Hey bookish besties! <3
Welcome back to my newsletter where I try to share everything I’ve learned about Bookstagram, passive income and everything in between.
A year ago (almost), I would’ve told you that it’s impossible to make any kind of money from this. That only “big” influencers make money. That you need like 100k followers or some fancy business degree. But here’s what I’ve learned: we’re living in this era where having multiple income streams isn’t just for the #girlboss entrepreneur types anymore, it’s becoming pretty essential for all of us.
And look, I originally wanted to keep my bookstagram as just MY thing. My cozy corner. My happy place. But then I realized… why not make my hobby work FOR me instead of just being another expense? (Because let’s be real, books are expensive and my TBR is out of control.)
But First: What Even IS Passive Income?
Because I feel like everyone talks about this but nobody actually explains it properly.
Active income is straightforward. You show up to work, you do the thing, you get paid. You stop doing the thing? The money stops. It’s that direct exchange of time for money.
Passive income is different (and honestly kind of magical once you get it). You put in effort ONCE upfront, then that work keeps earning money over and over again without you having to actively do something every single time.
Important thing to mention: you DO still have to hustle in the beginning. There’s definitely a setup phase.
I will go through income type and at the end you can watch my Youtube video if you want more in depth information <3
💰 Income Stream #1: Digital Products on Etsy
Why I’m starting with this: Because it’s the best option for beginners and you don’t need a single follower to make your first sale.
Here’s the thing about Etsy that makes it so perfect, it already has MILLIONS of people shopping on it every single day. They’re actively searching for things, and your products can just… appear in those results. You’re tapping into Etsy’s existing traffic, not building an audience from scratch.
What you can sell:
- Reading journals & trackers (people pay $3-15 for these!)
- Canva templates for bookstagrammers
- Printables like bookplates, reading challenges, TBR lists
The beauty? Once you create and list it, Etsy’s algorithm does the heavy lifting. You still need good SEO and cute mockups, but the platform brings customers to you.
NOTE: You need more than one product to have an established shop and to start seeing sales, I suggest more than 5+
💰 Income Stream #2: Affiliate Marketing
This one DOES require some audience, but it’s way easier than it sounds.
You share a product you genuinely love → someone buys through your link → you get commission.
I have an affiliate link for my desk chair and make around $30 per sale. The chair costs $400. Not bad for just… having furniture I already own?
Quick options:
- Amazon Associates – Link any book + bookish accessories
- Bookshop.org – Support indie bookstores while earning
- Barnes & Noble – Same vibe, different retailer
You can link them in your link in bio or create Pinterest Pins with these links. I use Canva to create my pin design and then I just schedule them.
💰 How to use Pinterest:
Pinterest isn’t social media – it’s a visual search engine. And unlike Instagram where your post dies after 48 hours, a Pinterest pin can bring traffic for YEARS.
You create pretty graphics, link them to your stuff (blog, Etsy, affiliate links), and when people search, your pins show up.
I started using Pinterest seriously 4 months ago. Now it’s one of my biggest traffic sources. I spend maybe an hour a week and it works 24/7.
💰 Income Stream #3: Brand Deals & Sponsorships
Okay yes, technically this is more “active” income since you’re creating new content for each partnership. But I’m including it because once you establish yourself, brands will START coming to YOU. The hustle is in the beginning, but it becomes way more passive as you grow.
And here’s something that might surprise you: You don’t need a massive following for this.
I started getting brand deals when I had around 3k followers. Brands actually care way more about engagement than follower count, and bookstagram has some of the BEST engagement rates of any niche. Like, our community is just so genuine and interactive <3 .
Who will actually pay you:
- Publishers for promoting new releases or backlist titles
- Bookish brands like subscription boxes, bookish candles, cute bookmarks, reading journals
- General lifestyle brands that align with the cozy reading aesthetic (blankets, mugs, desk accessories)
According to recent data, bookstagrammers typically charge anywhere from $50 to $400 per post depending on following and engagement rates.
When I first started, I charged around $90 per post. Now I charge more, but I started small and built up as I gained experience and could show results.
💰 Income Stream #4: Print-on-Demand Merch
This one is SO fun and I’ve been wanting to dive deeper into it forever.
Print-on-demand means you design the product (think: mugs with cute book quotes, tote bags that say “so many books so little time”, t-shirts with bookish designs) but you NEVER have to hold inventory or ship anything yourself.
When someone orders your design on a mug, the print-on-demand company makes it, ships it directly to the customer, and you just get a portion of the profit.
The passive part? Once you create that design and upload it, you literally never touch the product. Someone orders → it gets made and shipped → you get paid. The only work is creating the initial design and doing some marketing.
You can promote your merch on Instagram, create Pinterest pins linking to your shop, mention it in your newsletter (hey that’s this!), or add the link to your bio.
💰 Income Stream #5: YouTube
I KNOW this might sound scary if you’re camera shy (I amtoo!), but hear me out.
YouTube can be incredibly passive once you’ve built up a library of videos. And ad revenue can really add up over time.
Plus – and this is important – you don’t even have to show your face if you don’t want to.
You could do voiceover videos (like I do!) where you just show books and aesthetic footage while you talk. Or cozy reading vlogs where the focus is on the books and your space, not necessarily you.
The passive income comes from:
YouTube ad revenue – Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can monetize your channel. Then every single time someone watches your video, you earn money from the ads that play.
The beautiful thing about YouTube? Videos can continue getting views for YEARS. I have videos from months ago that still bring in views and ad revenue every single day.
Plus you can use your videos to promote your OTHER income streams – your Etsy shop, your affiliate links, your Instagram, everything.
And brand deals get better and better since you also have youtube as a platform.
Other Income Streams Worth Mentioning:
#6 Online courses or mini workshops – This is something I’m currently working on! You don’t need some massive 50-hour course
You create it once, sell it forever. People take it at their own pace. You’re not trading time for money with one-on-one coaching. You could price it anywhere from $49 to $200+ depending on the value.
#7 Membership or Patreon – Your most engaged followers pay a monthly fee for exclusive content. Think: early access to book reviews, exclusive recommendations, behind-the-scenes of your bookstagram process, monthly live Q&As. (You can do this on Substack as well, or turn on Subscription on Instagram.
#8 Blogging – This deserves its own entire newsletter issue (coming soon!), but blogging is one of the most sustainable long-term passive income strategies. Blog posts can rank on Google for YEARS and bring you consistent traffic and income through ads and affiliate links.
Here’s What You Need to Know:
Some of these income streams require you to have an audience (affiliate marketing, brand deals, promoting directly to your followers). But some DON’T require any followers at all (Etsy, Pinterest to some extent).
My honest recommendation? Do both while you’re growing.
While you’re building your bookstagram and growing your following, ALSO create products and list them on Etsy. That way you’re making money while you’re in the growth phase. And once you DO have an audience, you can promote your Etsy shop to them too.
You’re basically creating multiple revenue streams that feed into each other. Your Instagram promotes your Pinterest, your Pinterest drives traffic to your blog and Etsy, your YouTube promotes everything, your email newsletter (hey!) keeps people engaged with all of it.
It’s not about doing ALL of these things at once (that’s overwhelming and honestly impossible). It’s about picking 1-2 to start with, getting them set up and running, then slowly adding more over time. <3
Here is my cozy Youtube video where I talk more about this <3: