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Make Money Reading Books (All the Possible Ways)

Make Money Reading Books
This is for book lovers!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a way to get paid for reading books?
What if I told you that there are 2 specific methods to make money reading books?
- Recording your voice to help an author make an audiobook
- Reading books and writing reviews
Of course, it won’t be a piece of cake (that’s why these methods really work) but it’s not going to be too difficult either.
You can be paid immediately or make money based on royalties (the more sales the audiobook makes, the more money you make).
How to Make Money Reading Books?
Well, more and more people are listening to audiobooks while they are doing other activities such as working out, cooking or driving.
It’s a convenient way to absorb knowledge while making other activities more interesting at the same time.
Amazon realized this upcoming trend, so they purchased the already popular audiobook company called “Audible”.
They are now transforming into a huge international company. However, it’s impossible to transform every single written book into an audiobook.
This way, they are outsourcing people who like to read to do this job. They achieve this by using an outsourcing company called ACX.
In order to get started, go to their site & read the instructions by clicking How it works -> Narrators.
Then, you can view all titles that are accepting auditions, by clicking Search -> Titles Accepting Auditions.
There are filters you can apply to the list of books like “Compensation”. It lets you see the projects based on how much you can earn by completing them.
After you find a book that seems interesting, click to view even more details about it. You can even download the audition script (a small preview of the book) to get an idea of what is about.
Further, have a look at their About ACX -> Production Earnings & Costs page.
Should you choose one-time payment, exclusive royalties or non-exclusives royalties?
- Do you need the money right now?
- Do you believe that this book will not sell well?
Then, go for a one-time payment.
- Can you afford to wait for the book to make sales?
- Do you estimate that the book will generate a lot of sales?
If you do so, go for the exclusive royalty, as it has much more earning potential, especially if the book goes viral.
Non-exclusive royalty is the right option if you or the author can distribute the book on other networks (other than Amazon, Audible or iTunes) as well, but it’s not usually the case.
Note that these audiobooks are distributed in 3 huge & super popular companies (Audible, Amazon, iTunes). This means they are visible to a very large audience worldwide, increasing the chances of the book you recorded to generate sales.
Also read:
“Earn Money From Apps: 21 Best Apps (up to $1k)”
“Make Money ($30-60/hour) to Surf the Internet & Tell Your Opinion”
Well, it’s absolutely normal not to be perfect on your first attempt! Don’t get discouraged if you get rejected on your first audition. Every time you make another try, you’re going to be better!
It’s worth to try much more times, as you’ll get paid for at least 7 years (as long as the book makes sales) once you get approved for an audition!
I’m recommending this method because it doesn’t require any previous experience, upfront costs or knowledge except some basic English-speaking skills.
It takes time to learn any skill to make money and passive income online anyway and this strategy doesn’t differ. Think that the time you are reading this, other people are making money using this method, so if you like it you can achieve it as well!
If you’re still too shy to try this method, you can try the 2nd way to get paid for reading books:
2nd way: You submit your review of a book to one of the below-listed sites. Then, you get paid for each approved review!
Each site has its own guidelines. Some of them require you to write one or a couple of reviews in exchange for a free book, then you are qualified for receiving payments.
Here’s the list of sites:
1) Online Book Club
This platform is designed to help new authors promote their work through honest reviews.
Users get a free book from their first review. Then they can get paid for the next reviews.
The payments are $5-$60, depending on the reviewed book and the reviewer.
2) Any Subject Books
After you signed up to this site, they will send you a book they’d like you to review.
If you accept the job, you’ll have to read the book and provide an honest review.
The longer a book is, the better the payment will be.
3) The US Review of Books
Their team selects writers to submit a book review (250-300 words).
The reviewers get paid on 5th of every month, based on how many reviews they have submitted.
4) Women’s Review of Books
This platform is mainly focused on books written by women for women.
Reviewers have to choose their category of interest and follow their guidelines in order to get selected.
They pay $100 for an approved review!
5) Kirkus
This website is looking for reviews to publish on its book review magazine that focuses mainly on self-published authors.
They are looking for English and Spanish book reviews of approximately 350 words.
Write reviews in exchange for free books
The following list of sites will not pay you for submitting a review. However, they will grant you a free book for each review you submit:
- BookBrowse
- NewsPages
- Moody Publishers Newsroom
- LibraryThing
- Springer
- Net Galley
- Story Cartel
- Tywebbin
- My Readers’ Club
If reading is your hobby, why not push it a step further and get paid for it?
Here you have all the ways you can earn money online by reading books! I strongly recommend the first method as it is much more profitable!
If you’re interested in more 100% legit ways to make money online (without spending a penny upfront of course) check our articles:
“Earn Money From Apps: 21 Best Apps (up to $1k)”
“Make Money ($30-60/hour) to Surf the Internet & Tell Your Opinion”