply to be a narrator. Having experience with voice acting or reading audiobooks helps, but you can still apply if you have a nice reading voice.
2. Set Your Price: Once approved, you get to decide how much money you want to make per finished hour of recording.
3. Work with Editors: You’ll team up with editors to pick book projects, sign agreements, record your reading, and send it in weekly.
4. Get Paid: After you finish recording the whole audiobook, WeHearFM will pay you the amount you asked for.
While WeHearFM pays you an hourly rate you decide, ACX has some additional ways to make money.
ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange)
ACX is Amazon’s website for audiobooks sold on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. This is how it works:
1. Make a Profile: Create your narrator profile on ACX, sharing samples of your voice and any experience reading out loud.
2. Audition for Books: Look through available books and audition by recording a short sample provided.
3. Choose Payment: If picked, you can get paid a flat rate per finished hour (usually $50-$300), earn a percentage of the audiobook’s sales, or a combination.
4. Record and Submit: Once hired, you’ll record the entire book following ACX’s guidelines, possibly working with audio editors too.
5. Earn Royalties: If you choose to earn a percentage, you’ll keep making money based on how well that audiobook sells over time.
ACX requires some prior experience to get approved that is also the reason i suggest you to do 3 4 gigs on fiverr first coming back to acx it lets you make more money, especially by earning royalties from popular audiobooks that sell really well.
Both WeHearFM and ACX let you get paid for narrating books out loud. Building up examples of your narration skills on freelancing sites like Fiverr first can help you get accepted on these bigger audiobook websites.
2. Voiceovers
Do you have a unique and clear voice? Then you can get paid to do voiceovers! voiceovers are the voices you hear in commercials, audiobooks, animated movies, video games, phone systems, and more.
Sound similar to audiobook narration? well, voiceover is much bigger than audiobook narration and demands more experience and skills and your freelancing portfolio that I recommended will come to use here as well but you will definitely need Specific training to become one!!!
you can consider Voiceovers as the upgraded level from the audiobook narration,
There are many different types of voiceover jobs:
– Commercials for TV, radio, and online ads
– Narrating audiobooks
– Giving voices to animated characters or video game characters
– Explaining topics in educational videos
– Being the automated voice for phone systems
– Dubbing or providing voices for foreign movies/shows
How to Get Paid by Doing Voiceovers:
You need to follow this basic process,
1. Get Proper Training
Invest time in honing your voiceover skills by taking voice acting lessons or attending voiceover workshops. This will help refine your pronunciation, tone, pacing, emotive expression, script interpretation, and technical understanding of the industry.
2. Record a Demo Reel
Set up a quiet space and invest in decent audio recording equipment like a good quality microphone and headphones. Record your best snippets showcasing your vocal range across different styles like commercials, narrations, characters, etc. Compile a 1-2 minute demo reel highlighting your best work.
3. Apply to Voiceover Gigs
Create a profile on Backstage that lists voiceover casting calls. Upload your demo reel and start submitting applications for projects that suit your skills and experience level. You should use this backstage voiceover casting call database. To look for voice-over gigs
4. Nail the Auditions
When you get opportunity to audition, follow the client’s instructions carefully. Deliver your best interpretation of the provided script, ensuring consistency across takes. Frequent auditioning increases your chances of booking paid jobs.
5. Get an Agent
As you gain more voiceover experience and build a substantial portfolio, consider getting a reputable voiceover agent. They can provide expert guidance, access to bigger projects, and ensure you get adequately compensated per industry standards.
6. Continuously Improve
The voiceover industry is highly competitive, so keep upgrading your skills through coaching, workshops, and practice. Network within the voice acting community and stay updated on industry trends to increase your opportunities.
By following these steps systematically, you can lay the groundwork for a rewarding voiceover career and get paid to use your unique vocal talents across various mediums.
How much can you earn?
Most voiceover artists make between $20 to $500 per finished hour of recorded audio. Beginners may start around $20 for short, simple projects. But as you get more experience and build a portfolio, you can earn much more. Established voiceover pros can make over $5,000 for a big national commercial! Audiobook narration usually pays $50-$500 per finished hour depending on the book.
The time it takes varies a lot too. A short commercial might just take an hour to record, but an audiobook can take 5-40+ hours depending on the length. Animation and video game projects could take days or even months if it’s a major game.
3. BookTok
BookTok is the book community on TikTok where people share videos about the books they are reading. It’s become hugely popular, influencing many people’s reading habits and boosting book sales.
On BookTok, you can post book reviews, recommendations, and fun reading videos. As you grow a following, there are a few ways to make money:
- Book promotions – Authors and publishers may send you free books to review and promote on your account.
- Affiliate marketing – You can get a small commission whenever someone buys a book through your affiliate links, like Amazon.
- Sponsorships – If you get a really big following, writers and book companies may pay you to promote their books in sponsored videos.
However, making good money on BookTok takes a lot of work. Most BookTokers don’t make much from TikTok’s creator fund which only pays 2-4 cents per 1,000 views.
The real money comes from landing sponsorship deals when you have a very large audience, but those opportunities take time i would definitely recommend Booktok but it’s a long way probably 8-12 months to create a good income.
Tips for Making Money on BookTok
Tip:1 Properly Disclose Sponsorships
If working with authors, publishers or brands, properly disclose sponsorships per FTC guidelines. Give clear spoken/written disclosures in the video and caption.
Tip:2 Share Authentic Book Opinions
The key to success is sharing your genuine thoughts and enthusiasm about books. Don’t just recommend titles for money – viewers need to trust your opinions come from a real love of reading. Authentic passion builds an engaged following.
Tip:3 Balance Popular and Underrated Books
Reviewing hyped BookTok titles helps get views, but also share lesser-known gems you loved. This variety shows your unique tastes while introducing new books.
Tip:4 Use #BookTok and Relevant Hashtags
Tag videos with #BookTok and other book-related hashtags so the right audience can discover your content.
Tip:4 Post Consistently
Aim for 2-4 BookTok videos per day to stay active and visible in the community. Consistent posting is crucial.
Tip:5 Leverage Other Book Platforms
In addition to TikTok, repurpose your book content on Instagram (Bookstagram) community and YouTube (BookTube) community post within these look for other creators create a social media presence and grow your multi-platform presence.
Tip:6 Explore Sponsorships and Affiliates
As your following grows, look into sponsorship opportunities from publishers/authors and affiliate marketing programs to monetize your influence.
Tip:7 Develop a Distinct Book Brand
Use a book-themed username, profile picture and dedicated account to cement your BookTok brand identity. A clear aesthetic attracts like-minded subscribers.
Tip:8 Engage with the BookTok Community
Follow, comment, share videos from other BookTokers. This supportive presence helps grow your own following organically.
4. Become a Literary Agent (only for literature students)
As a literary agent, you could get paid to read manuscripts and help authors get published! But instead of a side hustle, it is more of a career path to be honest it is for only those who are currently studying literature this is what I think will be best for someone certain to make a career in literature.
Let me explain what it requires:
First, get a college degree in a subject like English, writing, or publishing. This will help build your reading and editing skills.
Next, get an internship or entry-level job at a literary agency or publishing company. Well, you might think hey Easier said than done.
but your approval can be quicker than you think as you are from a literature background and want to be a literary agent, the best way is to do freelancing Before applying to a publishing company.
So prior work experience is always a + the trick is to provide service at a cheaper price and display your academics on a freelancing platform. And review from your friends and family is what you need just like I said in the audiobook narration part.
This lets you learn the ins and outs of the book industry. As an intern or assistant, you’ll read manuscripts, write reports, and see how agents work.
To become a full-time agent, you’ll need 3-5 years of experience. Start as an assistant at a literary agency. Read manuscripts, write reader reports, and learn from the agents you assist. Over time, you can become a junior agent and start building your own client list of authors.
As a literary agent, your main jobs are:
– Reading manuscript submissions from authors
– Editing manuscripts and giving feedback
– Pitching good manuscripts to book editors at publishing houses
– Negotiating book deals and contracts for your author clients
earning potential for literary agents:
Literary agents typically earn a commission of 15% from the book deals and royalties they negotiate for their author clients.
For newer literary agents or those without many established author clients yet, the earning potential can be quite low initially – perhaps $20,000 – $30,000 per year.
However, for successful agents who represent bestselling authors or make high-value book deals, the earning potential is much higher:
- Agents with a few successful mid-list authors can make $50,000 – $100,000 per year
- Top agents representing multiple bestselling authors can make $200,000 – $1 million+ per year
The biggest factor is the earnings of the authors an agent represents. If an agent’s client has a book that becomes a major bestseller earning millions in royalties, the agent’s 15% cut will be very lucrative.
Some additional earnings can come from selling foreign/translation rights or film/TV rights for authors’ works.
Literary agents are not usually paid a salary by the agency. Their income is directly tied to commission rates from the deals they broker as incentive to scout successful authors.
So in summary, earnings start quite modest but have very high potential for top agents who can identify and represent literature’s next big bestsellers. Building up a strong client list is key.
Some Success tips:
– Build a network by meeting editors, agents and authors
– Develop expertise in certain book genres you’re passionate about
– Be prepared to work your way up over 3 to 5 years
– Consider freelance editing to build your skills and earning can be good as well for freelancing alone.
With perseverance and a love of books, you could have an exciting career as a literary tastemaker!
5. Get Paid to Read as a Book Reviewer
You can make money by writing book reviews on certain platforms, but it requires time and consistency to get paid for this skill.
What they demand: First, you review books by reading them and writing a short write-up sharing your thoughts. Did you love the characters? Was the plot exciting? What did you like or dislike?
There are lots of websites and companies that hire book reviewers. These places pay you for each review you write. How much you get paid depends on the company and how long your review is.
If you remember I just told you to create a freelance audiobook narrator although it is something that is somehow not relevant to book reviewing almost every review site below demands a resume having something at your table is better than nothing.
Your audiobook narrator freelance account Provides you with experience that makes your approval chances on this review way higher than a complete newbie that’s where you can cut the majority of competitors!
Some popular book review companies are :
The U.S. Review of Books This site hires experienced reviewers based on your skills and reading interests. You need to apply by sending a resume, writing samples, and 2 professional references. They like short, well-written reviews around 350 words. You get paid monthly.
Kirkus Media One of the most well-known book review companies. They look for reviewers fluent in English or Spanish to review indie books. Reviews are around 350 words with a 2-week deadline. Apply by emailing your resume, samples, and genres you specialize in. Prior experience is helpful.
Online Book Club A good option for beginners. The pay is $5 – $60 per review. To start, you get one free book to review unpaid. After that, you get paid for reviews. All review books are free. Just create an account on their website.
Publisher’s Weekly This magazine reviews all types of books – sci-fi, romance, nonfiction, and more. The pay rate varies. To apply, check their job listings online and send a resume plus 2 review samples.
WordsRated Here you read bestsellers, take notes on details like characters, and get paid $200 per completed book! An easy but mundane way to make money reading popular books.
No matter which site you choose, you need excellent reading and writing skills. Know how to analyze plots, characters, and writing styles. Meet all deadlines. The more experienced you become, the higher pay you can earn. Established reviewers can make $20,000 – $50,000 per year or more just by reading!
To get hired, you usually need to send writing samples to show you can write good, clear reviews. Some sites also want a resume listing your experience reading and writing about books.
Once hired, you get free books to review! You read the book, then write your honest review following the company’s guidelines on length and what to cover. After submitting your review, you get paid.
Being a book reviewer lets you read new books before they are published. You discover new authors and genres. The more reviews you write, the more you can potentially earn.
For beginners, good options are leaving reviews on retail sites like Amazon. Amazon also have a program called Vine where you get free products in exchange of an honest review yes free products!!.
Apart from this You can also try getting paid $5-$10 per review on Fiverr. You can add these Build up on your audiobook narrator portfolio, then apply to get higher-paying review jobs.
To succeed, have very strong reading and writing skills. Know how to analyze books by looking at the plot, characters, writing style, and more. Meet all deadlines. And most of all, be a passionate reader!
With practice, you can become an experienced book reviewer. Established reviewers can make $20,000 – $50,000 per year or more. So if you love reading, it can be a great side hustle or even a full-time career!
6. Start a book blog website and YouTube as well
Let’s address this first Why Start a Book Blog?
So Book lovers are always looking for their next great read. As a passionate bookworm myself, starting your own book blog gives you the perfect excuse to read even more while also building an engaging community around the books you love. And earn money from it.
A successful book blog website/YouTube allows you to monetize your passion through options like:
- Running ads on your site
- Promoting books through lucrative affiliate programs
- Selling your own digital products like courses or ebooks
The most popular book blogs make $500 to $2,000 per month or more by combining these income streams. We all know the potential of YouTube, While it takes consistent effort, bloggers who stick with it can turn their love of reading into real profits.
We’ll dive into all the specifics of starting a money-making book blog now:
Pick a Reading Category The world of books is huge, with tons of different types like romance novels, mysteries, fantasies, and more. Pick one category that you really enjoy reading and want to focus your blog on.
Set Up Your Blog Website You’ll need to start a website for your book blog. The website WordPress.org lets you easily create blogs for free. You just need to buy a website name (domain) for around $10.
Design Your Site Choose colors and create a logo that fit your book category. For example, a mystery blog could use dark green and grey colors. Make sure your design looks good on phones too since many readers use those.
Write Blog Posts Don’t worry too much about getting found on Google at first. Instead, create posts that people will really enjoy reading, like book reviews and reading recommendations. Use great images and share your personal opinions.
Share on Social Media Promote each post on sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok using hashtags that book lovers follow. Joining Facebook groups for readers is a great way to get eyes on your posts.
For a bigger picture, I recommend you to read this article from authority hackers just remember not to follow SEO advice but focus on social media traffic. (you’ll get so many people sharing their stories on how they get traffic from socials on the internet).
Start a YouTube Channel In addition to your blog, consider starting a YouTube channel where you can film yourself reviewing books, having a YouTube channel you can do book reviews on the platform once you build up an audience people will also be hiring you.
to give reading recommendations, conduct author interviews, and more. YouTube allows you to monetize your videos through ads and brand deals. Of ofcourse they drop in with time, once you build an audience.
You can make money in a few different ways:
- Earn commissions by recommending books on sites like Amazon (affiliate marketing)
- Put ads on your blog and YouTube channel
- Create and sell your own reading products like courses.
7. Beta Reading
The Last one, For book enthusiasts who enjoy providing feedback, beta reading offers a great opportunity to get paid for sharing your thoughts and critiques on unpublished works. Authors rely on beta readers to help refine and improve their manuscripts before publication.
How It Works:
- Offer Your Services: List yourself as a freelance beta reader on platforms like Fiverr. You can set your own rates based on factors like the number of pages/words, turnaround time, and the depth of feedback required.
- Browse Opportunities: Authors post their book projects on these freelancing sites, specifying their requirements and what they’re willing to pay for a comprehensive beta read.
- Read and Provide Feedback: Once hired, you’ll receive the manuscript and read it thoroughly, providing constructive criticism on elements like plot, character development, pacing, and overall impressions.
- Get Paid: After delivering your detailed feedback report to the author’s satisfaction, you’ll receive your agreed-upon compensation.
Earning Potential: Beta-reader rates can vary significantly on Fiverr, ranging from basic gigs starting around $5 to premium packages charging $245 or more for extensive feedback and quick turnarounds. Experienced beta readers with a proven track record can command higher rates.
Tips for Success:
- Build a portfolio by offering competitive introductory rates initially.
- Specialize in specific genres to establish expertise and credibility.
- Provide thoughtful, actionable feedback beyond just surface-level critiques.
- Adhere to agreed timeframes and maintain professionalism in your interactions with authors.
While beta reading may not be as lucrative as some other book-related side hustles, it can be a fulfilling way for passionate readers to earn money by contributing their insights.
Final thoughts
There you have it, Well, fellow book lovers, we’ve reached the end of our Book reading money-making adventure!
these 7 side hustles prove that you can turn your love for reading into cold, hard cash. I enjoyed putting this blog together because I believe it’s the only guide on money making from books you will need if you really love reading books,
So, as you close this tab and pick up your next read, why not give one of these side hustles a shot? You might just find yourself living the dream – getting paid to devour books all day long! The world of books is evolving, and there’s room for all of us to play a part.
I will see you in the next one….
