12 Work-At-Home Jobs for Moms Who Love to Read
If you love books and want to work from home, you are in luck! There are quite a few amazing remote jobs for moms who love books (or writing, graphic design, or editing.) Check them out today.
[This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.]
What’s the Deal With Bookish Remote Jobs for Moms
Have you ever published a book? If you have, you know there is a lot that goes into it. If you haven’t, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that people will pay you to help with all of it, and you can make a decent living doing it. In some cases, you might be working with a publishing company, and in others, you might be working with independent authors. In either case, it’s a great way to start a creative career doing something you love.
Are There Really Jobs in Publishing?
There sure are! While jobs with traditional publishers can be competitive, the world of self-publishing has created tons of opportunities for independent book cover designers, formatters, editors, and other positions. (Indie authors too!) Overall, publishing is a $26 billion-a-year industry, and around 4 million books are published a year. While it’s declined a bit since the pandemic, there is still a ton of opportunity in all genres.
Sure, some of these jobs are competitive, but all jobs can be competitive. If you love writing and reading, just go for it. So with that in mind, here are some ideas for people who love books.
1-Become an Author
If you love to read, this might seem like the obvious choice. You can either try to get a book deal with a publishing company, try to find a literary agent, or self-publish your book. While it’s true that this is a very competitive industry, there are many traditionally published and self-published authors that are making decent money, with a few earning up to $10,000 a month.
2-Become an Editor
An editor is another great choice because you literally get paid to read and critique other people’s books. In most cases, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a related field like English, but the cool thing about being an editor is that you have a lot of options. You can freelance or work for a publisher, and there are several different types of editors. If you are crazy about grammar, you can become a copy editor or proofreader. If you want to focus on sentence structure, you can offer line editing services. Love to work on plot structure? You might want to consider a career as a developmental editor. According to Salary.com, editors make an average of between $64,190 and $84,293. However, that’s dependent on what type of editor you are.
3-Book Cover Designer
Do you have a love of books and a knack for creating images that sell? Know a little bit about graphic design? With more than four million books a year being published, you can bet all those books have covers. Plus, many authors change the covers of their books from time to time, whether they are releasing new editions or just need something a little less steamy for Amazon ads. This is an excellent choice for people who love books but don’t love to write. (I feel you. I don’t always love to write.) You can create covers in Photoshop or give Canva a try.
4-Book Formatter
Many cover designers offer this service, while others offer their book formatting services separately. Basically, a book formatter sizes the author’s manuscript, so it fits nicely into an eBook or print book. They might also do the chapter illustrations and other details that bring the book’s interior to life.
5-Sell Classic Books
Do you love the classics, like Little Women, Pride & Prejudice, and even The Great Gatsby? What if you could make a nice living republishing these classics, giving them a beautiful new covers, and sharing them with the world? You totally can. In fact, as long as a book is in the public domain, you can republish it. This typically applies to books whose copyrights have expired and are usually considered “classics.” Most big publishers do this because these books are free for anyone to use and already popular. You’ll just need a new cover and a FREE Kindle Direct Publishing account to get started. Here is some more info.
6-Alpha Reader
This is probably my favorite way to make money as a reader because you don’t need a fancy degree for it–just a sharp eye and a good understanding of what makes a book work. As an alpha reader, you are the very first person to read a rough draft of someone’s book. Your job is to make suggestions, tell the author where you were confused or lost, and basically just provide general feedback. Sometimes, you will be helping the author to get the book ready for an editor. Many alpha readers offer their services on Fiverr.
7-Beta Reader
Think of a beta reader as a product tester for books. You let the author know if there are any plot holes or parts that were unclear. A beta reader usually comes after a developmental editor, though in some cases, there is some overlap in the responsibilities. I have done this for about two years, and it’s a lot of fun, though not a ton of money. As with alpha readers, many beta readers offer their services on Fiverr.
8-Sell Bookish Swag
If you are a book lover, who also loves a nice Etsy shop, this one is for you. There are so many different ways you can create swag for book lovers. You can create bookish stickers, bookmarks, mugs, and so much more. Many book swagsters partner with book influencers on TikTok or Instagram to help sell their stuff.
9-Become a Book Influencer
If you haven’t heard of “Bookstagram” or “Booktok,” you should definitely check it out. Basically, a “Bookstagram” account or a “Booktok” account is an Instagram account or TikTok account that’s all about books and book reviews. Book influencers make money by promoting books, book swag, and whatever else you can think of. Plus, it’s a really fun community, and you get free books.
10-Become a Book Blogger
Want to sit around and write about books? Want another way to monetize your Bookstagram following? Becoming a book blogger is an excellent choice. You pretty much just write about books and add affiliate links to those books. Once someone makes a purchase through one of your links, you make a commission. Learn more about starting a blog right here!
11-Sell Children’s Books
If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I don’t always write about MLMs because many of those markets are too saturated. However, I really do love Usborne books. If you are interested in an MLM that sells high-quality products and you want free books, I highly recommend trying out Usborne.
12-Book Marketing
Truth be told, I almost never buy from traditional publishers anymore due to the fact that I just don’t see their books anymore outside of bookstores, and it’s because their marketing isn’t that good. Indies are killing it with marketing. Book sales by self-published authors now account for up to one-third of book sales, and that number is growing. Self-published authors are also paying people to help them market their books. This presents a major opportunity for work-at-home moms with a background in marketing who just love books. (Also, it’s just fun to promote books!)
Do you make money with books? Let me know in the comments, or check me out on Instagram and Pinterest today!
