Book Blog

5 Book Blog Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 8th, 2024

Starting a book blog could be your ticket to immersing yourself in the world of literature while building a passionate online community. At its core, a book blog is a website where you can share reviews, recommendations, and literary discussions.

This venture allows you to dive deep into your love for books, promote reading, and engage with like-minded individuals. To attract readers, focus on crafting engaging content and offering unique perspectives. The journey will involve regular reading, writing thoughtful reviews, and promoting your blog on social media and book forums.

This idea is perfect for avid readers who want to transform their hobby into a modicum of income while fostering a literary community. If you enjoy dissecting plot twists and character arcs, and you're willing to put in the effort to grow an online presence, a book blog could be a rewarding endeavor.

In this list, you'll find real-world book blog success stories and very profitable examples of starting a book blog that makes money.

1. Foreword Reviews ($1.08M/year)

Victoria Sutherland, founder of Foreword Reviews, came up with the idea for her business while working for a small press magazine. She noticed that independent publishers were not getting much coverage and saw an opportunity to provide long-form reviews for these smaller presses. With her background in advertising and a passion for books, she started Foreword Reviews to fill the gap in the market and support indie presses.

How much money it makes: $1.08M/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 7

The Story Behind A $90K/Month Independent Publishers And Books Reviews Publication

Foreword Reviews is a media company that started out as a magazine with a print run of 7,500 copies, serving as a brochure for publishing services including foreign rights exchange and digital content, and twenty years and some intense pivots later, it has become one of the most profitable in the book business.

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2. OrderOfBooks.com ($600K/year)

Graeme McGaw came up with the idea for OrderOfBooks.com after realizing the need for a resource that provided book readers with the order of books in a series. With his passion for books and his expertise from the gambling industry, he launched the website, which now makes six figures per year and serves as a valuable resource for readers worldwide.

How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200K
How many people on the team: 8

How I Started A Six-Figure Niche Book Blog

OrderOfBooks.com is a website that lists books in both publication and chronological order and generates six-figure revenue after starting off as a resource for the founder and his friends, serving as a valuable resource for book readers.

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3. Book Club Chat ($48K/year)

Heather Caliendo, a journalist with a passion for reading, turned her love for books into a profitable business with Book Club Chat. Despite the saturation of the book blogging market, Heather stood out by creating a beautifully designed website and focusing on providing book club questions tailored to novels. With over 5,000 visitors a day and earning $4,000/month in ad revenue, Book Club Chat has become a go-to resource for book clubs around the world.

How much money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 0

How I Started A $4K/Month Website Dedicated To Book Club Questions, Reviews And Book Lists

Book Club Chat founder Heather Caliendo started a website dedicated to book club questions, reviews, and book lists with no upfront costs by dedicating a lot of time to reading and writing high-quality content that attracts over 5,000 daily visitors and has made $4,000 per month in ad revenue alone by focusing on organic search, SEO, and Mediavine.

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4. Merrative ($24K/year)

Harshala Chavan, the founder of Merrative, came up with the idea for her business after noticing a lack of dedicated spaces for people to discuss literature. After attending a book club meetup, where she had a great discussion with others who had read the same book, she wondered if she could bring this experience online at scale. She validated her concept through participating in BPlans and growing her Instagram page, which eventually led to the launch of Merrative as a community-led marketplace for publishing talent.

How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0

How I Bootstrapped A $2K/Month Online Community To Discuss Literature

Merrative, a community-driven marketplace for publishing talent, generates an average of $1,500 per month in marketplace transactions from their 5,000+ strong community of readers, writers, journalists, and scholars.

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5. Most Recommended Books ($12K/year)

Richard Reis, founder of Most Recommended Books (MRB), was inspired to start the business after writing a popular blog post in 2018. With the realization that he had a talent for creating content that resonated with people, Richard teamed up with his best friend, Anurag, to create MRB. The idea came to Richard after reading about how Mark Zuckerberg built various projects before Facebook, leading him to believe in the power of trying different ideas until one gains traction.

How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0

How Two Best Friends Started A Side Hustle Recommending Books

Most Recommended Books helps you discover books recommended by the world's most influential people, with 500+ experts and 6,000+ books, and garnered 70,000 monthly visitors with the goal of reaching 100,000 to start looking at other ways of making money.

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Read by 3,718 founders