How To Start A Profitable Book Blog In 9 Steps

You can start a profitable book blog and make money doing so. I have made this post as easy and complete as possible, to get started if you follow through step by step.

Key Takeaway

At the end of this post, you will learn what exactly a literature blog is and how you can get started today and make money from it.

I have divided the article into two (2) sections to make it easier for you to understand, skim and follow step-by-step.

Section 1: Learning What A Literature Blog Is

  • What is a literature blog?
  • Sub-niches under literature blogging
  • Benefits of starting a literature blog
  • How much do literature blogs make

Section 2: How To Start A Profitable Literature Blog  

  • How to start a money-making literature blog step-by-step

Note: You can navigate to “Section 2” if you want to get started immediately.

Section 1

What Is A Book Blog?

A book blog is a simple website mainly used for publishing web posts related to the book industry these types of posts are generally known as blog posts. They are accessible online and on Google search results when people look for information related to the ones you’ve published on this site.

If you’re interested in starting a profitable book blog, you could comfortably and consistently earn around $8,000 per month.

Initially, you’ll need to publish approximately 80 – 120 high-quality, niche-focused blog posts, though this number isn’t set in stone.

If you achieve this within the next six months, you could likely make $10,000 or more, thanks to consistent traffic from Google.

This traffic can generate income through ads, affiliate product recommendations, and various other monetization strategies.

Sub-niches under book blogging

Book blogs can be broken down into several sub-niches, each catering to specific interests among different audiences. These sub-niches make it easier for you to get started from one sub-niche and expand to other sub-niches.

Here are some popular sub-niches under book blogs:

  1. Book Reviews – Focus on reviewing fiction, non-fiction, or specific genres like romance, thrillers, or self-help.
  2. Author Interviews – Interviews with authors to discuss their writing processes, inspiration, and latest books.
  3. Genre-Specific Blogs – Focus on specific genres such as fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, or young adult.
  4. Children’s Books – Reviews and recommendations for children’s books, parenting tips for encouraging reading habits.
  5. Literary Analysis – In-depth analysis of classic and contemporary literature.
  6. Book Recommendations – Curated lists of must-read books, including top books for different categories or seasons.
  7. Writing Tips for Authors – Tips and guides for aspiring authors on how to write and publish books.
  8. Book Collecting – Focus on rare books, first editions, or building a valuable book collection.
  9. Reading Challenges – Hosting or participating in reading challenges, encouraging engagement with books.
  10. E-Books and Self-Publishing – Focus on e-books, self-publishing, and indie authors.

Each sub-niche allows bloggers to target a specific audience interested in various aspects of the literary world.

And much more.

Benefits Of Starting A Literature Blog

Here are some of the benefits of starting a book blog;

  • Affordable Start: Launch a professional book blog for under $3/month with cost-effective web hosting, much cheaper than a Netflix subscription.
  • High Earning Potential: Successful book blogs can make over $20,000 per month. It might take 6-12 months to reach this level, but the potential income is substantial.
  • Global Flexibility: You can run your book blog from anywhere, though regions with different search engines, like China and Russia, may have unique challenges.
  • No Special Qualifications Required: Starting a book blog doesn’t need a degree or prior experience. Emulate successful bloggers’ strategies to build traffic and income.
  • Promote Products: Use your blog to market book-related products. With significant traffic, even a small conversion rate can lead to considerable sales.

How Much Do Book Blogs Make?

Here’s an overview of how much money book blogs can make, divided into beginner, average, and established categories.

With this, you can estimate how much you are likely to make having the number of posts estimated and spending the time it takes.

Beginner Literature Blogs

  • Monthly Income: $100 to $1,000
  • Average Traffic: 5,000 to 20,000 visitors
  • Number of Blog Posts: 20 to 50
  • Average Required Time: 6 to 12 months
  • Common Methods of Monetization:
    • Affiliate marketing (book sales via Amazon Associates or other book retailers)
    • Display ads (e.g., Google AdSense)
    • Sponsored content (occasional)

Average Literature Blogs

  • Monthly Income: $1,000 to $5,000
  • Average Traffic: 20,000 to 100,000 visitors
  • Number of Blog Posts: 50 to 150
  • Average Required Time: 1 to 2 years
  • Common Methods of Monetization:
    • Affiliate marketing (book sales, related products)
    • Display ads (e.g., ad networks like Mediavine or AdThrive)
    • Sponsored posts and product reviews
    • Selling digital products (e.g., book-related guides or eBooks)
    • Offering book-related services (e.g., editing, consulting)

Established Literature Blogs

  • Monthly Income: $5,000 to $20,000+
  • Average Traffic: 100,000 to 500,000+ visitors
  • Number of Blog Posts: 150 to 500+
  • Average Required Time: 2 to 5 years
  • Common Methods of Monetization:
    • Affiliate marketing (high-volume book sales, premium book-related products)
    • Display ads (premium ad networks)
    • Sponsored content and long-term partnerships with publishers
    • Selling digital products (eBooks, writing guides, courses)
    • Merchandise (branded book-themed items)
    • Membership programs or subscription services for exclusive content

Note: These figures provide a general overview, actual earnings can vary based on different factors on a specific blog. Here is a more realistic income report from real blogs.

Section 2

How To Start A Book Blog Step-by-step

Here are the things you need to set up a standard blog and get it ready for publishing your first blog post;

  • A desktop – you need a laptop or computer. This will make it easy for you to manage your site entirely and write blog posts more effectively.
  • A domain name – This is the name of your blog. You can decide to call your blog something interesting to you or related to your blog niche.  
  • Content management platform – This is simply where you manage your blog site and its entire affairs from customizing pages to writing blog posts. It is also known as your “blogging platform”. Using WordPress as your blogging platform doesn’t require coding, you can simply use a pre-built blog site theme and customize page templates to look the way you want.
  • Web hosting – A web hosting service is what keeps your content management platform online. It is what keeps your website available and accessible online.

Note: At the end of your sign-up with your web hosting [e.g. HostGator], that is when you have the option to install the generally used web version of WordPress within your hosting account to start building and managing your blog site.

Start Here  

In this illustration am going to use HostGator because there are one of the best web hosting services available.

  • Step 1: Start within a sub-niche
  • Step 2: Click on HostGator
  • Step 3: Choose your preferred hosting plan
  • Step 4: Choose your domain name
  • Step 6: Adjust to your preferred hosting subscription period
  • Step 6: Create your HostGator account
  • Step 7: Within Your HostGator Account Install WordPress
  • Step 8: Choose A Theme your blog theme [A Pre-built Site]
  • Step 9: Customize your main pages and start publishing blog posts.

Step 1: Start within a sub-niche

Starting within a sub-niche is all about finding one of the main content categories under the book, fiction, or any space of literature to start publishing its category-related content and gradually expand to other sub-niches to find more content ideas.

Just like I mentioned earlier in this post, there are several sub-niches under book or literature publication you can choose to start from like;

  • Book Reviews – Focus on reviewing fiction, non-fiction, or specific genres like romance, thrillers, or self-help.
  • Author Interviews – Interviews with authors to discuss their writing processes, inspiration, and latest books.
  • Genre-Specific Blogs – Focus on specific genres such as fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, or young adult.
  • Children’s Books – Reviews and recommendations for children’s books, parenting tips for encouraging reading habits.
  • Literary Analysis – In-depth analysis of classic and contemporary literature, etc.

Step 2: Click On Our “HostGator” Discount Link

Using our discount link you will get HostGator for less than its original price.

how to start a travel blog using hostgator

HostGator is a reliable web hosting service that offers industry-standard hosting.

Step 2:Choose Your Preferred HostGator Plan”

Selecting the HostGator hatchling plan is more advisable and cost-effective after all that’s the minimum plan and you can always increase your plan anytime you want.

hostgator web hosting plans

Step 4: Choose a domain name

After choosing your plan above, you will be directed to a page like this below to choose your domain name and complete your sign-up.

choose a domain name with hostgtor starting a fashion blog

On this page, you will find things like;

What to consider when choosing your blog domain name

  • Make it Memorable and Easy to Spell – your domain name should be easy for people to remember and type into their browser. Avoid complex spellings or unnecessary hyphens.
  • Make it Reflects Your Niche: Your domain name should give visitors a good idea of what your blog is about. Use relevant keywords that are travel-related.
  • Keep it Short and Sweet: Aim for a domain name that’s between 6-14 characters. Long domain names are harder to remember and type.
  • Easy to Read or Pronounce: Avoid awkward letter combinations or double letters that might be confusing when pronounced.

Find unique and meaningful blog name ideas

Step 5: Adjust to your preferred hosting subscription period

Make sure you are on the hatchling plan on the right-hand side and your subscription is adjusted to the period to one 1 year or 36 months based on what you can afford at the time.

hostgator checkout page when starting a site

Step 6: Create your HostGator account

Create your HostGator account by providing your email contact information and choosing a password.

HostGator billing page during check out

Enter the coupon code “SNAPPY” and check if there is a discount at the

moment. Discounts are not always available.

Review your order details and all the information you’ve entered to ensure it’s how you intended and then checkout.

Step 7: Within your HostGator account “Install WordPress”

Action required – At the end of your HostGator sign-up follow the on-screen instructions to complete your WordPress sign-up and installation.

You can do this within your HostGator account once you are logged in find a section labeled “WordPress”.

Click on it you will be directed to create a WordPress account after that you will be automatically logged in to WordPress to start creating blog posts and customizing your site pages.

Step 8: Choose A Theme For Your Blog

Themes are pre-built website templates. You can select a particular theme, preview it, and customize it the way you want it to make it yours.

Here’s a simplified way to choose a suitable WordPress book blogging theme after you’ve logged into your WordPress admin area;

  1. Navigate to Themes: On the left-hand sidebar of your WordPress admin dashboard, hover over “Appearance” and click on “Themes.”
  2. Explore the Theme Library: This is where you’ll find a vast collection of free and paid themes. You can use the search bar at the top to find themes by keyword (e.g., “book blog”) or browse by popular features (e.g., “grid layout,” “responsive”).
  3. Filter Your Options: You can use the filters on the left side of the page to narrow down your search. Here are some key filters for a travel blog:
    • Features: Look for themes with features like post formats (galleries, videos), image sliders, social media integration, and customization options.
    • Layout: You can consider layouts with a clean and modern aesthetic, grid layouts ideal for showcasing outfits, and responsive design to ensure your blog looks modern and good on all devices.
  4. Preview Before You Commit: Once you find a theme that interests you, hover over it and click “Preview.” This will allow you to see a live demo of the theme’s layout and features.
  5. Read Reviews and Ratings: Check out the reviews and ratings left by other users. This can give you valuable insights into the theme’s ease of use, customization options, customer support, and downsides.
  6. Mobile-Friendly is a Must: In today’s world, ensure the theme you select is responsive and displays well on mobile devices. Lots of visitors coming to your blog will be coming from mobile devices so ensure that your theme is mobile-friendly by using the preview function to check how it looks on mobile and other screens. This is very advisable.
  7. Consider Paid Themes: If you don’t find what you like with free themes you can use premium or paid themes with better or more attractive appearance and features. This is entirely optional and often not advisable for complete beginners who still don’t fully understand WordPress well enough.

Here are some of the best WordPress themes for book blogs you can use.

Step 6: Customize your blog pages and start publishing blog posts

  • Start personalizing your blog! Use your theme’s customization options to adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to match your style.
  • Most themes come with pre-built layouts for essential pages like “About,” “Contact,” and “Home.” You can use these as a starting point to customize your pages easily to match what you want.
  • After that, you can start writing and publishing blog posts.

Congratulations at this point you’ve just created a fully functional standard blog that you can use to start publishing blog posts. Your site is now available on Google and anywhere online.  

Simplified Summary

Now you know what a literature blog is and how you can get started, you should start with writing topics under a sub-niche and expand to other sub-niches as you cover more topics.

Instantly you can monetize your site with ads and some affiliates while some may do this after gaining some consistent traffic to their site which is more advisable to help you focus on the more important things rather than your earnings within your starting points.

As you publish more blog posts, your monthly traffic and income will grow.

In this process, you will understand better what works and how you can do more of them to get the best possible result.  

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