Updated: November 29, 2019
The holiday season is upon us. Christmas and Hanukkah are just a few weeks away! If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for the writers and indie publishers in your life, take heart. We have ten gift ideas to please even the fussiest author.
1. Dedicated space for writing
Has the indie publisher in your home taken over the dining room table? Perhaps there’s still time to clear it off before the big family holiday dinner if you gift your beloved with an alternative home-based space to call their own. Check out these workspace ideas that can be tucked into even the smallest spaces. No time to build anything? A photo tucked inside a card or a box can buy you some breathing room.
2. Waterproof Notepad
Often, the best ideas come when we’re in the shower. But then what? Never lose another idea with Aqua Notes, a water-proof note pad that helps you capture and preserve your ideas before they’re forgotten! This handy notepad even comes with its own pencil.
3. Meals
When a writer is in “the zone,” remembering to eat or finding time to make healthy home-cooked meals can be a challenge. Gift your indie publisher with a week or more of dinners, delivered to the front door. Here are seventeen suggestions of companies that deliver readymade meals or the ingredients and recipes to make fabulous healthy meals, ready in as little as three minutes!
4. Chromebook, Tablet or iPad
Perhaps the writer in your family has a perfectly good desktop computer but would like the option of taking their work out of the house once in a while (see idea # 6). Chromebooks, Surface Pros, tablets and iPads present some lightweight options for portable computing devices and may be the perfect solution and a much-appreciated gift. Tables and iPads typically do not come with keyboards, but small portable keyboards can be purchased separately, as can mice. Small portable keyboards can even be attached to a cellphone and might be enough to keep your writer mobile. This article from November 2019 lists some great options for writers, and the author places a high premium on comfortable keypads. If you want to learn more about what to look for in a tablet or notepad for authors, check out this article, which also includes some suggested products.
5. Chocolate
Breaking writer’s block usually requires a trip to the snack cupboard. Chocolate is a fail-safe option for writers with a sweet tooth. Dark chocolate is healthier, with antioxidants and minerals (really!). Go for the good stuff though. Here is the best chocolate, according to foodandwine.com.
6. Gift Card to a Coffee Shop
If you can’t create the perfect workspace in your home, then the local coffee shop might be the next best thing. Even if you are able to write at home, it’s healthy to get out once in a while. Buy your indie publisher a gift card for a coffee shop that has lots of atmosphere, quiet background music, table space, and free Wi-Fi for doing research.
7. A Domain Name
A thoughtful and unique gift for an author is a domain name. Buying a domain name says, “I know you’re going to finish this book and I can’t wait to see it on the Internet!” A good choice for a domain name for an author is…wait for it…the author’s name! Investing in the author’s name rather than the book title means the website can be used for every book the author ever publishes rather than just one book. We suggest GoDaddy for domain names, and when your indie publisher is ready to create a website, they provide reliable web hosting as well.
8. Cover Design
Okay, we had to fit in one unique present from 1106 Design. Besides a domain name, what could be more motivating than the prospect of seeing your name on a book cover? With a gift of cover design, your indie publisher can look forward to working with a professional book designer to create a beautiful cover. 1106 Design also offers author coaching for when it’s time to launch the book, along with the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan and author websites, all gifts that would be appreciated when during crunch time.
9. A Subscription to the Chicago Manual of Style
Boring? We think not! The Chicago Manual of Style is our go-to guide at 1106 Design when we have an editing question. Writers can geek out on grammar and punctuation, and best of all, a one-year subscription is only $39.
10. Time
“If I only had more time!” is a phrase often uttered by frustrated writers who just can’t find enough moments in the day to focus on their craft. Give the gift of time by offering to babysit (if small children are a distraction), purchasing gift certificates for housecleaning services or lawn care, or spending time with an older parent if eldercare is involved. Failing that, see idea #4 to save time on meal preparation.
Do you have an idea for other unique gifts for indie publishers? Let us know!
