Book Blogging: How To Start A Book In 7 Easy Steps

This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Blogging about books is the absolute best. Learn how to start a book blog as a hobby or one that makes money with TUL’s book blogging for beginners tutorial.

We’ll teach you how to create your own book blog website from scratch. Plus, learn about the importance of branding, and see how to receive free books. Work with book affiliates and high-paying ad networks like Mediavine. 

Lastly, discover how to write a book review and market your book blog on social media — all from a full-time, professional book blogger.

With this Book Blogging 101 Guide, we hope you’ll leave knowing how to start a thriving book blog that people actually read and come back to over and over again. Let’s get started!

If you are looking for a quick glimpse of the book blogging tools we suggest, don’t miss our Master Blogging Resources Guide.

Book Blogging and Blogging About Books Guide with pink flowers, blank paper, pink book, and teaPin
The Uncorked Librarian showcases diverse books to inspire travel, literary cocktails, and new book releases. I wasn’t always a pro-book blogger, though. I’ve learned a lot over the years. Tens of thousands of people visit TUL each month, and now I want to share my book blogging how-tos with you. Learn the essentials for starting a successful book blog here. Get eyes on your book reviews, work directly with publishers, and create your own bookish community.

Are you considering starting a book review blog for fun, as an extra side hustle, or for your career?

Did you know that you can receive free books from authors and publishers in exchange for honest reviews posted on your book blog?  Authors talk to you and work with you, too.

Have you wanted to create a kind and bookish community to discuss your favorite reads?

Do you just want everyone to know your bookish opinions and convert them to steampunk YA lovers?

Keep reading!


If you answered yes to any of these you should know that…

Book Blogging Affords You:

  • The opportunity to connect with like-minded people
  • READ TONS OF NEW BOOKS and even receive coveted advanced reading copies (ARCs)
  • Earn a little bit (or a lot) of extra side income, if that’s your jam

As an original hobby book blogger, in 2018 I decided to convert my book blog and website into a full-blown LLC.  While this may not be your personal book blogging goal, this article will tell you how to start a book blog as a hobby or business.

Non-book bloggers may find relevant blogging tips and tricks, too.

How To Start A Book Blog: 7 Steps You Will Find In This Book Blogging Guide

  1. Choose Your Blog Name And Domain (Wordpress Book Blogs, specifically)
  2. Pick Your Blog Theme & Set Up Your Website
  3. Build Your Book Blogging Pages Such As “About Me” and “Book Review Policy”
  4. Start Reading Books And Requesting Free Titles From Professional Reviewing Databases
  5. Write Your First Book Review Posts
  6. Begin To Think About Social Media And Where You Want To Share Your Posts
  7. Monetize Your Book Blog With Tasteful Affiliate Links

P.S. Special Book Blogging Discounts From Us To You:

As a full-fledged member of the blogging community, I work with many amazing and successful bloggers, website developers, and blogging teachers. I use only the best services. These are a few special book blogging discounts just for you to get you started:


Let’s get onto learning how to make a book review blog.

Blogging About Books Guide with laptop, phone with time and pink and white flowersPin
Thinking about blogging about books? Save this how to start a book blog article for later on Pinterest and never be without the best book blogging tips.

Book Blogging For Beginners: How To Start A Book Blog In 7 Easy Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Blog Name And Domain

How To Pick Your Book Blogging Identity: Brand Time

You want everyone to know who you are and what you are about.  Your book blog title is essentially your brand.

As you consider a blog name and domain (meaning your www. address), you want a title that is catchy, descriptive, and unique.

Before you claim a brand, you want to make sure that no one else is using the name, has trademarked any part of the words or phrase, or snatched up all of its social media handles. 

For example, I am The Uncorked Librarian, which tells you that I love books and booze.  Everything I write about is related to books, booze, and travel.  In addition, I have my MLIS and worked in public libraries for 5 years.

I own all of the social media handles like instagram.com/theuncorkedlibrarian and facebook.com/theuncorkedlibrarian. I made sure that no one had a similar name to cause confusion, too.


Pro Book Blogging Tip: I also registered my book blog as an LLC.

Once you make over $400+ dollars a year, you are no longer a ‘hobby blog’ in the eyes of the government. When you register as an LLC, you also have to check for trademarks, copyright, and if others in your state are operating under the same business name.

You can read more about why you would want to register your blog as a business and single-member LLC here (along with how to pay self-employment taxes)→


The Uncorked Librarian Book Blogging Logo with woman sitting on books reading a book with travel icons floating on rainbow dust into an open suitcasePin
After I named my book blog, I wanted my logo to match my niche. The “i” in librarian is an ode to my boozy side while the main part of my site is dedicated to sharing diverse books set in destinations around the world.

You want to stand out. Don’t mimic another brand. Be unequivocally YOU.

You also don’t want to use someone else’s established name or add numbers to your handles — that just looks spammy and is poor book blogging etiquette. Your readers and audience will struggle to find you or tell you apart from another book blogger. 

Copyright is another issue that you can run into, says this uncorked lady that consistently has to send Cease and Desist letters for stolen content. It’s illegal and comes with hefty fines. Don’t copy, don’t rewrite someone else’s articles as your own, and don’t plain out steal their content. Find inspiration and do your own thing.

The Uncorked Librarian Travel and Book BlogPin
Niche-time! This picture sums up my book blogging brand. You want readers to know what your book blog is about and what value you provide. How will you make their reading and lives better? My friend Rachael over at Booklist Queen recommended reading the book, Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller — definitely pick it up if you want to take your book blog to the next level with strong branding.

What Else To Consider When Looking At Book Blog Names:

  • What is your book blog reviewing niche?– Will you focus on just young adult books or all adult fiction? Do you want a book club blog?  Will you discuss what new books to read? Will you write about books on blogging? Do you want to write romance book reviews?  Are you solely a book review blog?  Are you hoping to add other topics besides books?  For example, I am a book and travel blogger.  My blogging friends have food paired with their book summary blogs.  You get the idea…
  • Who is your book blog audience?– Who are you hoping will read your posts?  Mature readers? Teachers? Librarians? Readers that travel?  Readers that cook? Aspiring writers? Teens?  Families?  Homeschool moms? Fitness fanatics?

Where To Start A Blog: How To Create A Domain/Web Address For Your Book Review Blog

This step is where people freak out.  Don’t freak out.

There are a ton of free platforms to choose from like WP .com, Wix, or Blogger.   Those sites are free, especially if you use a domain that ends in wordpress .com. 

This is completely acceptable if you are a hobby blogger, never want to make money from your blog, never want to add book affiliate programs, or don’t have or want to spend the extra $50 this year to dedicate to a book blogging website.  This part will not tell you how to start a book blog on tumblr.  Sorry.

However, if you want to be a more serious book blogger–even as a hobby blogger–I highly recommend using SiteGround to buy a cheap domain using your selected blog name. 

You don’t want to be tispybooksandcake.wordpress .com.  That domain looks long and somewhat amateur these days. There are a ton of book bloggers out there.  

You want your domain to be tispsybooksandcake .com. Clean. Professional. Serious. Easy to find.

Authors, publishers, and search engines like Google will see you as a professional book blogger with your own customized domain. 

I also always recommend using .com versus .blog or .org.  Studies show that people prefer and trust .com.  This tip is more personal opinion/preference, though.

Branding Your Book Blog Tips Pinterest Pin with 1.Pick a unique name that suggests what your blog is about 2. Make sure all handles are open 3. Choose distinctive & easy to read fonts and colors 4. Create a defined niche & tagline 5. Determine your target audiencePin
Before you pick your website name, URL, and host, don’t forget to think about branding. This step is SO important. Start your book blogging experience on the right foot with a clear mission: What value will you provide and to whom?

The Basic Steps To Claim Your Book Blogging Domain

If you decide to take the leap to self-hosting and invest in your book blog: Head over to SiteGround.  They have 24/7 chat support and are my favorite techs alive.  I’m not kidding.  I run two websites through them (Uncorked Asheville is my second one), and I have used them for years.

I love to play around with my site and sometimes things go wonky.  I am amazing at crashing my site when I edit my code.  These people save my blog for free every time.  Their tech support staff consists of magical faeries.  

A domain name with SiteGround will cost you around $15.95 a year.

I also self-host with SiteGround, starting at $6.99 a month for beginners. Currently, I am on their largest plan since I have high blog traffic.  Because their long-term plans are cheaper, I also have a 3-year contract with them.

P.S. Even as a hobby book blogger, you can earn these investments back with basic affiliate links.

With SiteGround, you also need a FREE web-hosting platform — they will walk you through all of this.  I use Wordpress .org.  WP .org looks exactly like .com, but you have the freedom to include ads, download plugins, and pick any theme with customizations that you want (fonts, colors, styles). 

TUL Blogging Resources page mentions helpful, free plugins that you will love.

*Uncorked Extra* Blogging About Books Self-Hosting Tip:

Don’t forget that if you self-host with SiteGround, you can also create your own free and professional email address.  For example, my email is [email protected].  Doesn’t that look more serious versus a gmail account?

Book Blogs Wordpress Favs

These are a few of my favorite Wordpress .org book blogs that I follow:

Reader Voracious 

Lost Between The Pages

The Books Across

Literary Dates

How To Start A Successful Book Blog 7 Steps Pinterest pin: 1. Choose Your Blog Name And Domain 2. Pick Your Blog Theme & Set Up Your Website
3. Build Your Book Blogging Pages Such 
4. Start Reading Books And Requesting Free Titles From Professional Reviewing Databases 5. Write Your First Book Review Posts 6. Market on Social Media 7. Monetize Your Book BlogPin
Taking your book blogging adventure one step at a time? Save this post for later to come back to it at any time.

Step 2: How Do You Start A Book Blog That Looks Great? Pick Your Blog Theme

Once you have your book blog name and domain secured, you have to design your new blog site. 

Before you start blogging about books, you have to ask yourself:  How do you want your posts to look?  Do you want a sidebar (as you get bigger the answer might be ‘yes’ for ad networks like Mediavine and popular posts)?  What colors do you want to be associated with your brand?

This book blogging step is incredibly easy.  Platforms like Wordpress, Blogger, and Wix offer free themes.  Pick a theme that:

  • Is visually appealing and you like
  • Is desktop and mobile-friendly
  • Boasts of working well with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — basically tools that help search engines like Google index your site so others can find your reviews

You can also invest in a book blogging theme:

  • TUL — as well as my other site — for years used a Restored 316 design. Their themes are beautiful. Because I wanted a speedier site, though, I recently switched to Mediavine’s Trellis framework and themes.
  • Many of my travel and book blogging friends use themes found in StudioPress that equally look great. Many people also rave about GeneratePress.

Step 3: Build Your Book Blogging Pages

Domain secured; check.  Attractive blog in place; check.  Now let’s get started blogging about books.

Before you create book review posts, you need essential book blogging pages.  Pages are static posts that don’t go into your blog roll. Your essential book blogging pages will describe who you are and your book review policies.

A few pages you want as a book blogger:

About Me/About My Site/Meet Me

Use this About Me page to tell people who you are in a professional but fun and personal way.

How did you start this book review blog? Why book blogging?  What is your book blog specifically about (your niche)?  How are you qualified to review books? What value will they get from your book blog? Why follow you out of the thousands of book bloggers out there?

You want your audience to be able to connect and relate to you.  Tell them fun facts: Do you binge-watch Netflix?  What is your favorite book?  What else do you do besides read?  I drink wine.

See my About Me page→

7 Essential Book Blogging Pages Pinterest Pin with About Me, Book Review Policy, Work With Me, Disclaimer, Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and Contact MePin
These are what we consider to be 7 essential book blogging pages. Most importantly, you want your legal pages, About Me, and a Book Review Policy.

BOOK BLOG REVIEW POLICY

Your Book Review Policy is an essential book blogging page if you want to work directly with publishers and authors.  Once you become well known in the book community, authors and publishers will swarm you with requests to review books. 

You are now blogging for books–and oftentimes free and gifted ones. You have an obligation to be honest as well as try to review what you accept. 

HOWEVER: You cannot possibly review every book, even if you want to.  At times, you will have to turn authors away. Sometimes you might DNF a book and not want to review. Authors may get mad at you and even call you out. This is why a strong book review policy is so important.

Your Book Review Policy Should Include:

  • What genre you accept for review:  Do you solely read YA?  Is nonfiction your favorite?  What won’t you review?
  • What types of posts will you write: Single book reviews? Book lists?  Will you interview authors or accept guest posts?
  • Where will you showcase reviews: Goodreads?  Amazon? Twitter and Facebook?  Will you pin the review to Pinterest?
  • What will you do if the book is awful or boring: Do you retain the right to decline a review after receiving a free book?  Will you write a negative review or choose not to review at all?
  • Will you have a book rating system: Do you use stars? What do they mean?  P.S. I do not use a star-rating system on my blog.
  • How do authors and publishers contact you: Should they email you or use a contact form? What information do you need from them?
  • What book formats do you accept: ePUB, physical copies only, or PDFs?
  • How will you communicate with the author or publisher once the review is posted?

This my Book Review Policy→

NECESSARY LEGAL PAGES ON YOUR SITE FOR BOOK BLOGGING

Disclaimer, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy

Know that whenever you accept free items as gifts or make money blogging, if you earn over a particular threshold, you have to pay taxes either as self-employed or as a business.

Although I am an LLC, as a single-member LLC, I must pay quarterly self-employment taxes.

Plus, as soon as you start writing your opinion, you have to think about book blogging legally and ethically.  There is Copyright Law to worry about, and you must disclose when you received free items. 

Once you start monetizing, especially in the U.S., you want to read FTC regulations.

I am not a lawyer, but a blogger in my community is. Amira from A Self-Guru is a lawyer and blogger who helps bloggers protect themselves, even if you only make a few hundred dollars a year from your blog.

Many bloggers starting a book blog make the mistake of forgetting essential legal pages.  Nope, the free ones online won’t cover you; trust me, I used to use them, which was bad.  Plus, ad programs like Adsense and Mediavine won’t accept you without a solid privacy policy.

So where can get you get Privacy and Terms and Condition policies that are legit, will protect you, and are fairly priced?

I highly recommend checking out Amira’s legal bundle with templates for a Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Terms and Conditions. Both of my sites use these with her Starter Plan. Use the code UncorkedSpecial for a surprise discount, too.

Step 4: Start Book Blogging! Read Books To Review And Request Free Titles

Free Book Source One- Your Local Library

As a newbie and if you want to get started book blogging right away, you can head to your local library and peruse the latest titles to review.

By already having books reviewed, your book blog will have samples of your work for authors and publishers to see in order to decide if your blog is worthy. 

Trust me, publishers screen your content, quality, engagement, and social media numbers.  Why give a free book to a blogger who writes poor reviews and has endless typos?

Booking Blogging Pro-Tip: I started creating more book lists with mini book reviews instead of writing full reviews. If receiving higher book blogging traffic is one of your goals, book lists are king.

Where Can You Get Free Books As A Book Blogger Pinterest Pin with suggestions for NetGalley, Edelweiss, Publisher, Author, LibraryPin
These are our top 5 places for where to get free books as a book blogger. I prefer NetGalley and when an author or publisher directly reaches out to me.

ARC Source Two- Professional Book Reviewing Databases

These are two free databases where book bloggers can apply for Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) of books:

  • NetGalley– Personally, I love NetGalley as they have great new releases, publishers can auto-approve you, and once you are established, publishers rarely deny you for a title that you want (at least in my experience). 
  • Edelweiss About The Treeline– Full disclosure: I have yet to use Edelweiss because I have way too many books sent to me directly from authors and publishers.  I can barely keep up with my NetGalley queue.  My librarian friends love Edelweiss, though.

ARC/Galley Source Three- Publishers’ Websites/Forms

You can also directly request books from publishers. Publishers obviously love blogs about books.  Many have forms to fill out vs accepting email requests because they receive thousands of offers.  For example, this is Penguin Teen’s Book Blogger Request Form.

Source Four For Free Books For Book Review Bloggers- If You Write, They Will Find You

Not even 3 months into starting my book blog as a beginner, I received author and publisher requests to review directly through my site and work email.  I rarely request books these days as they find themselves on my desk directly from the source.  Sadly, I turn down many authors.

Step 5: Write Your First Book Review Posts

I am not going to share advanced tips since this is the book blogging for beginners’ guide.  After trying to learn all of the blogging tricks, I know from experience that too much information is overwhelming and stressful. 

Starting a book blog is hard work.  I will tell you some of the basics of having a solid blog post.

Once you have read your first book, you are ready to write a book review. So, now onto how to blog about the actual book… Everyone chooses to format their reviews differently. There is no one right way.

Book Blogging 101 How To Write A Book Review Pinterest Pin with book information, summary, review, more about the author, purchase links, social media sharing imagesPin
New to book blogging? Here are a few suggestions for how to write a book review.

A Book Review Should Include:

  • A disclosure noting that you received the book for free as an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review (unless you grabbed it at the library or purchased it)
  • An affiliate disclosure at the top of the post if you use Amazon or affiliate links
  • An engaging and original summary of the book in your own words
  • Points that you liked and disliked about the book without sounding like a third grader
  • Information about the book: publisher, publication date, author, pages, genre
  • Information about the author and a link to his/her site is always nice
  • If you star-rate, go for it
  • A cover of the book, optional bookstagram picture, and Pinterest pin cover
  • Basically, tell people why they should care or why this book would interest them.  Provide value.

Other fun ideas to include in your book review: read alikes, links to purchase, links to Goodreads, and quotes from others’ book reviews.


Don’t miss these engaging book blogging post ideas to keep your readers coming back for more.


How To Publish Your First Book Review Post:

Check for typos.  A few will sneak past you — it’s OK not to be perfect.  I use a free version of Grammarly to proofread my work.

Keep your paragraphs short.  Many people read The Uncorked Librarian on their devices.  Shorter paragraphs are easier to scan. Think two to three sentences, tops. Also, readers and Google prefer shorter sentences.

SEO Tips For Blogging About Books Pinterest Pin including keyword research, short sentences and paragraphs, placing keywords in headings, checking for spellingPin
Starting a book blog is the easy part. Getting people to read your book reviews and book lists is a whole other beast. Many book bloggers don’t think about SEO when they are first starting out. However, if you want people to find your articles when they search on Google (and other search engines), you want to learn more about SEO. Above, find a few of our basic SEO tips for successful book blogging.

Think about SEO.  Although this is a blogging about books beginners’ post, you want to have searchable keywords. 

Place keywords in your blog post title, URL, headers, and image alt tags.  A keyword might be the book title and author.  I love Keysearch for SEO research and don’t write without it. Pssp…use the code KSDISC for 20% off.

Write a meaty post.  Publishers will judge your work based on past posts.  Make each book review long, worthwhile, and well-written.  Google likes longer posts too, and you want your audience hanging around on your page. Aim for at least 500-700 words.

I recommend reading others’ book review blogs to get ideas.  Do not copy them, though.

A Few Of The Best Book Blogs That I Love & Blogs For Book Lovers:

Booklist Queen

Books & Bao

Modern Mrs. Darcy

Mind Joggle

Beyond The Bookends

Never Enough Novels

Tea & Ink Society

Romance Book Blogs

Lovely Audiobooks

She Reads Romance

Book Blogs UK

What’s Hot?

Jenniely (awesome graphic designer too–she designed TUL’s logo)

Step 6: Thinking Past Book Blogging – Social Media Accounts & A Newsletter For Your Brand

You spent time on that book review: No one wants a book blog post to go unread.   Let’s briefly discuss using emails/newsletters and social media to market and share your book blog. And no, newsletters are not dead. That is a book blogging myth.

Blogging About Books On Social Media with ideas such as a newsletter, Pinterest, Facebook, Facebook Group, Instagram, and TwitterPin
When starting a book blog, don’t try to do it all and be everywhere and everything to everybody. Build your book review site first. Then, slowly build your emailing list and one or two social media channels. As you learn and grow, you can build your channels and branch out. These are a few of the best places to market your book blog.

Newsletters For Book Blogging 101

Over time, you will slowly build a list of book blog subscribers through an RSS feed, WP reader, or a newsletter. I vote newsletter (emails)! These are slightly more advanced book blogging tips that you can learn more about later in your book blogging career, too.

However, it never hurts to start collecting emails and sending out blog updates to your readers. I highly recommend using an emailing service like Mailerlite or Flodesk.

You can try Flodesk for free, create a sign-up form like you see below, and send out updates whenever you like to your subscribers. P.S. You can grab 50% off Flodesk here→

For The Uncorked Librarian, I send out bi-weekly emails to my mailing list of a few thousand people. My newsletter helps me connect with readers and share updates — bringing them back to my website. Emails are honestly my favorite part of book blogging. I can be more personal and real in them.

Below is one way readers can join my mailing list via an opt-in with a freebie:

Take The Uncorked Reading Challenge!

Travel around the world with our Uncorked Reading Challenge. Never be late to the party with unique new book releases. Get the latest movie and book lists straight to your inbox.

The Uncorked Librarian Logo with graphics of gray cat, stack of books, glass of pink wine, green suitcasePin

You will find forms like the above on the top and bottom of my book blogging website, in book-related articles, and in the sidebar. Unlike social media platforms — which we will get to next — you ‘own’ your website and mailing list. You have more control without any algorithms to ruin your day.

And speaking of algorithms, let’s talk about social media for book blogging…

Starting A Book Blog: Social Media 101

First off, you want to add a sharing button to the side and top of your blog if your theme doesn’t have one you like.  I use and recommend Grow (formerly Social Pug), which is a free plugin. This allows readers to share your content for you. Many might want to save a post for later on a platform like Pinterest.

Then, you want to be active on social media. For beginning book bloggers, I recommend working on one or two platforms that you enjoy or where your readers are first. You don’t want to burn out trying to do it all. Later, you can grow all handles.

My biggest tip for starting a book blog and using social media is being consistent. Try to show up on your channels and don’t disappear for large amounts of time. If you need to be away, schedule your posts in advance. I try to post at least once a day in some capacity on all of my channels.

A few social media platforms that I love for book blogging:

The Uncorked Librarian book blog on Instagram screenshot of gridPin
This is TUL on Instagram. Come say ‘hi’ and give me a follow if you loved this book blogging post. Because I am a double niche book blogger, my Instagram account reflects books and travel. You can read more about getting started on Instagram as a book blogger here.

Social Media Accounts For Blogging About Books: An Extra Note On Pinterest 

Along with search traffic (mostly Google), Pinterest is my next highest blog traffic source these days. I consider Pinterest to be more like a search engine than a social media platform.

Each book review that you create should have a pinnable image so that readers can pin that review to Pinterest. 

This image might be a book cover or a pin you create in Canva or Adobe Spark. I love Canva and subscribe to the Pro version. You can save book covers into folders by book list and create tons of fresh Pinterest pins in seconds. For book blogging, their stock photos are great too — and you get more in the paid version. Try Canva Pro for free here→

How To Start A Book Blog and Book Blogging Guide From A Pro Pinterest Pin with laptop and pink flowersPin
This is one type of Pinterest pin that I made using Canva. Usually, in the caption, I advise readers to save this post for later on Pinterest. For example: Did you find a few new book blogging tips that you don’t want to forget? Save our How To Start A Book Blog 101 Guide on Pinterest to return to it when you get stuck. A pro tip here, too: Make your pins attractive, brand them with your book blog colors and fonts, and include your full website somewhere on the pin.

Marketing on Pinterest is slightly advanced Book Blogging 101, but I highly recommend making Pinterest a priority.  I’ve had to up 6.9 million users view my pins MONTHLY. 

Book Blogging With Pinterest Screenshot of The Uncorked Librarian Pinterest Account showing 6.9 million monthly viewsPin
Book blogging and Pinterest go together like PB&J. 6.9 monthly viewers is partially a vanity number — it doesn’t show you the full picture of how many people are engaging with or clicking on your account. This number changes 24/7, too. However, high Pinterest numbers are usually a sign that eyes are on your Pinterest account. Above is The Uncorked Librarian’s Pinterest profile. Notice that I verified my website, tell visitors what they will gain from my site, and use strong keywords that readers search for.

Imagine how many of those users see my book review pins and come to my site. It’s A Lot.  You can see The Uncorked Librarian Pinterest account to get a better idea of how the platform works.

Book blogging tips with Pinterest screenshot with a viral pin on PinterestPin
This is an example of one of my pin’s stats. This pin links to a book list from TUL that went viral.  That’s thousands of clicks and saves from just one pin.

I did not go at Pinterest alone, though.  In order to have 3,500+ daily blog page views, I took this Pinterest marketing course by Boss Girl Blogger, Ell Duclos. 

She’s a Pinterest goddess.  In that link, you will also find a FREE traffic-driving for your blog course. You keep the course for ‘life’ and get all of her updates.

One Advanced Tip: How To Make Money Blogging About Books

Step 7: How To Make Money Book Blogging With Ads & Affiliate Links

Since I recommended a few book blogging tips and tools that cost money, you probably want to make that money back.  Right? 

I will not go into advanced marketing, sponsorships, ads, etc, but one way to make a few dollars per book review or book list is through affiliate marketing for book bloggers.

So how do you get paid by blogging about books?

Affiliate marketing involves applying for affiliate programs like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, and Book Depository. 

At the end or beginning of your book review, you use these links for readers to purchase the books.  If someone clicks your link and buys the book, you make a commission.  You also earn a commission if that person buys other items through that link within a certain timeframe on Amazon.

Since this isn’t an affiliate marketing how-to guide, do know that are rules about affiliate marketing.  I learned a lot from this affiliate marketing courseBe sure to read up on disclosures and nofollow/sponsored links.

Book Blogging Affiliate Programs Pinterest Pin with Amazon, IndieBound, Book Depository, CJ Affiliate Awin, and ShareASalePin
Did you know that you can make money book blogging? These are just a few book affiliate programs where you receive a commission for books purchased from your buy links. See our entire article about affiliate marketing for book bloggers→

Easy Affiliate Programs For Starting Book Bloggers To Apply For:

  • Amazon –  Amazon takes seconds to sign up for and is easy to understand and use.  They have a lot of rules that you should read first. You must make three initial sales within a certain timeframe to become fully approved. Don’t list prices, and don’t change their links. They have specific disclosures that need to go on your book blogging website.
  • Barnes and Noble – Barnes and Noble has an affiliate program through CJ Junction.  This one is slightly trickier to learn.
  • Book Depository – You can apply through Book Depository directly or use Awin.  I prefer
    Awin because not only do they include Barnes and Noble, but they have great vendors like Etsy.  As you gain book blogging skills, think about all the fun links to Harry Potter wine glasses that you can add to your book reviews. 

Read all about Book Affiliate Programs that TUL uses here→

Ad Networks For Book Bloggers

I also make money book blogging with ads. I use Mediavine, a high-paying ad network that you can apply to once your blog has reached 50,000 monthly sessions.

Google Adsense, Ezoic, SHE Media, and Monumetric are a few more ad networks that have less pageview requirements.

how to start a book blog book blogging 101 with white hands typing on silver laptop and blue notebook

How To Start A Book Blog In 7 Steps

Yield: 1 Successful Book Blog
Prep Time: 2 hours
Active Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 8 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Book Blogging 101 Guide: Learn how to start a successful and money-making book blog from a full-time, professional book blogger.

Materials

  • Notepad
  • Pencil
  • This Book Blogging Guide

Tools

  • Laptop or Computer
  • Hosting Platform
  • Books

Instructions

  1. Choose Your Book Blog Name And Domain (www.). Pick a unique blog name and consider self-hosting on WP .org through SiteGround. Make sure all social media handles are available for that name. Check for any trademarks. Don't forget to have a strong niche.  Be the expert in your field and provide value. It helps to have your brand name reflect your niche.  Make your niche book-related from the start. Know your audience.
  2. Select Your Book Blog Theme & Design. Use a free Wordpress theme to start or make an investment in one like Restored316 using Genesis Framework. Make sure your site works well on mobile and desktop. Pick a theme that keeps your book blog speedy.
  3. Build Your Book Blogging Pages. You need a solid Book Review Policy, About Me, and Legal Pages. Create strong book blogging categories for readers to more easily navigate your site. Don't use category headings like "Musings." Be specific.
  4. Start Reading Books And Requesting ARCs. Head to the library or request books through professional reviewing databases like NetGalley. Make sure to use Goodreads, too.  Publishers appreciate it.
  5. Write Your First Book Review Posts. Use keywords, be engaging, and include book information.  The goal of any book blogger is to provide value. Start learning about SEO.  Headers, post title, a few images, and paragraphs should include your main keyword.
  6. Share Your Posts On Social Media. Share your newly published book review posts and book lists on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Start building your online presence by being consistent and showing up.
  7. Monetize Your Book Blog. Apply for affiliate programs. Don't forget to properly disclose and follow all program directions.  Amazon is the easiest to start with affiliate marketing for book bloggers.  Once your traffic increases, add an ad network. And, HAVE FUN!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Was this book blogging guide helpful?

Let us know in the comments, and be sure to save this post on Pinterest to return to it when you need to.

Starting A Book Blog The Right Way Book Blogging Guide Pinterest Pin with 7 steps 1. Choose Your Blog Name And Domain 2. Pick Your Blog Theme and Set Up Your Website 3. Build Your Book Blogging Pages 4. Start Reading Books And Requesting Free Titles From Professional Reviewing Databases 5. Write Your First Book Review Posts 6. Market on Social Media 7. Monetize Your Book BlogPin
Did you find this book blogging guide helpful? Save this post for later to return to it whenever you need.

Book Blogging Discounts From Us To You:

Don’t forget these special book blogging discounts to help get you started:

Do You Feel Like You Know How To Start A Book Review Blog Now?

These are the basics of book blogging for beginners.  Once you start playing around with all of the tools mentioned, you will slowly learn more about starting a book review blog.

You can also check out The Uncorked Librarian’s Blogging Resources in order to learn more about the topics discussed or visit this specific Book Blogging Tips page.

Never hesitate to ask me any questions in the comments below or drop me an email at hello [at] theuncorkedlibrarian [dot] com.

If you are still unsure about blogging, check here for fun reasons why you should book blog.  Remember, creating a book blog should also be fun.

We originally posted this Book Blogging 101 Guide in January 2019 and the article has been updated for 2021.

Other Book Blogging Posts You May Enjoy:

How To Start A Bookstagram
70 Book Blogging Post Ideas
Photoshop for Book Bloggers
Affiliate Marketing Programs For Book Bloggers

More Helpful Blogging Tips:

How To Increase Your Blog Traffic
How To Register Your Blog As An LLC
Stealing Blog Content Is Not Flattery
Blogging Courses We Recommend
Blogging Tips & Tricks From All-Niche Bloggers

Christine Owner The Uncorked Librarian LLC with white brunette female in pink dress sitting in chair with glass of white wine and open bookPin

Christine Frascarelli

Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge. With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.

44 Comments

  1. Thank you for this post! I’ve been book blogging consistently only for a few months. I love the creative outlet. I’m currently a paid Wix user and am wondering how difficult it truly is to blog on a platform that requires coding? I have minimal knowledge in coding. I’ve taken some free courses through codeacademy and have a a basic understanding but am worried that switching to another provider, like WP, would be more daunting than I care to conquer at the moment.

    Thanks again!
    Amy

    1. Hi Amy,

      Thank you! I use WP, and I don’t think I’ve actually coded much for years now. My blog theme at the moment is through Mediavine with their Trellis structure (anyone can purchase it). I know that if I wanted to customize my homepage, I could code it better, but everything else is built via my theme and WP. Personally, I think WP is pretty easy to use (and I have very little coding background). I hope that helps!

  2. Thanks for highlighting my book blog, She Reads Romance Books, Christine! I so love your blog and this post is FULL of incredibly helpful tips. I completely agree that once you start blogging, authors and publishers find YOU. I only take a few requests for romance book reviews now because I’m so inundated but that’s a good problem to have!

    1. Your romance book blog has grown so much and looks fabulous. You are welcome.

      I definitely have a surplus of ARCS to be read. Such a wonderful problem to have.

    1. Thank you! I did check out your website. Your book lists look great.

      If you want a little unsolicited advice, maybe make your homepage a little cleaner and your tagline much clearer. As a reader, I am not sure what “Book recommendations, self-help, and everything in between” really means… (I started that way, too — I totally get it.) What type of books… People want to very specifically know what makes your site unique and what they will get. Every book blogger offers “book recommendations.” What is your niche? What value will you provide to them, specifically? Why will they come back, and how will your site enhance their reading and lives? Just a thought. Check out Donald Miller’s StoryBranding if you get a chance. Best of luck!

  3. oh my golly gee! thank you so very much for the helpful info! I’m currently a high schooler looking to create my very own blog, so this is all quite new (but very fun) for me! have a fabulous rest of your day!

  4. Such a great post and full of information! I just launched my own Romance Book Blog and I’m super excited to enter this online world though also a bit intimidated if I’m totally honest. Your site and success is an inspiration. I hope to utilize Pinterest as well so I guess that’s next on my list- to understand Tailwind and design lots of pins! Thanks again.

    1. Hey! Thank you so much! It’s definitely an intimidating and even frustrating world, at times. Algorithms and best practices are always changing, digital content is hard to manage/protect, and for me, book blogging was a huge learning curve. Blogging about books or anything is not the easiest sometimes, but it is rewarding. I love it, too. Pinterest is definitely a must still for traffic. I actually think Pinterest is the most fun to use. Good luck and thanks for the kind message. Never hesitate to reach out if you have questions. I’m always taking courses and reading up on blogging too.

  5. Hey Christine!

    I saw that you use the Genesis platform with Restored 316… What is the genesis platform used for? Thnx

    1. Hey Bri,

      In order to use a theme like Restored 316 (which I love), you have to have Genesis. Genesis is kind of like a blog framework or the internal bones for your site. It holds everything together and works well behind the scenes, especially for SEO (so Google can better index your site and so that your site runs more smoothly and is user-friendly). Genesis also works well with your text editor (like Gutenberg), helps make your site function on mobile devices, and has its own set of widgets (so you can add things like your IG feed or share buttons).

      I hope that helps answer your question a little better. Let me know! I actually love Genesis and you can pick a whole slew of themes that work well with it. A few big bloggers were using it, which tuned me in.

      Genesis is part of StudioPress and they have even more blog themes that you can look at too.

  6. I did not get the link thing. Some people say that it is google ads that you earn from. And you talked about the link. This is something new i heard from you.
    Can you please explain a little about the difference between adsense and links.

    1. Hi Maryam,

      For links, do you mean affiliate links vs ads? I do both on TUL. So google ads (Adsense) is what you see when you scroll through my blog post article. They are ads with both pictures and text. They look just like they sound–it’s an ad that google chooses; you can control some of the settings and placement of these. Google tries to guess what the reader would like to see based on their personal search history (and not my site). Adsense pays for impressions (how many people see the ad) and clicks. Adsense pays out very little to bloggers unless a ton of people are clicking on those ads.

      Affiliate links are specific programs that you apply for, like Amazon, and then link to their product or site. I have a more comprehensive article here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/affiliate-marketing-for-bloggers/; I do need to update it just a tad, but it should get you started.

      I use affiliate links specifically for books so that readers can buy the book through Amazon or say IndieBound. I set up an affiliate link through that program that I am a part of, link to their product, and then if someone makes a purchase, I earn a commission. That commission is much higher than Adsense ads, usually. You can see a few embedded affiliate links when you click on my “books set in Salem” book list (my lastest post). The book title is an affiliate link to Amazon, for example.

      I can recommend a great course on affiliate marketing if you are interested.

      Does this help answer your question, a little more? Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification or email me, too: [email protected].

      Have a great weekend.

  7. You nailed it really well. 🙂 I wish I had had a comprehensive guide like this when I was looking to start my blog…but I’m also kinda glad I didn’t because I might have been put off by how much work is involved, lol. For me, it was better that I didn’t know what I was getting into until I was in it. 😀 But, these tips are REALLY helpful to have, especially all in one place. I learned everything piecemeal, and that was a PITA. Great post! And, OMG, congrats on getting named as one of the best book bloggers in 2018!! Holy cow, that’s awesome! As are you, so it’s not surprising you were awarded such a distinction. 😀

    1. Hey!! Look at you back on the interwebs and feeling all better! I appreciate the comment, too, because I know how behind you must be with the concussion. I missed your online presence, for sure!

      I wish I had a more comprehensive guide when I started too. I feel like I am still correcting the errors of the past. It’s a work in progress. However, I do appreciate even seeing my own growth from hobby to business blogger.

      Thanks for the congrats! The award was a lovely surprise–I just love working with certain publishers and authors.

  8. Thank you so much for this informative post. I love that you post specifically about book blogging. I think this niche is so different from others out there. Being a newbie, it’s nice to learn from other bloggers further ahead than me on this blogging journey. I also took that Pinterest course and found it very helpful. Thanks again. Keep these book blogging posts coming! One time, I’d love to hear about your more advanced marketing ideas! Thanks again.

    1. Hey Tina, thank you so much! I find myself pinning a lot of your great posts (book lists, especially). Thanks for the idea for a blog post too! I love hearing what other people find the most helpful. So sorry for the late reply–I was in Iceland and decided to leave my computer behind for this one. Definitely not like me to leave comments hanging for so long. I appreciate your readership and book blogging camaraderie. ; ) Your kind words definitely made my day!

  9. When I decided to start a blog, I was so torn between travel and book blogging. I wanted to focus on one or the other. In the end, travel won. Of course, my love of books is pretty obvious in my blog and I still sneak in posts about books when I can relate it to travel. These tips are awesome and so easy to follow. If I were to start a book blog, I would know exactly what to do!

    1. Thank you!

      Personally, I LOVE that you write about travel related to books. Your blog has definitely inspired me to make sure that I cover more bookstores in the future. You do a great job!

      Merging the two (well, three with boozy drinks) this year has been challenging and a small hit to my traffic on all channels. My followers have to get used to the niching down and decide if it’s still for them. I picked up a bunch of new community members too. Pinterest just jumped back up after some work, and I am hoping that my IG family gets on board too. Not every traveler wants books and not every reader wants to travel…but I’m working on it ; )

  10. This is such a wonderful, well composed, and informative resource, love! I’m currently working on the making money part of my blog, but am hoping to use more affiliates in the future! ❤️

    1. Thank you so much! I really like affiliate marketing. It’s not too in your face, you can advertise what you truly love, and it’s great passive income.

  11. Thank you! This is very helpful! You’re such a great teacher. I still feel like a beginner especially due to my lack of time because of my current job. I’m crossing my fingers I get this new job I interviewed for! Send good vibes! I will hopefully find out this week! Ahhhhh!

    I’m still working on gaining traffic and then I’ll see if I can tackle monetizing my blog. ?

  12. This is such a great post and honestly still useful for people with a book blog already! I will probably switch to SiteGround once my year with WP .com ends because it’s cheaper (!) and I will be able to finally use Google Analytics.

    1. Thank you, book bestie!! I love SiteGround, and you are right: it actually ended up being cheaper than the higher plans of .com. You will love the switch. Good luck, and if you have any trouble, let me know. I’ve probably been there. You will LOVE all the data you can pull. ; ) Have a great weekend.

  13. As always Christine, you did an amazing job with this post! I love to read, and I love to write about what I read, and it is a secret goal (is it secret now?) of mine to start doing book reviews on my blog. I didn’t want to put that out there in my blog post on goals because that would practically force me to do it, and although I’m determined to do so, that just seemed to daunting :’) I’d like to move my blog in the bookish direction and make it a nice mix of lifestyle/books, and you provided some great resources. I’m totally going self-hosted this year and will definitely be investing in a Pipdig theme; these have been two goals of mine for awhile now. 2019 will certainly be exciting for me in terms of blogging!!

    1. Yay, I always love seeing another blogger talking about books! So excited for you!

      You will definitely love self-hosting as it is a complete gamechanger. You have so much more freedom to add plugins to your blog, make it look good, and add fun features that you want. I barely notice a difference in upkeep with self-hosting. When I was researching self-hosting, it sounded so intimidating and scary. The switch definitely wasn’t hard at all.

      I love pipdig. They have great support, and they keep coming up with great new designs.

      Good luck with all of your 2019 goals!

  14. I ran a book blog for about 6 years and it took me forever to figure some of these things out. I agree that a lot of these tips can be used for any type of blogging. I wish I had have known many of these when I first started my book blog because it would have made things easier. I did the blog for fun, but even so knowing this before would have made it less stressful at times.

    1. Yes, my first year as a hobby blogger was fun but a mess. Then, I converted that hobby blog to a monetized one, which was such a disaster to clean up. Although I was getting decent traffic and engagement, I knew that by 2019, I had to take more courses, talk to other bloggers, and just try to learn all that I could. I wish I had seen the how-to’s laid out like this. Of course, there is a lot more to add in (and you can go about it differently), but learning how to blog properly can be so overwhelming. For me, self-hosting made the world of a difference to start, especially since I could play with plugins. I had NO idea.

  15. I’m not a book blogger but if I wanted to be one, I sure know how now. 😉 Great post! Your guides are always well written and easy to understand. Hope this inspires and helps others to start a book blog.

  16. This is an amazing resource for beginner and advanced book bloggers. I love that you did a recap at the end too! I have a question though; do you make some money from affiliate links? I’m an affiliate for Book Depository and I haven’t made any money despite the fact that I promote a lot. Of course, I don’t have as many views as you do ?
    Taiwo x

    1. I do make money from affiliate links. Book Depository isn’t huge for me, which is I why I now monetize it through Awin and not the site itself. Awin is great for a bunch of affiliates (like Etsy and Book Depository). I don’t make a lot from Barnes and Noble either, but I do make consistent sales with Amazon, Awin, and ShareASale.

      Thank you! I hope this helped, and thank you for reading, too!

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