It’s that time of year. The songs are everywhere, the food is yummy, and the stress of buying Christmas presents is real.
Honestly I hate buying presents. It makes me panic.
So, to save you the stress of pulling out your hair, here’s a list of Christmas present ideas for writers.
They cover every budget and every type of writer.
Books
Let’s Get Digital—David Gaughran
If your writer friend is just starting out and in need of some publishing advice, David Gaughran is your man.
His books are easy but helpful and inspiring reads.
Let’s Get Digital was the first book on self-publishing I read, and I learnt a lot from it.
Strangers to Superfans—David Gaughran
The title says it all: how to turn strangers into superfans.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression—Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman
Describing emotions can be difficult. Many writers fall into the trap of using the same words and phrases over and over, making their writing repetitive for readers.
The Emotion Thesaurus offers alternative ways to describe the emotions we feel every day.
Writing Myths—Kristina Adams
Know someone who’s just starting out but doesn’t know what path to take?
Writing Myths dispels common myths about writing careers. It’s a great read for non-writers who insist on giving ‘advice’ too…
Productivity for Writers—Kristina Adams
Whatever the writer in your friend writes, Productivity for Writers has productivity tips to help them improve their craft, write faster, and achieve their writing goals sooner.
Books (inside and outside of their genre)
Reading is an important part of life as a writer. Studying writers inside the genre they write in will help your writer to understand readers’ expectations, while studying books outside of it helps to stop them from falling into genre cliches.
Software and subscriptions
Music subscription
Music is a huge part of many writers’ creative processes. Why not get them a subscription or gift voucher for their favourite music streaming service?
Web hosting/a website
Websites are vital to attracting readers, advertising upcoming books, and connecting with fans.
I use Krystal web hosting as their support is amazing, they’re based in the UK, and they’re reasonably priced. If you sign up with the code writerscookbook, you’ll get £5 off your order.
Book Funnel
Book Funnel is so cool. It allows readers to download free books straight to their e-reader. It’s great for lead magnets.
MailerLite
Mailing lists are an author’s bread and butter. Why not pay for a year’s subscription of a mailing list platform for your writer?
I recommend MailerLite as it’s easy to use and you get a lot of features in the free plan including automation sequences and up to 1000 subscribers. Paid users can also automatically resend email campaigns and have more subscribers.
Microsoft Office
Almost everywhere that takes guest posts wants them in Microsoft Office or Google Docs format.
Scrivener
I’ve raved plenty of times about how much I love Scrivener, so I won’t go on about it here.
What I will say is that Scrivener is a great present for someone as it’s not too expensive and it can make a huge difference to someone’s writing life. While it’s designed for novelists, it can be used for any kind of writing.
Novlr
Novlr is a web-based writing software. It’s constantly adding new features, but there’s a monthly cost so it would have to be a gifted subscription for a set amount of time.
Ulysses
Ulysses is a clean writing software that works on multiple devices. It can publish to Medium and WordPress for your writer friend. It also has a live preview feature so that they can see how things look without exporting them first.
ProWritingAid
A lot of people rave about Grammarly, but ProWritingAid will always be my favourite. I find it picks up on more. It’s a cross between Grammarly and Hemingway, making it a much more advanced tool for professional writers.
Licences can be purchased on a monthly, yearly, or lifetime basis.
Classes
Writing classes
Writing classes are the best way to improve your skills as a writer. Classes range in price from a few pounds to hundreds of pounds, so check your local area and see what’s available.
Public speaking classes
Public speaking is vital to advertising a writer’s work. But many struggle with it. Why not find some public speaking classes to help your writer friend?
Writing retreat
Some people love writing retreats, some people aren’t a fan. Personally I am, but I don’t get much writing done. For me it’s about a break from responsibility where the only thing I need to worry about is my writing. Many have workshops and feedback sessions within them, too.
There are writing retreats for most budgets. The most famous writing retreat is Arvon.
Hardware
Noise-cancelling headphones or earphones
The perfect way to avoid distractions. My personal favourite are Sony’s WH-1000XM3. Their noise-cancelling capabilities are great if your writer friend has to work in noisy environments.
Tablet
Tablets are great for working on the go. I also edit on my tablet. Seeing it in ebook format on my iPad is very different than reading it on my laptop in Scrivener. You read very differently and pick up on different things, which is useful.
Laptop
The writer in your life after a new laptop? Why not treat them?
Other
Comfy writing clothes
When you’re sitting in front of a laptop writing all day, it’s nice to mooch about in a pair of trackies and a hoody. Why not treat them to something nice from Jack Wills or Superdry?
Pamper day
I’ve fixed many plot problems when I’m doing something completely unrelated to writing. Sometimes some down time is all your need.
Nail kit
Typing with long nails is HARD. Ensure the writer in your life always has amazing nails with a good nail kit.
Gym membership
Sitting in front of a computer all day isn’t great for your health. A membership to a local gym—particularly one that offers classes in a sport that your writer is interested in—can motivate them to keep moving even though they spend long periods sitting down.
Stationery
What writer doesn’t love stationery? Enough said.
And finally…
Leave a review
Reviews make a writer’s world go ’round. They really can be the difference between sales and crickets. This is a simple, free gift you can leave for any author you love.
If your friend—or favourite writer—isn’t an author but a blogger or social media star, leaving a comment on their post can be just as powerful.
The more engagement people see with someone’s work, the more likely they are to take notice. Just five minutes of your time makes more of a difference than you realise.
