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Reading books offers many benefits to us, especially in improving our mental health. But did you know that this hobby can also provide an unpopular advantage? Making money!
If you have ever wondered how you can get paid to read books, there are many avenues to pursue. You can get a job at a publishing company, work as a proofreader, book reviewer, audiobook listener, etc.
But there’s an easier route to do it right away – reading comic books.
Recently, I’ve just discovered that the writer of the Marvel Saga, Peter Sandersen, was first hired by DC to read 50 years (1935-1985) of comic books.
When I read that, I became interested in how one can make reading comics a side hustle. What are the requirements to qualify? Does one need to be a fanboy/girl? Or does it only require you to be a voracious reader?
In case you’re curious, too, I’ve got you covered. In this post, you’ll find the many ways you get paid to read comics and the qualifications or things you need to equip yourself to do so.
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1. Launch a Comic Reviewer Channel
Creators of all types love YouTube – vloggers, writers, authors, musicians, EVERYONE. It’s easy to understand why. After all, YouTube allows us to share our passion and creativity and earn a recurring revenue stream.
Can you see where we are going with this? As a comic reader, you can launch a YouTube channel and make episodes about all things comics. From your favorite comic characters and authors to reviewing comics, these video ideas require you to read books.
We all know that we can keep procrastinating without the deadline, so if reading more comics is one of your goals, you will surely achieve it this way. Plus, consistency can make your viewers and bank account happy.
More quality content > happy viewers > more subscribers > more money. It’s that simple!
2. Start a Comic Blog
Writing blogs is a good source of income if you play your cards right to stand out.
According to the latest data, there are over 600 million blogs on the Internet. But the great news is that once you start your blog, you don’t need to compete with all the websites you see online.
When it comes to blogging, your competitors share the same niche as you. Comics is not a saturated niche, so the competition and finding the right audience won’t be difficult. To stand out, what you need are quality posts, consistency, and a bit of SEO strategies.
You can get ideas from other comics websites to start your own. For instance, this site’s contents are not only limited to reading comics. They also share news, the latest updates, theories, and some interesting articles that comic fans could relate to.
Having various comic-related content will help you gain more blog visitors. As you gain your audience, you can earn money through display ads, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, and many other income streams. However, note that blogging is not a quick ticket to riches.
Everyone (except those with generational wealth) has started from the bottom. My blog also started from scratch, and my passion for writing financial-related topics motivated me to be consistent in what I do.
This is why you need to pick the topic you like to talk about. It’s not the income that will push you to publish posts at first – it’s the love for comics.
3. Become a Comic Collector
Collecting comics is cool. This is a fact. That’s why this hobby is meant not only for kids but also for adults. In fact, famous middle-aged celebrities like Jonathan Ross, Nicolas Cage, and Samuel L. Jackson are avid comic collectors.
But you know what makes collecting comics even cooler? You can make a nice profit if you decide to sell them one day. Sure, you should know by now that this hobby can be very expensive. However, when done right, you could change the trajectory of your life.
Rare comic collections are more valuable. For instance, Superman #1 (1939) was the most expensive comic book collection ever sold for $5,300,000.
If you’ve recently inherited comic books from your grandparents, check if there are rare editions of Marvel Comics or old comics you can sell. Note that due to rarity, older ones tend to have higher value.
Non-unique comics could sell, too. These books might not make you rich, but you could get some cash from them, especially if you sell them in bulk to other collectors and auction sites. I won’t recommend selling them to comic shops because just like you they need to make a profit, so you won’t have a good price for your collection.
To make the most money selling comics, I suggest you buy paper books because they have high resale value. This material is very delicate, so the more books you have in mint condition, the more money you can earn in the future.
4. Get Paid to Translate Comics
East Asian comic fans, put your hands up!
Manga, Manwha, and Manhua are popular comics from Japan, Korea, and China, respectively. They have been with us for many years, but their popularity is becoming more apparent now that digital platforms have made them more accessible, enabling people worldwide to enjoy them.
As more readers become addicted to digital comics, the demand for translators also increases. In fact, if you read comics and manga online, you’ll see a “wanted translator” sign from authors and readers at the end of the chapter. Not to mention that many people are also looking for translators on various online job sites such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Upwork.
So, if you’re multilingual, you can surely find jobs that require Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, or Thai to English translators and vice versa. According to Salary.com, a webtoon (webcomics platform) translator has an average salary of $60,042.
The good thing about this job is that you can do it in your free time. Most translator jobs are paid per hour, per page, or on a project basis, allowing you to only keep this gig as a money-making hobby or a supplement to your regular job.
5. Become a Comic Artist
If you enjoy drawing and don’t mind spending many hours reading visually appealing comics like Tank Girl, Spider-Man, or The Hulk, then becoming a comic artist is for you.
Comics are a timeless art form. Besides the usual superhero comics, there are many more genres that you might be interested in reading and drawing. There are funny, horror, and dark, serious comics.
The versatility of the format is what made them famous and very enduring. Thus, it’s unsurprising that many creative people dream of becoming comic artists.
Plus, while there seems to be a growing supply of artists these days, the industry doesn’t feel saturated.
This is because comic artists can venture into various professions. For instance, they could be graphic designers or illustrators for manga, webtoons, anime, and graphic novels, all needing comic-style art.
To start, you must be computer literate. Many comic artists nowadays rely on graphic software like Adobe, Illustrator, and Photoshop to make art. The usual drawing of sketches on paper is also necessary, so make sure you know how to draw rough sketches with a pencil.
While becoming an artist requires talent, it’s also important to note that it’s a skill that can be learned over time. You could enhance your skills by watching YouTube tutorials, or if you have the budget, you can attend art school (not required, but an advantage).
6. Work as a Comic Reviewer
Becoming a comic reviewer is perhaps the first idea that comes to your mind when thinking of the best ways to make money as a comic fan. You’re right. Since comic books are constantly published in digital and printed formats, book reviewers are generally in demand.
Back in the day, being a book reviewer required expertise and hard work; thus, one must be professionally trained. While the same qualifications are good nowadays, they are not always necessary. Thanks to blogs and social media, this job allows everyone to become a comic critic for sheer fun and entertainment.
“Oh, anyone could be a comic reviewer.” Yes, but not everyone can be an effective reviewer.
A comic reviewer shares his or her personal opinions about the book after reading it. From the word “opinion” itself, you should know that it’s not a book summary. That’s what a third grader would tell his classmates, or everyone can share a story.
It’s easy to say, “Batman is really cool. I love the ending.” That’s what not a review should be. Should you decide to become a comic reviewer and merely discuss the story, you will lose your audience.
Take note that as a comic reviewer, fans expect you to discuss why Lex Luthor is Superman’s biggest enemy or tell the audience why the character’s strategy worked or didn’t work.
Got all that? Next, you need to find avenues to share your insights about comics. As mentioned, you can start a blog, use your social media, or work as a reviewer writer on sites like CBR.
7. Comic Podcast
Like starting a blog and YouTube channel, this one requires hard work and consistency. Unless you’re hired as a podcaster, your time and effort in making podcasts are not paid first, so it’s your passion for comics that will keep you going.
Comic podcasts are great, but like other gigs that allow you to earn extra money, this one has its own set of challenges. As soon as you start, your biggest obstacle is the topic or the type of show you want to launch.
To give you an idea, you can focus on reviewing books or host a show where you will interview comic fans. If you want to do podcast reviews, you would need extra funds for the books you want to cover. Should you want to do a talk show, you should decide whether you prefer a recurring cast or rotating guests.
There are many variations on comic podcasts, and many podcast channels have become successful in this field, too. Some popular channels online are iFanboy (comic book reviewer), Comics in Motion (talks about movies and books), and Comic Book Historians (interview show).
As such, you must decide on the best format you think you would enjoy and excel in before picking up the mic.
After you record and edit your podcast, the next challenge is to find the best platform to showcase your show. For a video show, there’s YouTube, Vimeo, and even Spotify (they do videos now!).
For audio shows, you can use Spotify, Podcast Addict, Anchor FM, and Apple Podcast. There are more platforms to share your talent, but these are the best ones, considering their number of users.
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