This gift guide is a resource for friends and family of authors to know what to get the author in their lives when it comes to gift-giving time. Many of these gifts have been vetted by me, and I use several of them daily.
LEUCHTTURM1917 – Notebook Hardcover Medium A5-251 – $22.95
Writers can never have too many notebooks, and the Leuchtturm1917 is my go to. I prefer the dotted format to the lined for more free-form use. Check out the pen holders below for an interesting accessory.
Murdy Creative Classic Cut – Refillable Leather Journal – $129.00
If you have a notebook, what’s better than a high class home for it? Murdy Creative makes beautiful leather goods in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes.
Yizerel Pen Loop Holder Set, 12 Pack – $7.99
These pen tabs are a great way to tote your gel pens with your favorite notebook.
UIXJODO Gel Pens – $8.79
You can’t have a notebook without a pen to fill it. I’ve spent far more than I care to admit on the hunt for a good gel pen. UIXJODO makes the best pen I’ve found so far. If you’ve found something better, please leave a link in the comments.
Post-it Super Sticky Notes, 3×3 in
One of the essential tools in my arsenal, the humble Post-it aids in plotting the Mason Ashford stories. It’s common to find an office wall filled with multi-colored pieces of paper as I’m working out the best way to make Mason’s life miserable.
Writing Timer – $14.99
Many writers use timed sprints to crank out words. The Pomodoro method of 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off is a great approach, but you need a great timer. This low cost timer works for writing as well as in the kitchen.
Philz Coffee – $20
Philz is a Bay Area staple, and it’s hard to go wrong with Ambrosia light roast. It makes a great cup of coffee, hot or iced.
Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones – $329.00
While there are lower cost options on the market, I’ve been a Bose fan for well over a decade. I recently picked up the new QC45 headphones during Prime Day and couldn’t be happier with them. The noise cancelation is exceptional.
Brain.fm Subscription – $49.99 annual subscription
Avoiding distractions is essential to writing and Brain.fm is a great tool to help with that. The app allows you to select the type of work you’re doing (creative, deep focus, etc.) and how long you want to work in that mode. It also has options for de-stressing and recharging.
Freedom.to – $29/year
Freedom is another tool to help writers – and anyone else – avoid distractions. Set a timer and Freedom blocks websites, messaging apps, and anything else from the internet hoping to pull focus away from writing. It’s simple to use, and even works on phones and tablets.
From the Library Of… Library Embosser – Various
What’s cooler than having your own library embosser? There are lots of styles to choose from!
Kindle Oasis – $249
My first Kindle was… the first Kindle! I’ve never looked back. As a frequent traveler, ebooks are my go to. It beats lugging a collection of paperbacks everywhere I go. This new Kindle Oasis has great battery life and a special night mode to avoid blue light before bed.
Jasmine, Oud & Sandalwood Candles – $19.95
Jasmine is known to help with focus – something all writers can use a hand with.
Vekkia Rechargeable LED Neck Reading Light – $26.99
If e-readers aren’t for you, you’ll need a way to throw some light on your book of choice. This over-the-neck reading light is great for airplanes and reading in bed. Best of all – it’s rechargeable, so no batteries required.
Novel Teas Book Lover’s Tea – $12.95
A perfect gift for the book lover and writer. 25 individually tagged teabags with literary quotes from the world over.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression – $6.99 (ebook)
The Emotion Thesaurus helps writers describe characters in different emotional states and includes physical traits, mental responses, and how emotions can escalate and change. All of the books from Ackerman and Puglisi are great resources for today’s writer.
Writing the Blockbuster Novel – $11.99 (ebook)
Albert Zuckerman, legendary literary agent, has worked with many bestselling authors, including Ken Follett, Olivia Goldsmith, Antoinette Van Heugten, Michael Lewis, and F. Paul Wilson. Zuckerman is a master at teaching writers the skills necessary to crack the bestseller list. For this revised edition of Writing the Blockbuster Novel, Zuckerman has added an analysis of Nora Roberts’s The Witness, which he uses along with classic books like Gone With the Wind and The Godfather, to illustrate his points. Zuckerman’s commentary on Ken Follett’s working outlines for The Man From St. Petersburg provide a blueprint for building links between plot and character. A new introduction discusses social media and self-publishing.
Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story – $9.99
Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin’s own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – $13.99 (ebook)
Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.
QWERKYWRITER® “US Layout” Typewriter-Inspired® Mechanical Keyboard – $249
Before I started my first novel, I received a Qwerkywriter S as a gift and instantly fell in love with the clacky formality of the typewriter-inspired keys. The keyboard connects to three different devices using Bluetooth and the battery lasts for over a month.