I'm such a romantic when it comes to Christmas time. Although Christmas in Australia is in the middle of a blazing summer, I still love the romanticism and nostalgia of a white Christmas. If you love giving gifts, and you have a writer or two in your life, then these super-practical gifts might be just the ticket to help them along their authoring journey. Happy shopping!
Disclaimer: I'm not paid to promote any of these gift ideas, I just think they're nifty!
12-month subscription of the leading and current publishing-industry news and analysis by Jane Friedman. A must have!
A powerhouse library filled with unique resources, tools, and tutorials that will help elevate a writer’s storytelling. Created by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (authors of the Emotion Thesaurus). Your writer friend won't need to look anywhere else. Hands down the best writing tools in town!
3. Grammarly
Nothing beats a real-life editor, but Grammarly is still a fantastic writer’s tool to help your writer friends clean up those early drafts before they're passed on to you to beta read. So, actually, you'll be doing yourself a favour buying them this gift. LOL!
Help bring an author’s characters to life through illustrations by artist Holly Bunn. Book artwork is a great visual for your author friends to add to their website or social media posts. Give your writer pals that extra edge to be seen.
Brilliant for Historical Fiction authors who have finished writing and revising, and now need genre-friendly eyes on their work! Get quality feedback from six, carefully screened, real historical fiction readers—through The History Quill.
Handy for soon-to-be published Historical Fiction authors. Generate early reviews, from real historical fictions readers, for an upcoming book (complies with Amazon’s review rules)—through The History Quill.
The reviews aren't posted on Amazon but can be promoted through Mary Anne Yarde’s extensive social media reach.
Great for social-proofing your writer friend's book—through The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Masking up has never been so much fun! There are so many unique designs to choose from. These trendy masks turn an author's occupation into a brand of honour. They also up your bragging skills to be able to say you're walking beside an author!
For a writer’s personally branded sticker, label, magnet, button or packaging needs. Makes for excellent book swag! If you have writer friends who are in the marketing phase of their career, they'll LOVE you for this gift. And you never know, you might just get a piece or two of their swag too!
10. Foot Hammock
Perfect for writers who sit for hours and need to reposition their legs. Keep your favourite author friend or family member comfy while they create their masterpiece. Either that, or it'll make the perfect cat swing! This gift might even earn you an acknowledgement in their new novel!
For even more gift ideas, check out my 2019 Christmas List!
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Before becoming a historical fiction author, Emma Lombard was an editor in the corporate world across various industries—aviation, aquatic ecology, education and the world of academia. Her blog series Twitter Tips for Newbies is popular in Twitter's #WritingCommunity for helping writers (new to Twitter) navigate the platform and find their voices on social media. She is a writer for ENVIE Magazine, in which she has a monthly column. She is the author of the upcoming historical adventure, Discerning Grace.