How I Made Money Because of My Love for Books

"Make Your Passion Your Profession" is one of the most popular quotes we hear today. It inspires us to pursue our passion as a career because of the notion that if we are already doing the things we love, then it should be easy, effortless, and fulfilling.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Many still struggle to find this sweet spot for a number of reasons. Some do not know the "how" while others are even uncertain about what they are passionate about. 'Making your Passion your Profession' won't come easy but it is very much POSSIBLE AND ATTAINABLE. 

With our current economy where inflation rates continue to go up, everyone could make use of some extra money. So, this made me think - what I am passionate about and how can I get paid because of it? 

Here's what I realized:

• I am a certified bibliophile.
• I collect and love books.
• I fell in love with reading when I was 13 and more than 20 years after, I still find joy in reading. 

So, maybe it is just right that I find a way to start earning doing something that I love. 

And GUESS WHAT? The past 2 years during the pandemic allowed me to find ways to make money because of my love for books. 

Here are four (4) Ways How I Made Money Because of My Love for Books

1. Be a Book Reviewer -  One of the most common jobs in the publishing industry is a book reviewer. Though it is ideal to have a degree in literature, people who don't have one but enjoy reading and have strong writing skills can still become book reviewers. 

There are many sites that offer jobs/ gigs for book reviewers. Some examples are Kirkus Media, Upwork, OnlineBookClub, and Reedsy Discovery. You can also reach out to publishers directly and apply to be one. 

2. Book Blogger/ Vlogger - If you don't want to work for an agency or publisher, you can also start working on your own by starting your blog or social media channel to share your book reviews. Many bloggers/ vloggers earn through ads or sponsored content. 

3. Be an Affiliate Marketer - Get paid by recommending other books to fellow bookworms. Affiliate marketing involves referring a product or service by sharing it on a blog, social media, or website where the affiliate earns a commission when someone makes a purchase through a unique link. 

Amazon and Kobo have affiliate programs and if you are in the Philippines, popular e-commerce sites such as Lazada and Shopee have affiliate programs too that you can join. 

4. Be an Online Seller - One of the advantages of being a reader when selling books is that you understand the market. You personally know what books appeal to you and your peers. You are updated with the latest releases and other things that only true bookworms know. 

There are many platforms available online where you can sell. You don't even need to have a big investment to start. You can initially purchase just a few titles and just manage your earnings properly.

Based on my personal experience, we opened our little bookstore in October 2021 with less than 15 titles. I sold them online through my FB groups and we just saved whatever profit we made so, we can buy more stocks. Then, when it got sold out again, we bought a new batch of books and just had to repeat the cycle over and over again. 

This experience thought us the power of compounding savings in growing a business. If you want to estimate savings or get a better picture of your savings goal, you can check out SavingsCalculator.org, which allows you to create a growth table of savings over time.

Fast forward to today - our bookstore grew and now we have over 500 titles on hand. We have sold thousands of books in 2022. This is all because we knew how to save and ofcourse because we love books. 

So, if you are a bookworm like me and currently looking for ways how to earn extra money, then we hope you find this post helpful.