10 Best Side Hustles for Librarians and Other Book-Lovers

Earning potential: $50–$500 per review, depending on publication and expertise

What it is and how it works: You’re almost certainly a book lover and an experienced reader. You can lean on this to make some extra cash by becoming a book reviewer.

Book reviewing involves reading, analyzing, and critiquing books (either ones that you choose yourself or that have been assigned to you) with the goal of helping readers decide whether they’re worth the hype.

What it takes: Aside from strong reading and analytical skills, which you presumably already have, excellent writing abilities are a must. Your book reviews should be easy to understand, interesting, and comprehensive.

Tools and platforms: There are several platforms and publications that will pay you to write reviews. The big names in this space include:

• BookBrowse
• getAbstract
• Kirkus Media
• Reedsy Discovery
• US Review of Books

If you’re more experienced, there are several literary magazines where you can submit your reviews, like Library Journal.

Alternatively, if you want to blaze your own trail as an independent reviewer, you can start by establishing a presence on Goodreads (a very popular platform for authors and readers) and cross-post your reviews on a blog.

How to get started: The first and most important step is, of course, to just start writing. You should also go ahead and begin pitching reviews to editors.

To succeed, you may need to market yourself. Advertise your reviews on your social media accounts and engage with the literary community by attending author events, literary festivals, or participating in local writing workshops.

Earning potential: $225–$400 per finished hour of audio ($75–$200 per hour worked)

What it is and how it works: If you’re looking for a reading-related side hustle, consider pursuing audiobook narration. This is essentially a kind of voice acting; you’ll read books, short stories, and other written works aloud on mic.

What it takes: You need strong vocal and performance skills to succeed as an audiobook narrator. You’ll use your voice to keep listeners engaged, and—if you’re reading fiction—convey the characters’ personalities. Clear diction is a must here.

Tools and platforms: You’ll need a set of recording equipment, including a decent microphone and headphones, along with audio editing software, such as Adobe Audition. Check out online audiobook platforms, like Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), and create profiles on these casting sites:

• Ahab
• Erggo
• Findaway Voices

You can also find work on freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr.

How to get started: Start by building a portfolio of demo reels to share your talent with potential clients and employers. Search for projects offered by audio production companies or publishing houses, or for author collaborations.

Earning potential: $50–$150 per hour

What it is and how it works: A library consultant provides expert guidance to libraries, schools, and businesses to help them improve their services, programs, and operations. For instance, you may give them advice on how to develop their collections, adopt new technologies, and so on.

Some organizations may be willing to hire you on a remote basis, so this has the potential to be a very flexible side hustle.

What it takes: Needless to say, you need to possess a deep understanding of library practices. This is essential to establishing your credibility and expertise. You should also be a solid communicator—understanding your field isn’t enough if you can’t explain it to outsiders and laypeople.

Tools and platforms: If you’re working remotely, make sure you have a stable internet connection and access to video conferencing software like Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

How to get started: If you already have at least a few years of professional experience in librarianship, you’ve already taken the first few steps on this journey. The next step is to identify potential clients and advertise your services.

You can do this by tapping into your network. You’ll want to have a presence on networking sites like LinkedIn, and you should also check out professional associations, such as the American Library Association (ALA) or the Special Libraries Association (SLA). These may be able to point you toward consulting opportunities.

Earning potential: $20–$40 per hour

What it is and how it works: Research librarians help academics and professionals conduct literature reviews, manage research data, perform patent and trademark searches, and more. There are countless possibilities in this field; you can also expand your services to cover things like fact-checking, data analysis, or compiling research reports.

What it takes: You’ll need extensive experience navigating databases, as well as a knack for evaluating information and the social skills to guide clients through their own research processes.

You’ll probably work on a freelance or contract basis, so you also need enough knowledge of this field to price your services competitively and set realistic boundaries and deliverable submission dates with your clients.

Tools and platforms: To conduct research, you’ll use:

• Database search platforms (e.g., EBSCO, ProQuest, etc.)
• Library management systems (Alma, Sierra)
• Reference management software (EndNote, Zotero)

You’ll also need access to all the usual communication software to keep in touch with your clients.

How to get started: If you have the skills and experience this job requires, you can look for clients in public libraries, government agencies, schools, and corporate research departments. You may also see jobs advertised on employment websites, such as:

• FlexJobs
• Indeed
• LinkedIn

Earning potential: $15–$50 per hour

What it is and how it works: This job is exactly what it sounds like—you’ll compose indexes for books, journals, and other published works. This involves creating and organizing a list of keywords, topics, and page numbers after analyzing the work’s contents.

What it takes: Creating indexes requires strong attention to detail and a knack for making logical and well-organized lists. You should be familiar with indexing software (listed below), as well as major style guides, such as the Chicago Manual of Style.

Tools and platforms: As mentioned, you’ll need access to indexing software, such as:

• Cindex
• Macrex
• SKY Index

You may also need to use referencing tools (e.g., EndNote or Zotero) and publishing software (Adobe InDesign) to create and format index files.

How to get started: Create a portfolio of your work and advertise your services on professional websites. Promote yourself to academic institutions, authors, publishers, and other entities that produce written material.

Earning potential: $15–$30 per hour

What it is and how it works: Cataloging is a great side hustle for methodical and detail-oriented librarians. You’ll sort and classify materials according to standards like MARC, AACR2, and RDA to help library-goers find what they need.

What it takes: You’re probably already familiar with the standards we just listed, as well as the major library classification systems, like the Dewey Decimal Classification or Library of Congress Classification.

However, to succeed as a cataloguer, knowledge isn’t enough—you also have to be meticulous and organized. You should also enjoy detail work (otherwise, you risk burning out).

Tools and platforms: You’ll use cataloging software tools, like MARC21, OCLC Connexion, or Cataloguer’s Desktop. It’ll also help to have access to metadata management tools (Dublin Core, METS, or MODS) and reference management software. You won’t necessarily need to buy access to these tools yourself—your employer or clients may provide them.

How to get started: As a cataloguer, you can do freelance or contract work, or you can go to work for specialized cataloging agencies. Market your services to museums, academic institutions, libraries, or archives that need cataloging support.

Earning potential: Varies, often $1–$10 per book

What it is and how it works: Book flipping involves buying books—often used ones—at a low cost and then reselling them for a profit. You can get cheap books from garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, online marketplaces, and so on.

As a bookseller, you can flip all sorts of books, or you can focus on a specific genre or category you’ve developed expertise in over the course of your library career (such as foreign language books, textbooks, or rare and out-of-print books).

What it takes: To make a profit with this side hustle, you need to understand what makes a book valuable. You should also have a keen eye for spotting those qualities in the wild, which means being able to evaluate a book based on its condition, edition, and rarity.

Tools and platforms: You don’t need any special tools to start this side hustle, just the wealth of book knowledge you have as a librarian (and a clean, dry space to store your collection).

How to get started: If you don’t have time to scour thrift stores and garage sales for deals, you can check out online book-sourcing tools like BookScouter or ScoutIQ to find books at low prices. Once you’ve acquired a collection, sell it on e-commerce websites, such as:

• AbeBooks
• Amazon
• eBay
• Shopify

Earning potential: $15–$30 per hour

What it is and how it works: If you like the idea of sharing your knowledge, you can get paid to tutor students. You can teach classes that are directly related to library science and information literacy, or that are about something else entirely—anything that you know a lot about and are interested in.

It’ll be quite easy for you to get this type of work. Librarians are usually trusted and well-liked figures in their communities, and you probably interact with students (and their parents) regularly in the course of your job.

What it takes: Teaching of any kind requires patience and strong communication skills. If you choose to teach online, something that’s increasingly popular these days, you’ll also need a knack for keeping students engaged despite the virtual classroom environment.

Tools and platforms: To tutor students in person, all you’ll need is yourself and a space to conduct your lessons, such as an unused room in the library (or your home). If you want to tutor people virtually, you’ll need a webcam and microphone, video conferencing software, and online document editors (Google Docs or Microsoft Office) to collaborate with students.

How to get started: Your first step is to pick the subjects and student age ranges you hope to teach. If you want to tutor in person, put up flyers on bulletin boards in your library (or the nearby public library, if your workplace doesn’t get much traffic from potential students).

As you may already know, some libraries also receive public funds that they use to host paid workshops. Try reaching out to your colleagues and seeing if there are any opportunities like that in your community.

To tutor online, create a profile on a tutoring website, such as:

• Skooli
• Tutor.com
• Wyzant

Earning potential: $20–$50 per hour

What it is and how it works: You spend all day around the written word. Why not try your hand at producing some of your own?

Freelance writing is a perfect side hustle for librarians with extensive research experience and strong written communication skills. You’ll work independently to conduct research and write original content, which may consist of articles, marketing copy, white papers, fiction, or something else entirely.

What it takes: Most importantly, you should be a great writer. Beyond that, working on a freelance basis requires strong time management skills and the willingness to adapt your writing to each client’s needs.

Tools and platforms: One of the great things about writing is that you don’t need any special tools to do it. You just need a computer, a word processor, and a comfortable working environment. If you have a home office, that’s ideal, but you can be a freelance writer from anywhere.

How to get started: To land freelance writing gigs, compile a portfolio of your past work. This should demonstrate your ability to produce whatever kind of writing you hope to do as a freelancer (academic work, content marketing, fiction, etc.).

If you don’t have any previous work, spend a few evenings creating several sample projects that you can show off.

Once you’re ready, you can start looking for work on marketplaces like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer. You can also search on job boards (Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.) for companies or individual clients looking to hire freelancers.

Earning potential: Widely varies

What it is and how it works: This is one of the most ambitious side hustles on this list. Essentially, it entails starting a blog or creating an account on a content creation platform like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

You can use your platform to post book reviews and recommendations, interview up-and-coming authors, and more, with the goal of amassing a following and creating a reading-focused community.

What it takes: This is a very competitive side hustle. After all, there are a lot of other would-be influencers out there. You need a novel approach, an understanding of the current trends in the literary world, and genuine passion for both books and your chosen flavor of content creation.

Tools and platforms: Your tools for producing quality content will depend on the medium you pick.

If you want to create videos or podcasts, you’ll need recording equipment. If you want to post on Instagram, it helps to have a high-quality camera and a collection of props to take eye-catching pictures of books. Research what you need to succeed on your chosen platform and assemble a “starting kit” that makes sense.

How to get started: To get ideas, you can look at other successful creators on social media (search for “Booktok” or “Bookstagram” if you’re not sure where to start). Once you begin publishing your work, take time to engage with your audience in your comments section, participate in events in the online literary sphere (e.g., on Book Twitter), and network with other influencers and professionals in the industry.

As a librarian, choosing a related side hustle is a safe choice, but there are also good reasons to pick other ideas that have nothing to do with books or the library. Explore more gigs below.