‘Tis the season of cold weather, snow, holidays, and gifts. My husband was bound and determined to get all of our Christmas shopping done in one day and somehow, we really truly managed it! I’m also trying to get a jump on wrapping presents to destress the holiday season as much as possible. So far, I’d say it is currently a success. We’ll see if that feeling remains the closer we get to the holiday.
Everyone has been asking me what I want for Christmas and it’s such a hard question to answer. I mean, I’m a book lover and a bit of a geek so anything and all things book-related, I am absolutely down for. The list I’ve provided them with includes fiction books for fun, craft books on writing, and obviously, anything ACOTAR-related (I’m Rhysand obsessed).
With all of the thoughts swirling in my head about books and gifts, it got me thinking, how can someone shower their favorite authors with gifts? What types of gifts would an author or writer even want?
5 Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Authors
Give the Gift of a Review
Writers and Authors benefit from your reviews! You may think that your review doesn’t matter all that much, but in truth, a review is a fantastic gift to give your favorite authors. Even if the review you leave is short and sweet, reviews can help an author’s book appear higher up on the Amazon search list and may make or break someone’s decision to purchase a book or try a new author. Reviews are central to an author’s success, especially an Indie author.
Share Their Works
Shout your favorite author and their books from the rooftops! Sharing is caring and spreading the word about those books may just help a friend discover a new favorite author. Gifting books to your friends and family is also a great option to spread the wealth around. Some books and authors that I have come to love came from suggestions from friends or gifts from family. Never underestimate the power of sharing and gifting books with those you love.
Fanart Fanatics
If you’re artistic and you know it, clap your hands! Put your art skills to work by drawing or designing a rendition of your favorite book, scene, location, or character, especially during a time when AI is being used to recreate so many images from books. Not only may the author love the fanart, but other readers may too! A note on this: some authors may feel differently about fanart so it doesn’t hurt to do a little research first to see if your efforts will be appreciated. Personally, if someone loves my work enough to do a fanart of it, I think I’d be on Cloud 9.
Send them a Note
Reach out with a kind note and a word about your enjoyment of their books and hopes for their characters. Sometimes, especially when you’re a new author, your efforts may seem to go unnoticed and there are days where writing feels like a waste of time. Your kindness may be the reason an author keeps going with their stories and how cool would that be!
Give Them a Follow (But Not in a Creepy Way)
Marketing is NOT what your favorite authors went into writing for and yet, a large portion of marketing must be done by the author themselves, or through a hired agency. Following and engaging with authors on social media as well as signing up for their emailed newsletters is a great way to show your love of their books and keep up to date with new projects they may be releasing. You can follow on your preferred media, through their newsletters, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. Some of the authors, especially Indie authors will engage with fans directly, and how cool is that?
If you’ve got authors or books that have altered your life and changed your perspective on reading, don’t hesitate to let them, or the world, know! If you have a book or an author you want to share with me, I’d absolutely love to see who y’all are reading.
Here is my list for you:
Kingdom of Ash – Sarah J. Maas (the final book in the Throne of Glass series) (Paperback)
The Fine Print – Lauren Asher (first book in the Dreamland Billionaires trilogy) (Paperback)
Wolf Trouble – Paige Tyler (SWAT Special Wolf Alpha Team Book 2) (Kindle E-Book)
Dark N’ Deadly – Tee O’Fallon (Federal K-9 Series) (Audiobook)
Happy Reading my friends!
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