Is Online Book Club Legit Or A Scam? (My Complete Review!) (2024)

Do you love reading and wish you could get paid to read books? If so, you’re not alone!

There are actually a surprising number of ways to get paid to read books. So, if you're a self-proclaimed bookworm and want a new side hustle, this is excellent news.

One of the most popular companies in this space, OnlineBookClub.org, says you can earn $60 or more for reading and writing book reviews.

But is Online Book Club legit? And does this site actually pay?

My Online Book Club review is sharing how this website works and what you need to know about writing book reviews with this company so you can decide if it's worth using.

Looking for more ways to make money? Checkout:

• Branded Surveys: Share your opinion to get PayPal cash and free gift cards!
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What Is Online Book Club?

Online Book Club is a free book review website and forum that has been in business for over 10 years. It's also one of the most popular companies that advertises paid book reviewing jobs to avid readers.

The entire idea behind Online Book Club is pretty simple. You can sign up, get books for free, read them, and then write reviews for money.

If you're looking for a fun way to make money online, this could be the perfect side hustle. And the fact that Online Book Club says it gives you books for free is another awesome perk.

But as I'm going to explain, getting paid for book reviews with Online Book Club might be a bit more difficult than you might think.

Is Online Book Club Legit?

Yes, Online Book Club is legit and pays you for writing book reviews and even gives you books for free. However, earning consistent money with this site is very difficult. And some book reviewers never get paid if Online Book Club doesn't like their reviews. Overall, the site makes it seem like making money is easy, but in reality, this isn't a very good side hustle.

If you love writing book reviewsand have no problem following the guidelines, Online Book Club could be a fun side hustle you do in your spare time.

But if you’re looking to pay your rent, buy a car, or want to earn larger amounts of money, I don't think Online Book Club is worth using.

It simply takes too long to ever get paid with OnlineBookClub.org. And the amount of free work you do upfront is a downside for this online side hustle.

How Does Online Book Club Work?

Signing up for Online Book Club is free and simple. And the entire process of getting paid for your book reviews takes a few steps:

1. Sign up
2. Write a free test book review
3. Write paid book reviews
4. Get paid

Let's examine how each step works in a bit more detail.

1. Sign Up As A Book Reviewer

Signing up to review books at OnlineBookClub.org is quick and easy. You simply create an account with your email address and enter a password.

Once you create your account, you choose your preference on how to get free books to review.

All the books that Online Book Club sends you are sent in a digital format, rather than hard copy. So you're essentially getting emailed ebooks you can read for free.

If you prefer paper copies to ebooks like a lot of readers do, this is bad news. However, Online Book Club sends free books, so it has to rely on electronic formats to keep costs down.

2. Complete A Free Book Review

As a book reviewer on Online Book Club, you have to complete a free test review before you can unlock paid opportunities.

This step helps Online Book Club determine if your book reviews are high quality and belong on the site. Again, this test book reviewisn'tpaid, so keep this in mind.

You still get to pick the book you want to review, so you get a free book out of it and can read something you enjoy.

Just note that it's important to follow the Online Book Club guidelines when writing your book review. These guidelines include:

• Making note of any grammatical or spelling mistakes
• Noting if the author is vulgar or swears
• Noting if the book contains adult content

Generally, book reviews have to be around 500 words. And you have to follow a specific review format as well that Online Book Club outlines.

The reason book reviews aren't really opinion pieces is largely because Online Book Club helps new and aspiring authors get feedback on their work. So, you're often reviewing manuscripts and earlier drafts from new authors, not an upcoming New York Times Best Seller.

You still give your feedback and thoughts about books, but it's also important to mention grammatical and stylistic issues if you spot them.

Also note that if you don't follow the guidelines for your first review, you might not be eligible for paid reviews in the future.

3. Complete Paid Reviews

If OnlineBookClub.org accepts your test book review, you then qualify to write book reviews for money with the site.

According to Online Book Club, you earn $5 to $60 per review for most reviews. You also get books for free, and you can be completely honest as well, so you don't have to leave a positive review if you don't enjoy a book.

However, how much you make with Online Book Club reviews also depends on your book reviewer score.

When you start out, you have a book reviewer score of 0. Writing quality reviews raises your score, with a maximum score of 100 being the cap. If you have a higher score, you earn more per book review.

Some people claim that unless your score is over 35, you don't get paid. This means you might not get paid for the next couple of book reviews if Online Book Club doesn't think your reviews are high quality.

As a freelance writer, the idea of doing so much free work definitely isn't appealing. Especially when you consider most legit online jobs pay you weekly and guarantee payment for your work.

4. Get Paid

Once you submit a paid book review, Online Book Club needs time to process and review your work before it pays you. Online Book Club states that it can typically take about three weeks to be paid after the review is published.

If you need quick money, this isn't great news. And remember: you might not get paid at all if your overall book review score is too low.

Online Book Club only has one payment method available, which is PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can create one for free. From PayPal, you can then transfer the funds to your bank or use them to make purchases.

I like the fact that OnlineBookClub.org lets you get free PayPal money for writing. But it's not the best side hustle if you want to make money the same day.

Does Online Book Club Pay Real Money?

Yes, Online Book Club pays readers for reading select reviews and writing qualified reviews. Pay averages between $5 and $60 per review, and payment is made via PayPal.

Because this hustle is an independent contractor position, you're responsible for reporting any income you make and paying any appropriate taxes.

Also note that thisisn'ta full-time online job; it's just a way to make a bit of extra cash in your spare time while enjoying some free books.

Is Online Book Club A Scam?

No, OnlineBookClub.org isn't a scam, and you can make money by writing reviews for the website. However, Online Book Club is somewhat misleading with its advertisem*nts and makes it seem like you can make a lot of money by writing reviews. In reality, you have to follow strict guidelines and do a lot of free work before you ever get paid.

I’m usually a little bit leery of some of these offers to make money online that seem a little bit too good to be true. And I think Online Book Club falls under this category.

If youlovereading and don't mind some free work, you can give it a try. But don't expect to make $500 a day or anything even close to that with this website.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Get access to free digital copies of books
• Get paid to write reviews (if the reviews meet strict guidelines)
• Get access to a fun forum where you can talk about new books with other bookworms

Cons:

• Reviewers don't get paid for their first review
• Book review guidelines and requirements can be tricky to understand and meet
• Books you review are generally from new and unknown authors
• Errors in reviews or failure to follow guidelines can result in pay reduction or no pay
• Hourly rate can be extremely low when you consider book reading time
• Limited number of titles available which may not fit your interests and affect your earning potential
• Long approval process for submitted reviews which can delay payment
• Multiple reviewers report difficulty getting paid

Other OnlineBookClub.org Reviews

After signing up and reading about how to make money with Online Book Club, I don't think the site is worth using.

But one excellent way to tell if a money-making idea is worth it or not is to read reviews from other people. And thankfully, there are lots of Online Book Club reviews on forums like Reddit:

• briannorelfhunter says: “First of all, yes they are legit, they 100% pay out. However – it’s not so easy to get good money. They have a ranking system of how good your reviews are based mostly on how well you stick to their review guidelines, and you only unlock higher paid reviews by getting a better reviewer score. Your first review will not be paid – it is voluntary, to get you on the scale. Then you’ll have access to more voluntary/unpaid books and some $5 ones. Personally, I didn’t do that many reviews, so never got a really high reviewer score to see the better paid ones.”
• Necessary-Classic-79 says: “I reviewed a book for them in October and my review was approved and posted and they still haven’t paid me the $25 I was supposed to get. They keep changing the status update for no reason so their excuse is that I can only get paid three weeks from the last status update.”
• Micro21 says: “It's legit. There's a very strict guideline you have to follow but it does pay. Although don't expect to make this to be anything but a side hustle. Each review requires you to finish a whole book after all.”

As you can see, people agree that while it's possible to make money with OnlineBookClub.org, getting paid can take an extremely long time and is difficult. And one user reports never getting paid at all, which is a red flag.

When you consider how many ways you can make money online as a beginner these days, I'm pretty unimpressed with how hard it is to make money with OnlineBookClub.org.

Extra Reading – How To Write Product Reviews For Money.

The Best OnlineBookClub.org Alternatives

I don't think Online Book Club is a good way to make money online. But this doesn't mean you can't make money by writing book reviews in your spare time.

In fact, there are plenty of OnlineBookClub.com alternatives you can consider like:

• Starting a blog about books you enjoy and reading
• Making money on YouTube by talking about book reviews
• Writing books and short stories yourself
• Becoming a freelance writer in the book niche
• Making money as a creative writer

This video from PaidFromSurveys also shares some sites and methods you can use to get paid to read books.

The bottom line is there's a lot of money in publishing and writing. So don't be afraid to sell your skills online in this space to get in on the action!

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs You Can Do With A Phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Online Book Club Worth It?

OnlineBookClub.org is worth using if you want to get free books and don't mind writing reviews in your spare time. And if you stick with it, this website can turn into a small side hustle that pays up to $60 per review. But if you need fast cash or want to make a lot more money, Online Book Club isn't worth it.

Your pay depends on the quality of the review, and it’s necessary to take detailed notes and write a comprehensive review. There are extremely detailed guidelines that need to be followed for the review including formatting, punctuation and grammar.

Failure to follow these rules exactly can result in your pay getting reduced or not getting paid at all.

Should Authors Use Online Book Club?

Authors can use Online Book Club to get reviews by paying a fee for the service. While Online Book Club does have guidelines to help keep the reviews higher quality, there are a few challenges that authors can run into with these reviews.

One challenge is that they may not be able to use the reviews anywhere that can generate sales. Reviews from Online Book Club typically cannot be used on Goodreads or Amazon, and as a result may not offer return on your investment.

Other complaints by authors are that not all reviewers can provide quality reviews or that they may not speak English as a primary language. As a result, reviewers from Online Book Club might incorrectly label your book as having errors that the book does not contain.

Extra Reading – How To Make $5,000 A Month.

Final Thoughts

Overall, yes, you can get paid to write book reviews for Online Book Club. This is a legitimate side job that pays you to read books.

However, the strict guidelines and lack of starting pay are massive downsides. And you don't get to read very popular books either, so don't expect that each book is going to be an amazing read.

The fact you get free ebooks out of this gig is a selling point. But unless you love reading and want to write book reviews for fun, I'd stay away from OnlineBookClub.org.

Thanks for reading my OnlineBookClub.org review!

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