How to Make money Using Book summaries Like Pros

If you’re looking to turn your love for books into a profitable online venture, a great place to start is with Samuel Thomas Davies. Through his website, samuelthomasdavies.com, Samuel has curated over 142 concise book summaries, focusing on practical ideas, key notes, and impactful quotes from nonfiction books. Rather than offering lengthy, traditional summaries, he distills each book into actionable takeaways, which he shares through his free newsletter, Words Into Works. This strategy of emphasizing notes and quotes over full summaries not only provides immense value to his audience but also serves as a model for creating and monetizing content effectively.

In this post, we’ll explore how Samuel and others use this approach, the two main ways they monetize their efforts, and how you can follow in their footsteps.

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Examples of the Notes and Quotes Strategy

Samuel isn’t alone in leveraging this method. Several other websites and creators have adopted a similar strategy, focusing on curated notes and quotes instead of comprehensive book summaries. Here are a few notable examples:

Actionable Books: This platform delivers book summaries with an emphasis on practical application. Each summary highlights key insights and actionable steps, making it easy for readers to apply the ideas directly.
Four Minute Books: Created by Nik, this site condenses books into three core lessons and a personal takeaway. The brevity and focus on key points make it a perfect example of the notes-and-quotes approach.
Nat’s Notes: Known for their crisp, concise style, Nat’s notes present the most essential ideas from books in short, digestible sentences—ideal for readers who want the highlights without the fluff.

These examples demonstrate that focusing on curated insights rather than full summaries can effectively engage an audience while keeping content valuable and concise.

Two Monetization Methods Used by These Websites

So, how do creators like Samuel and these websites turn their book notes and quotes into revenue? They typically rely on two primary monetization methods:

Affiliate Marketing
By embedding affiliate links (e.g., through Amazon Associates) to the books they feature, creators earn a commission whenever a reader purchases a book through their link. This method works seamlessly with book notes and quotes, as the content naturally piques readers’ interest in exploring the full text.
Subscriptions or Paid Newsletters
Many offer free content to attract an audience, then provide premium content—like exclusive notes, deeper insights, or early access—through paid subscriptions or newsletters. This model rewards loyal followers with added value while generating recurring income.

These two approaches—affiliate marketing and subscriptions—form the foundation of how these websites monetize their content. Now, let’s look at how you can replicate this strategy.

How to Create and Monetize Book Notes and Quotes Like Samuel

Ready to follow Samuel’s lead? Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your own book notes and quotes using two websites—SoPrief and Summarist—and ChatGPT, then monetizing the results in two ways.

Step 1: Visit SoPrief and Summarist for Book Summaries

Start by gathering raw material from these two platforms:

SoPrief.com: This site offers concise book summaries that focus on key points and lessons. It’s an excellent resource for quickly understanding a book’s core ideas.
Summarist.ai: An AI-powered tool, Summarist generates book summaries in under 30 seconds. Simply input a title, and you’ll get a quick overview of the book’s main themes.

These websites provide a foundation of summaries to work from, saving you time and effort.

Step 2: Use ChatGPT to Extract Notes and Quotes

Next, take the summaries from SoPrief and Summarist and refine them with ChatGPT. Here’s how:

Input the summary: Copy and paste the summary into ChatGPT.
Extract key elements: Use prompts like:
“List the top 20 takeaways and notes from this summary.”
“Pull out the most memorable quotes based on this summary.”
“Identify practical applications from these insights.”
Customize the content: Tailor the output to your audience with prompts like:
“Rewrite these notes for small business owners.”
“ Highlight quotes that appeal to self-improvement readers.”

With ChatGPT, you can transform generic summaries into personalized notes and quotes that reflect your unique voice or niche.

Step 3: Monetize the Result in Two Ways

Finally, use your polished notes and quotes to generate income using these two methods:

Affiliate Marketing

Share your content on a blog, newsletter, or social media.
Include affiliate links to the books you’ve covered.
For example: “Loved these insights? Get the full book [affiliate link] to dive deeper!” You’ll earn a commission on every sale.

Subscriptions or Paid Newsletters

Offer free notes and quotes to build an audience.
Launch a paid subscription for premium content, such as additional notes, exclusive commentary, or early releases.
Platforms like Substack or Ko-fi can help you set this up easily.

By combining affiliate marketing and subscriptions, you can create a dual revenue stream while delivering value to your readers.

Get Started Today

Samuel Thomas Davies and others have proven that book notes and quotes are a powerful way to create engaging, monetizable content. By using SoPrief and Summarist to source summaries, ChatGPT to extract and customize notes and quotes, and affiliate marketing and subscriptions to generate income, you can build your own successful platform. Add your personal insights to stand out, verify AI-generated content for accuracy, and experiment to find what resonates with your audience. Start today, and turn your passion for books into profit!

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