If reading is the great love of your life, why not turn it into a side hustle and get paid to read books?
One of the best things about the book publishing business is that thanks to the Internet, it lends itself well to copy editors, designers and even copy editors looking for homework, as well as voice talent to narrate audiobooks.
And if you’re just a book lover who’s excited about new young adult or free copies of compelling nonfiction, you can turn your passion into pocket change by writing a book review.
So settle down, my wonderful bookworm! I have found some great ideas that will allow you to read books and earn money at a remote job.
Earn extra money with book review opportunities
Unless you’re necessarily looking to pay all By reading books to pay your bills, you may be able to find work as a paid book reviewer or at least get a free book in exchange for an online review. Here are some sites where you can provide paid book reviews or get a new book.
- Online Book Club Your first review will be unpaid, but you’ll still get a free book to review! After your initial review, most projects offer $5 to $60. As you can see, book reviewing isn’t really a gig that compensates well for the time involved. You have to really love reading — and fast — and consider any compensation a bonus while having fun.
- Kirkus Hire freelance reviewers and expect a 350-word review within a 2-week time frame.
- List of books Freelance accepts book reviews – only scheduled reviews. Freelance opportunities are limited but pay $12.50 for a blog post and $15 for a full book review.
- US Review Provides reviews, although their website doesn’t say how much. Reviews must include a brief book summary, circulate within 2-3 weeks, and follow a style guide.
- Bethany House Specializing in Christian books and specifically looking for reviewers who have an existing online platform such as a YouTube channel, a book blog, etc. There is no mention of compensation, but you may be able to use your affiliate marketing link in your review. Own website or channel.
- the writer Allows you to submit an honest review of any book of your choice. You won’t get paid just as a new reviewer, so expect to spend some time on the site Paid book review opportunities are offered if you become a trusted, experienced reviewer. These paid opportunities offer compensation of $10 to $50 per review.
- Moody Publishers Another publishing house specializing in Christian titles. They don’t pay for your review, but you get the book for free.
If you want to earn a living from your side hustle, you probably need to do more than review books. Here are some additional opportunities that pay more and will still keep you reading.
Be the narrator
Audiobook narration is an industry that has been picking up steam at work in recent years Many books are now being consumed through Audible and similar services, and even self-publishers are publishing their works on various platforms.
To be an audiobook narrator, you’ll need a great voice, the ability to perform in a variety of voices (training as a voice actor helps), and editing skills (most narrators edit their own post-production files). You can either handwrite or mark up printed books With tips to help you avoid problems when describing.
Audiobook work also requires the right equipment, such as a microphone, a pop screen filter, good quality headphones, a tablet or e-reader, and recording and editing software. Learn more about becoming an audiobook narrator here.
Copy editing and proofreading work
Publishers large and small — not to mention websites, magazines and corporations — often outsource online proofreading tasks as well as copy editing tasks. If you want to copy edit for a traditional publishing house, you’ll probably need a professional copy editing certificate, which you can get by completing a copy editing course. Universities often offer these courses and many can be completed online.
If you are not able to get a certificate right away, don’t worry! You can still copy edit positions from a professional proofreader job or someone else, such as a website or corporation. To apply for a copy editing or proofreading job, simply demonstrate your superior grammar and spelling skills! Also, get a copy of The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn. (Make sure you pick the latest version.)
editing
With a little luck, you can work from home as an editor. These opportunities are not common, but you will occasionally find websites or online publications that may be looking for assistant editors and even managing editors. A small traditional publisher may also work with remote editors. Bookjobs.com Book editors are a great place to keep an eye out for openings; You can also actually keep a tab, and make it a habit to regularly check the career page on your favorite websites.
Or you can develop your own freelance editing business, selling your services to writers for professional evaluation and polishing of their manuscripts. This will take some time and legwork on your part. You need to build your business from the ground up: set your rates, design your website and collect customer testimonials. Then you will land the client!
When you work based on your own activities as a freelancer, you may want to edit work through other services. You can find a remote editing job on various low-paying job boards (like UpWork) or through well-paying virtual assistant companies (like Time, etc.). This work-while-you-build strategy serves two purposes: first, it brings in some money, and second, it allows you to collect testimonials about your performance. But be careful while using this technique. Ensure that you do not poach customers from other services or violate the terms of your agreement with any virtual assistant platform.
translator
If you are fluent in a second language, you can find opportunities online for translation jobs. These gigs abound on translation services and marketplaces as well as sites like UpWork such as:
layout and design
There are many emerging opportunities to work with authors who are self-publishing these books. While these people may have a great story to share, they may not be interested in formatting their book or the graphic design required to create an attractive book cover.
You can learn how to do book layout and editorial or graphic design for free on sites like Book designer. And many great desktop publishing computer programs, such as Adobe InDesign, Quark XPress and Microsoft Publisher, can help you with the actual book layout.
Then just hang out your shingle as a designer or formatter! You can create a website to advertise your book layout and design services, network with authors and publishers on social media, and look for designer gigs in all the usual places.
Some small publishing houses even hire freelance book designers, giving you the opportunity to establish a profitable business relationship. Or you can actively seek out self-publishing authors preparing their books for print-on-demand and ebook stores like Kindle. (The latter will likely be your primary client.)
Become a book publisher
This is the ultimate “get paid to read” job.
Let’s say you’re building all the skills I described above. You have maximized your opportunities in the book business. You can recognize good writing. You are a good copy editor and overall editor. You know how to make a book look good on the page and on the screen. So why not start publishing books yourself? Go into business to create your own publishing company!
If you are a writer, you can start your own work by self-publishing. Once you’ve established yourself as someone who can create a beautifully designed and cleanly edited product, you can look for other writers to publish. You’ll need some startup capital to become your first author, but you’ll have all the skills and a golden opportunity to create a book you believe in. And make sure both you and the author make some money, of course!
Marketing and Public Relations
One of the most important tools in your arsenal is knowing how to market yourself, your skills, and your products. Not only is this important for working on your own freelance editing or publishing business, but you can turn book marketing and public relations into its own business! With so many self-published authors new to the field every month and traditionally published authors struggling to come up with their own PR strategy, there are plenty of opportunities to step in and help them. You can be their freelance book marketing and promotion pro, who lines up blog tours, schedules author interviews, and really gets the word out about their books through viral marketing.
Where can I find these works for book lovers?
- Kirkus Employs a number of positions mentioned above in addition to book reviewers.
- Freelance Writers Den offers a job board specifically for writers and editors.
- Publishers Weekly Offers a variety of freelance publishing positions such as book reviewers and editors.
Are you a book lover who is excited about these opportunities? I’m excited for you! There are many remote jobs out there for you to turn your love of reading into a living, and now you know how to find it. Whether you review books for extra cash or narrate the next best-selling audio book, I want to hear from you about any and all jobs and businesses you start here!
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