Want to be a book reviewer?
Review new books and start building your portfolio.
Whether you're a publishing professional or an avid bookworm, writing freelance book reviews could be the perfect side hustle. In this post, we’ll compare the best sites that offer paid book reviewer jobs for both expert and beginner reviewers.
For reviewers with 3+ years of experience, Reedsy Discovery is a clear frontrunner. Not only are its rates unbeatable, but it also boasts generous deadlines and the option to choose which indie titles to read. If you fancy seeing your name in print, meanwhile, the magazine Foreword Reviews pays slightly less but may suit your preferences.
And for beginner reviewers, we recommend signing up to BookBrowse: its longer-form reviews and accompanying articles will help you hone your craft while still earning money.
Now let’s go into more detail, starting with the top book review sites for experienced reviewers.
If you work with books in your day job, or you’ve published several high-quality reviews before, you may be able to secure a freelance position at one of these top book review job sites.
💸 Pay: $50 for books under 15K words; $75 for books with 15K–100K words; $99 for books over 100K words
📄 Review word count: 350+ words
⏳ Review deadline: 1 month
💼 Reviewer requirements: 3+ years of experience, strong portfolio
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres, indie press publications
Reedsy Discovery was launched in 2019 to help indie authors find readers and vice versa. Since its revamp in 2026, it has become one of the most well-regarded outlets for self-published authors seeking professional-grade editorial reviews.
That’s largely thanks to its community of authoritative, respected book reviewers — which could include you. To work for Reedsy Discovery, you’ll need to have three years of experience as a book reviewer and a portfolio of high-quality reviews on hand. The Reedsy Discovery team evaluates every application manually, looking for a review style that demonstrates sharp, insightful, and original observations about the books you’ve read.
Unlike many competitor sites, Reedsy Discovery is completely transparent about what it pays its freelance reviewers — because its rates are unbeatable. The company knows that an epic fantasy novel is a much bigger commitment than a novella, and pays reviewers based on a book’s word count: $50 for books under 15K words, $75 for books with 15K–100K words, and $99 for books over 100K words. Reedsy Discovery also prioritizes the reviewer experience: you select books that interest you, don’t have to meet any quotas, and get paid seven days after each review goes live.
💸 Pay: $55
📄 Review word count: “Robust length” for magazine, 450+ words for Clarion
⏳ Review deadline: 1 month
💼 Reviewer requirements: Relevant professional experience (e.g., as an editor, librarian, teacher, academic, businessperson, or published author), strong sample review
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres, university press publications
Foreword Reviews has been helping booksellers and librarians discover great books from indie presses since 1998, and is known for its insightful reviews across both its selective magazine and its fee-for-review service.
Pairing an above-average review length of 450 words with a fixed $55 payment means that the per-word pay isn’t fantastic for reviewers — but the flexibility to decline assignments and the long deadline speak in the magazine’s favor.
To apply, you don’t need a specific number of years of experience, but you’ll need a relevant professional background and a strong writing voice to get your application noticed.
💸 Pay: Undisclosed
📄 Review word count: 250–300 words
⏳ Review deadline: 2–3 weeks
💼 Reviewer requirements: Impressive resume, strong writing sample, two professional references
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres
Like Reedsy Discovery, the US Review of Books reviews self-published books. One of its selling points is that it’s home to a small and consistent pool of talent, though that means that its reviewers will be expected to pick up jobs on a regular basis under shorter deadlines than on Reedsy Discovery — although the reviews are also shorter in length.
Unfortunately, the US Review of Books is not transparent about its rates, but it does say that reviewers are paid monthly.
The application process is more complicated than most book review sites: as well as a resume and sample review, you’ll have to provide two professional references.
💸 Pay: Undisclosed; sources quote $50–$75
📄 Review word count: 350 words
⏳ Review deadline: 2 weeks
💼 Reviewer requirements: Previous reviewing experience, strong writing samples, proven subject specialties
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres (English and Spanish titles)
All book lovers are probably familiar with Kirkus Reviews, a prestigious magazine that provides pre-publication reviews of traditionally published books. And while Kirkus Reviews itself isn’t openly hiring, you can apply to work as a freelancer for its sister book review service, Kirkus Indie. The latter operates like Reedsy Discovery and the US Review of Books, charging self-published authors for a guaranteed review.
As a source of income, Krikus Indie is best for experienced freelancers with plenty of time on their hands (the review deadline is only 2 weeks per book!). Despite the faster turnaround time and identical word count, pay is also unofficially cited as $50–$75, on par with or even below the rates on Reedsy Discovery.
💸 Pay: $100
📄 Review word count: ~1,500 words
⏳ Review deadline: Variable
💼 Reviewer requirements: Proven experience at crafting lively, thought-provoking, and accessible review-essays
📚 Types of books: Traditionally published women’s scholarship studies; fiction, poetry, and memoir by women
The Women’s Review of Books (WRB) is a speciality publication that focuses on nonfiction and literary fiction by or about women. The magazine accepts submissions from experienced reviewers with subject matter expertise who can write longer-form book reviews that appeal to a broad audience.
You’ll be paid $100 per submission, but can only submit one article per two-month reading period. So while writing for the WRB will give you a certain level of prestige, it won’t offer a steady income.
💸 Pay: $15 (and a free subscription to Booklist)
📄 Review word count: 150–175 words
⏳ Review deadline: Varies. Average reviewer writes 2–3 reviews per month.
💼 Reviewer requirements: Familiarity with libraries, knowledge of the U.S. and Canadian book markets, ideally a library degree or readers’ advisory experience
📚 Types of books: Traditionally published books in all genres
Booklist is part of the American Library Association, and its magazine aims to help school and public library workers choose books to purchase and recommend. Unlike other review sites, therefore, Booklist doesn’t feature detailed critiques: its reviews are only 150–175 words long and focus mainly on plot, readalikes, and target audience.
If you become a Booklist reviewer, you can expect to write 2–3 of these short reviews per month, for $15 each. Given that you still have to read the entire book, this is quite a low rate — but it can be a rewarding way to give back to the reading community.
Although you’ll be given a mentor when you first start reviewing — something not many other book review platforms offer — you’ll typically only be accepted to Booklist if you have work experience in a U.S. or Canadian library.
💸 Pay: Undisclosed
📄 Review word count: Undisclosed
⏳ Review deadline: Undisclosed
💼 Reviewer requirements: Professional experience working with children and books, strong writing samples
📚 Types of books: Traditionally published children’s and young adult books
The Horn Book is another well-regarded magazine. It has been reviewing children’s and young adult books for over 100 years, and is perfect for children’s book librarians, teachers, and other professionals with an intimate knowledge of children’s reading habits.
We couldn’t find out much about what’s expected of reviewers or how much they’re paid. Adding your name to the journal’s list of reviewers can still look good for your book-reviewing career, however!
If you don’t yet meet the requirements for the job sites above, here are some places with more lenient entry criteria that can help you boost your portfolio and kickstart your reviewing career.
💸 Pay: $60 average
📄 Review word count: 600+ words
⏳ Review deadline: Typically 1 month
💼 Reviewer requirements: Good quality sample reviews
📚 Types of books: Traditionally and self-published fiction and nonfiction
Founded in 1997, BookBrowse is home to book previews, reviews, and “read-alike” recommendations. Each book review is accompanied by a “Beyond the Book” article, which provides additional insights into a theme, setting, or historical figure from the book.
If you become a BookBrowse reviewer, you’ll be expected to write these articles alongside reviews of 600-1,000 words — enabling you to hone your essay-writing skills as well as your review-writing ones. The compensation is modest, but the deadlines are generous.
As an employer, BookBrowse cares more about the quality of your writing than your credentials or experience, so be sure to read plenty of reviews and articles on their site to make your sample reviews stand out in a good way.
💸 Pay: $50 for regular books under 100k words; $90 for expedited books under 100k words; $60 for regular books over 100k words; $100 for expedited books over 100k words
📄 Review word count: 400–750 words
⏳ Review deadline: 4 weeks regular, 10 days expedited
💼 Reviewer requirements: Strong writing, interest across genres
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres
Independent Book Review is a reader-focused, writer-supportive book review platform celebrating the best in indie books. They’re looking for reviewers who can commit to 2 reviews per month and are willing to read across genres. With $40 extra pay for “expedited” reviews written within 10 days, this site is good for emerging and experienced reviewers who can read (and write) fast.
While experience in the book world is a big plus, it’s again your writing sample that will make or break your application.
💸 Pay: $0 for your first review, then $5–$60
📄 Review word count: 300+ words
⏳ Review deadline: Generally no deadline
💼 Reviewer requirements: None
📚 Types of books: Self-published books in all genres
All you need is an email address and a PayPal account to sign up to Online Book Club. With no deadlines either, it can be a good place to start if you have no relevant experience — but pay tends to be low and the quality of the books to choose from is reportedly poor.
The site does guide you through what to write in your review, but at a basic level. We only recommend Online Book Club to reviewers at the very beginning of their career who want to build their portfolios and get some compensation (as opposed to building your portfolio on Goodreads for no money at all).
Now that you know where to find book reviewer jobs, check out our post on how to write a book review to help you smash the application process. And remember: you can sign up to as many book review sites as you like, so go wild and experiment with which jobs work for you.
Want to be a book reviewer?
Review new books and start building your portfolio.