Ah, the smell of books.
Or in some cases, the excitement of seeing yourdigital library grow on your Kindle.
If youre a fellow bookworm, you may be interested in this side gig: online book reviewing.
We found some websites and publishers that want to pay you for your book review. Yup, you can get paid for doing one of your favorite activities reading!
The U.S. Review of Books
The U.S. Review of Books is always looking for regular freelancers.
To apply, send your resume, samples of reviews, and 2 professional references to the email listed here.
When your application is accepted, you can start writing paid reviews! Book titles can be chosen on a first come first served basis and how well it fits the reviewers skill set.
Reviews should be between 250-300 words and take no longer than 2-3 weeks to complete.
The exact pay is not listed but the site says reviewers are paid on the 5th of every month and they get the book for free!
Online Book Club
When you go to the Online Book Clubs website, the first sentence is:You wont get rich and you wont be able to leave your day job.
The definition of a side gig but we appreciate their honesty!
They have a disclosure on the site that the first review will be unpaid, but you get the book for free. After the first unpaid review, youll be eligible for paid opportunities and youll always get the books for free.
The site pays between $5 $60 for honest, quick reviews.
The sign-up process is really simple. You create a username, choose what book formats you like in the Review Team page and provide your PayPal email address so you can get paid! After, you can browse the list of books that are waiting to get reviewed.
Kirkus Media
If you become a paid book reviewer for Kirkus Media, youll also be featured in their magazine, Kirkus Reviews.
They typically look for more experienced reviewers to review English and Spanish titles from self-published authors in many genres.
Reviews should be about 350 words and are due two weeks after a book is assigned. The pay rate isnt specified publicly and the books are free.
You can apply by sending a resume, writing samples, and the genres that you prefer to review.
Any Subject Books
If you have experience publishing book reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, or even your own book review blog, Any Subject Books may be a good fit for you.
They look for readers who can give an honest analytical take on the books so reviews like I enjoyed it! wont fly here.
Pay rate is based on a book-by-book basis depending on the length and topic.
Youll also be contacted with a book to review, and if you like it, you can go ahead and start working on it. But youre also welcome to pass on a book as well.
Currently, theyre not acceptingnew reviewers but its good to keep an eye on this site for when they do!
Womens Review of Books
As you can tell by the name, Womens Review of Bookspublishes reviews written by and about women and its created by the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College.
Theyre looking for experienced reviewers, academics or journalists to contribute to their publication and the pay rate for published reviews is $100.
To apply, send your email pitches to the email listed here.
If youre looking for other fun and easy ways to make some extra cash, here are games that pay to play!