How to Make Money on BookTube

Booktube is a fun bookish YouTube community, but do you want to know how to make money on Booktube? These simple tips will get you started!

So I have been around the internet for a while now. I started my first website in 2016 and grew that into a full-time income in just a few years. So when it comes to making money online, I know a thing or two.

This may not be my normal bookish-related content, but I wanted to talk about how to make money on BookTube. We won’t be talking just about BookTube though. I will also be diving into other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, as well as blogging, and all of the other avenues you can use to make some income with your bookish hobby!

Make Money on BookTube for Beginners

You don’t have to have a massive following or be an expert in order to make money with your bookish YouTube channel. All you need is a little patience, some extra time, and the drive to really work hard and always keep learning.  This isn’t going to be quick or easy. You are building a business, and that takes time. So if you expect YouTube, especially BookTube, to make you money quickly then you should probably back out now. 

If you are ready to do this for fun for possibly years before making a significant income, then let me teach you all the ways. I don’t want to discourage anyone from starting a BookTube channel, but I do want to be realistic about monetary expectations. 

What is BookTube?

So just a little overview, BookTube is a little corner of YouTube where people talk about books. There are people who talk about every genre imaginable. Personally, I discuss fantasy and sci-fi books, but if you want to talk about romance or thrillers, then there is a space for you too! 

Typical BookTube videos include book reviews, book hauls, reading wrap-ups, TBRs ( to be read lists), recommendations, and reading vlogs. Really, your only limit is creativity! There are so many fun concepts that you can create. Bring your creativity, talk about your favorite books, and build your online bookish community.

So, How Do I Start a BookTube?

So this is quite the question, and I will answer that in lots of detail in my “how to start a booktube” post. That will tell you everything you need to know, from the smallest detail to the biggest hurdles. Not ready to be on camera? Check out how to start a book blog!

For purposes of this post, we will just give an overview, shall we? You start a BookTube channel by simply creating a YouTube and talking about books. It doesn’t need to be perfect or fancy when you are getting started. The important part is that you start, the rest can come later!

So go ahead, get started! Grab your phone, turn on the camera, and start talking about your favorite books.

Alright, How Can I Start Making Money on BookTube?

Now we are getting to the meat of the conversation, how to make money on BookTube. As I said earlier, do not expect this to be a quick process. It can take years to start making a significant amount of money with any online creative endeavor. Just stay the course, stay consistent, and keep working at it.

Do I Need a Certain Amount of Followers to Make Money on BookTube?

This isn’t a simple yes or no answer. It is more like a yes and no answer. I will explain. 

If you want to make money through Google Ads running on your videos, then you need to have 1,000 followers and 4,000 watch hours to qualify for the YouTube partner program. While these are great, they really don’t give you a lot of money. I have a small channel and I think I make about $20 a month from ad revenue right now. You also don’t get paid until you reach a $100 threshold. Once you hit that, the money will be deposited into your bank account. 

Other than that though, you do not need a specific amount of followers. You can start making money with a very small channel, it isn’t easy, but it is possible. There are multiple ways to make money, such as sponsors, affiliate income, Patreon, and selling merch. These methods don’t technically require a large follower base, you just need to know what you are doing. 

Making Money with Booktube Sponsors

One of the most popular and lucrative ways to make money from any YouTube channel is to work with sponsors. While you don’t need a certain amount of followers to do this,  most brands will want to see that you have an engaged following. They may even want you to have a certain number. But you won’t know until you ask!

I have actually written extensively all about working with sponsors that you can read about on my Coffee Mom website. I actually write quite a bit about becoming a professional blogger, so check it out!

When it comes to BookTube specifically though, you will want to reach out to companies that fit your regular content. Don’t try to talk about something you don’t really like. I promise people will notice.  For example, if you wear glasses, reach out to companies like GlassesUSA.  Think of companies your audience would love. Also, watch other videos to get an idea of what companies are currently sponsoring BookTubers. 

When you find a few companies you want to work with, do some research on them. Find out what kind of content they post on their own. See if you can find a question you can answer for them or a problem you can fix. One example would be a company selling bookshelves. You can help them with a problem, that problem is getting attention to their company from book lovers who would be interested in purchasing new shelves. 

Then you need to find their email address. This can be pretty easily done through Google searches and using LinkedIn. Now craft your pitch. Don’t be super generic here! Tell the company who you are and, most importantly, what you can do to help them. This is about the company and your audience, not you, so remember that. 

Don’t get discouraged if you get a no or no reply at all. You can always follow up later. I take every “no” as a “not right now”. 

Affiliate Income and BookTube

Affiliate income is another great way to make money with a small BookTube channel. Most affiliate programs do not require a specific follower number to join, making it perfect for new and smaller channels. 

A few affiliate programs that are perfect for BookTube include:

• Amazon Affiliates: Link to any amazon product!
• Share-A-Sale: A platform with an endless number of affiliate programs to join.
• Book Depository: Very similar to Amazon’s program.

These are just a few to get you started. If you really love a company, you can always email them to ask if they have an affiliate program. You may be surprised, that even a lot of small companies will offer affiliate programs. 

Most affiliate programs don’t have large percentages that you will earn. But over time you can earn a hefty amount of people buy things through your links.

Start a Patreon to Make Extra Money as a Creator

One way that a lot of bookish creators are making money right now is through Patreon. Patreon is a fantastic platform for all creators. It allows you to sell exclusive content to your most enthusiastic followers. 

I created a Patreon myself recently. If you need some ideas of what to do and offer with your bookish Patreon, you can take a look and see what I offer for mine. 

Most of the time, bookish creators will have relatively inexpensive monthly prices. $5 a month seems to be about an average. You can offer exclusive vlogs, behind-the-scenes footage, a book club, and live shows just for Patrons. 

When you decide to start a Patreon, make sure you can commit. You don’t want to offer things you can’t fulfill. Start small, then gradually move up. Even if you are a small creator, there will likely be dedicated fans who want to join and support you!

Selling Merch for  BookTube

One more way you can make money with BookTube is to make and sell your own merch.  I know it sounds intimidating, but it really is a lot easier than it sounds. 

You can use Canva to make some cute designs. Then you can use a site like Printiful or Redbubble to turn those cute designs into merch you can sell on your BookTube channel!

This is called drop shipping. You will never have to actually have the product on hand because orders are fulfilled and shipped by a third-party platform. This means they take a decent cut of the profit, but you don’t have to do any of the hard work.

As a small creator, you probably won’t sell a ton to start, but it is a great way to diversify your income on BookTube.

There is no one best way to make money as a bookish creator. It isn’t going to be super easy or super quick, but as long as you enjoy what you are doing you are doing something right.