By
Dora Machado
I'm the world's worst
gift-giver. I procrastinate, which doesn't help, because then I have no good
gift ideas and no time to think about good gift ideas, either.
So this year, I'm
starting early and I'm plagiarizing. Yep, I'm plagiarizing, guys—I'm getting my
gift ideas from some of the best gifts that other people have given me. And, even
better, because the odds are high that you are a writer too, my list goes both
ways. Go ahead, you can use this list to shop for someone else and/or you can
make liberal use of your highlighter and then forward it to a relevant e-mail
address, or conveniently forget it on the kitchen counter—oops!—or leave it
under someone's pillow.
Okay, that might sound
a little self-serving, but hey, just as you are thinking about what you are
going to give others, others are thinking about what to give you.
So without further ado
and in no particular order—wait for it… can you hear the musical cue?—these are
a few of my favorite, practical and very specific writer things:
1.
Adjustable mobile rolling laptop desk:
My dad gave me one of these a few years
ago. He said I needed more time away from the "big" desk. This multifunctional
laptop desk can be rolled around the house and the office and is perfect for
the writer who needs a flexible work space or for those of us who like to
change scenery through the day. Best news? You can find versions of it in all
price ranges! Available pretty much everywhere: Amazon.com, Overstock.com,
Staples, Office Depot, Target, WalMart. I even saw one version of it for $15.99
at CVS last week. The model below is from Amazon.com and can be purchased for
$58.94.
2.
Library Cart. My husband—handsome devil that he
is—sneaked one of these under the Christmas tree a few holiday seasons
ago. Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a geek. I
was so excited about my brand new library cart! This
Wood Book Cart is ideal to hold conceptual, quick reference and research
materials. I use mine to collect the basic, go-to resources that I'm currently
using in a project. Whether I'm working at my desk or on the terrace, I can
have everything I need at my fingertips. Spoiler alert. At $244, this
particular model can be pricy. But I did find a laminate version on Amazon.com
for $59.
3.
Any author in the midst of a new release
will love a book publicity package. There are some
excellent ones out there, and they can range widely in prices, including the
ones by the very talented Mayra Calvani, who offers a combo
package that includes interviews, guest posts, spotlights, and profiles posted
on sites such as Blogcritics Magazine, Seattle Post Intelligencer, The
Examiner, Open Salon, The Writer's Life eMagazine, The Dark Phantom Review, Red
Room, Goodreads, and about 14 other blogs for only $199. Contact: mayra.calvani@gmail.com.
4.
For the busy author seeking to augment his/her social media presence, a subscription to a social media promotion
service might be just the thing. There are many good ones, all of which
work to promote your work, posts and reviews. Aileen Aroma offers a customize
range of services starting at very reasonable prices. Contact her at aileenaroma@aol.com for additional information.
5.
Another great gift for an author promoting
a release is a Virtual Book Tour
(VBT). VBTs come in all types and sizes, and can provide inexpensive and simple
services, such as a one-week Twitter book blast, or complex packages that
include anywhere from a week's tour to a sixty-day tour and range from ten
stops to more than fifty stops.
Bewitching
Book Tours offers several different packages, ranging from $40 for a one-day blitz to $125 for a one-month
tour and $175 for a tour with all the bells and whistles. In addition,
Bewitching offers gift certificates in digital or paper format that can be
applied towards any of their tour packages. For more information, contact roxannerhoads@bewitchingbooktours.com.
I.O. Virtual Book Tours
also offers Virtual Book Tour packages widely ranging in prices and services,
which can be previewed here.
6.
A gift certificate to http://www.vistaprint.com
can gift the author in your life with some very reasonable, quality business
cards that will guarantee a great first impression for agents, publishers,
colleagues and readers. The gift
certificate can easily be put to good use to design and print some very
necessary marketing props. From personal author cards to bookmarks, Vistaprint
offers some very reasonable deals on promotional materials beginning as low as
$10.99.
And here's a neat tip,
courtesy of my colleague at TTB, Knight
of Flame author, Scott Eder: Vistaprint offers an option to add a QR code
to the back of a business or promo card. A smartphone can scan the QR and
connect directly to an author's website, book or even a sample chapter. Take a look at my business card and post card below. How
cool is that?
7.
This wonderful book bag was a special
gift from a dear girlfriend. Boy, did she hit the nail in the head. The Bloomsbury Bookbag from Levenger's is a leather and canvas tote
bag with a generous capacity for books, tablets, files and more, and comes
stocked with 8 useful tools for reading and note-taking, including stiff file
folders that protect your notes and loose pages. It's perfect for those writers’
conferences and it fits everything that you might need during your speaking
engagement, book signing or critic club meeting. It's lightweight, which I
love, and very sturdy. It's priced at $69 and it comes in three different
colors.
8.
Even for the practical-minded writer, a custom
piece of jewelry might be just the thing. My girlfriend Y—mistress of
gift-giving—presented me with a very special, incredibly thoughtful gift for The Curse Giver's release. She had this beautiful custom pendant
designed especially for the occasion. She told me that she selected the green
stones to evoke my heroine's connection with the earth and her love for the
herbs and ingredients she used to mix her potions. She said that the pendant's custom design evoked
the magical ring depicted on my heroine's back in The Curse Giver's cover. Take a look below. What do you think?
The pendant is gorgeous as is, but it was the thought and care that Y put into her gift that touched me so deeply.So perhaps you might
want to consider the option of ordering a custom jewelry piece, a bracelet,
charm, pendant, necklace, something unique that somehow reflects a special connection
to the person, his book or her stories.
There are many custom jewelry designers
around. I'm fond of http://www.etsy.com/,
a website that houses a host of talented artists who specialize in handmade or vintage items, art and supplies. Etsy describes
itself as "the most vibrant handmade marketplace." They offer an
astounding variety of options, styles and prices. Whether you want to spend a
few dollars or more, you can personalize almost anything at Etsy. At the end of
the day, it's the thought and care you put into a gift that matters. Thanks
again, Y!
9.
My little sister was barely out of college when she splurged to buy me this
phenomenal Mont Blanc pen. She was thinking ahead. She
anticipated that one day, I would be autographing my own books. She predicted
that I would need a reliable, well-engineered, lasting pen with just the right
thickness point. The best part about her gift? Every time I sign one of my
books, I feel her love and presence.
This
is an expensive gift by all standards, but Montblanc is supporting UNICEF’s
global initiatives to enable more children to learn how to read and write. For
every piece in the Signature for Good collection sold, Montblanc will donate
part of its proceeds to UNICEF’s education programs.
10.
And of course, any reasonable gift list for writers must include—what else?—some awesome books about writing.
Whether you are buying for the newbie writer or the veteran author, these books—some
old, some new—are bound to please.
From Sol Stein, On
Writing and How to Grow a Novel are
two of my all-time favorites. Times may be changing, but the principles of good
writing and great storytelling remain the same. These awesome books start at
$12.99 new for the paperback editions, and are available also in hard cover and
Audible editions at Amazon.com.
From Orson Scott Card, How
to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy is a must read. My
yellowing 1990 paperback edition is highlighted from top to bottom. I loved every page of this concise,
well-written treasure, especially the last three pages, which talk about a
writer's life at home with heartfelt honesty. Available in paperback edition
new for as little as $9.99 on Amazon.com.
Another favorite of
mine is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas. It might be because
I got it when I first took Mr. Maas's seminar many years ago, but I found this
book as helpful as the seminar. The version that
I have is available in paperback and Kindle versions, starting at $9.34. I
haven't read Mr. Maas's updated book, The Breakout Novelist, but I include
it here with great hopes. It's also available in paperback and Kindle versions,
starting at $11.99.
And then there is Write
Like the Wind, from MB4's very own Aaron Lazar, a three-book deeply
personal series on writing that manages to teach, comfort and inspire at the
same time. This honest, vivid look at
the writer's life offers plenty of wisdom to all writers, including the
aspiring writer. The series’ three books are available in e-book format, on sale
for a price that can't be beat—all three books for under $5. My favorite format
is the Audible version at only $6.95.
What do you think?
Anything here that catches your fancy? Do you have a fantastic gift idea for writers that you
want to share with the rest of us?
****
Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic
fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She grew up
in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a
taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but
different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida
with her husband and three very opinionated cats.
To learn more about Dora
Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at Dora@doramachado.com.
For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit: http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.
What a super cool post--and honestly, not because I'm one of the "gifts"!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be checking out many of your links, especially Aileen Aroma.
Another great gift for a writer is a back massage: our neck and back and shoulders would be grateful!
Best,
Mayra
A back massage!!! What a great idea! Thank you, Mayra. I'd love a back massage right about now. :)
ReplyDeleteDora, this is a WONDERFUL post! Thanks so much for thinking of Mayra and me, and your VBT hosts today. You are one amazing lady. ;o)
ReplyDeleteOh, please! Just sharing a few of my favorite things. :)
ReplyDelete