Great Holiday Gifts for Writers

Buying that perfect holiday gift can be a challenge, but if you have a writer, or an aspiring writer, to buy for (or if your writing group or class happens to be doing a Secret Santa exercise this year) you’ll find plenty of suggestions right here, whether you want to spend a couple of dollars or a whole lot more.

Books. Almost by definition, most writers are readers. In fact most of us spend far too much time reading about how to be a writer when we should be writing. I’ve written a whole hub on Great Books For Writers, but I have, of course, come across even more brilliant writing books since then. My recent favourites include Writer Mama by Christina Katz and My So-called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman, which is also great for other types of freelancers.

A kindle. Of course, you don’t have to spend out big (or at all) to get lots of good advice about writing. If you’ve read my previous hubs about Free Resources for Writers, you’ll already be aware that there are tons of free ebooks available on writing and related subjects. But how is an aspiring writer ever to get round to reading them all? A Kindle would certainly help. It’s a portable reading device that lets you read ebooks on the go, without the need to lug your lap top around. I hope Santa is reading this, because I really want to find one in my stocking on Christmas morning!

Book marks. We writers often have several books on the go at any one time (I have 5 right now, but that does include both the children’s books I’m reading with my two kids), so we can never have enough book marks. An inexpensive gift that can easily be slipped in with a holiday card.

Women writers’ magnet set. Another inexpensive but thoughtful gift for the woman writer in your life - Pictures of famous women writers to fix to her fridge or filing cabinet, to inspire and remind her that success is possible, even when she’s rummaging through the filing cabinet looking for that lost invoice or set of research notes, or raiding the fridge late at night having hit a bad case of writer’s block that can only be cured by empty calories. Click here to view and order.

Pen. A versatile gift that can range in price from very reasonable to ridiculously expensive. I don’t find I write any better with a super swanky pen than I do with my daughter’s Hannah Montana pencil (Yes, I just grab whatever’s nearest) , but for many writers a fancy pen makes a wonderful gift.

Notebook. Again, we can never have too many.

Digital voice recorder. For when we’ve forgotten both notebook and pen – or it’s just not practical to use it (while driving comes to mind, but I’m sure you can think of other occasions!) and that potentially fleeting idea for our next article or book just needs to be captured.

Laptop. We’re jumping up in price here, but if there’s a writer who you're close to, who needs a new laptop (or who only has a desktop computer) here’s a chance to make yourself very popular. Writers like to write on the go - in cafes, libraries, at school or work, on trains and planes and buses. A battery with a long life is particularly useful, and for those writers lucky enough to already have a top of the range laptop, consider a case or carrying bag.

A subscription to a writing related magazine. Writers Digest in the US, or Writing Magazine/Writers News in the UK are both excellent but there are many others. If your writer friend/relative writes in a particular genre see if there’s a publication that specializes in it.

Business cards. What better way to show your writer friend you take them seriously than to have some professional business cards printed for them with Freelance Writer, or Journalist listed as their occupation. A practical gift that they can slip in with future submissions.

Their own website. Writers need a home on the web these days. How about setting up a simple website to showcase their work, or presenting them with their own domain name and some website building software, so they can build their own website. Visit Godaddy.com for ideas.

A writing course. There are some excellent ones around specializing in everything from travel writing to short stories, or you could buy them a ticket to a weekend (or even week-long) writing workshop or writers retreat. Search online for something that really fits in with their interests and where they are in their writing career.

A writing related experience. How about a ticket to a literary festival, or an author talk and book signing.

Writing related merchandise. Search the web for mugs, t-shirts etc with a writing related theme. I like this ‘Careful, You May End Up In My Novel’ mug from Cafepress and this ‘Author in Progress’ t-shirt from Writer’s Relief.

DVDs of movies about writers and writing. I just added a new post over at my writing blog, 228 Movies about Writing. Watching movies with a strong writing theme is a recent obsession of mine and strangely inspiring. I know of at least one writer who started her blog as a direct result of watching the movie, Julie & Julia. It's surprising how many writing themed movies there are when you start to dig a bit. Start by downloading a list of 228 here.

If you have an idea for a unique writing related gift, please share in the comments.