Writing book reviews is one of the best ways to get paid to read books online.
As a book reviewer, you’re tasked with reading and reviewing books, which in return can earn you a paycheck.
This blog post will show you five of the top-paying book review sites where you can submit your pitches and get hired for book review jobs.
To review books effectively, having a good education is important. EduBirdie can help you improve your skills and knowledge, making you better at reviewing books.
Book review jobs sites that pay reviewers
So, if you want to get paid to review books online, here is a list of five websites that you can explore to find book review jobs:
1) The US Review of Books
The US Review of Books has fair terms for reviewers, and the pay is usually between $25 and $75. To be accepted you’ll need to submit your resume, samples, and references. You’ll also be asked to do a sample review.
The site doesn’t have tough guidelines, the reviews can be half summary, half commentary. Most of the reviews requested will be around 300 words and you can expect to earn $25 for each. For longer reviews that are around $600 the pay can be as high as $75
The first review you will do will be treated as an application and you are compensated nonetheless, whether you’re hired eventually or not.
The pay might not seem much especially when you factor in the hours it will take you to read a book. However, if you are a faster reader, you can easily lock in $250-$750 doing 10 reviews a month.
Another added benefit of writing reviews for The US Review of Books is that you will be listed in its directory of reviewers that you can use as social proof and also get a backlink to your site.
The site pays via PayPal. US Review of Books encourages readers and authors alike to visit their website.
2) Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews isn’t transparent with their rates but some people claim that it’s usually $50 per review.
The media company has been in existence since 1933, so it is a legitimate company. That said, the reviews from Glassdoor seem to suggest that the editors will ask you to change your review if it’s negative, thus interfering with your work ethics as a book reviewer.
The reviews are around 350 words long with 2 weeks turnaround time. If you still want to apply, simply head over to this page and contact an editor.
3) OnlineBookClub
Though a popular book review website, many people do not recommend OnlineBookClub because of its tough and demanding guidelines with extremely low pay.
While they claim to pay up to $60 per review, most reviewers earn their lowest rates, which is actually $5 per review.
Reviews are easily rejected and can affect your review score. When you join, your score will be below 35, meaning that you will be bagging home $0 per review as they only begin to pay beyond the 35-point mark.
There are no clear guidelines on improving your score apart from the fact that you will have to engage in a forum and give shoutouts on social media. The editors aren’t as responsive either.
4) Booklist Publications
Booklist Publications is a book review website whose pay is not as appealing. Booklist pays $15 per review and only upon publication. This means that even if your review is accepted, you might have to wait a while
For published reviews, you will get one line credit and you can also be listed as a reviewer on their directory page.
To get started, you will need to fill in an application form answering basic questions and if you are fit the team will get back to you.
5) Women’s Review of Books
Women’s Review of Books is a publication of Wellesley Centers for Women, a part of Wellesley College, and reportedly pays $100 per review.
The publication specifically reviews books about women or written by women.
They expect their reviewers to have journalistic, academic, or strong book review backgrounds.
So if you believe that you can develop thought-provoking reviews you can start pitching your idea to them.
They pay on a review basis. To get started, send in a review pitch proposal about the book you want to review, its publication date, and your angle to the editors. You can find contact details on this page.
You will be paid upon review publication and you also get 12 months of subscription to their monthly issues.
You can also find more writing guidelines in this document. Make sure you adhere to them when writing the reviews.
Ready to begin your book reviewer job?
Book reviewing is a lucrative yet demanding career.
However, if it’s something you love doing and have a passion for writing, then book reviewing can be another source of income for you.
If this isn’t the case, I would advise you to look for other ways to earn money online such as freelance services, info products, or affiliate marketing.
