You may or may not be in holiday shopping mode. In case you are, today I offer several f*ree or inexpensive gifts for writers. That’s right, the scribbler in your life!
Because, wouldn’t it be great to give abundant, generous gifts to writers whose words have changed us?
It’s possible! I have ideas for free gifts for the writers in your life. It’s easy to do, and they never even need to know you’ve gifted them.
It’s hard to conceive how much authors and writers need you, our readers, to help us spread the word. Most of these gifts require no money and just a few minutes of your time.
Use my ideas below and add your own free gifts for writers.
Reviews make a HUGE difference
We really need readers to help spread the word. Reviews are not something an author can do herself. Make it easy to write reviews.
Make a list of your three favorite books this year.
Write and publish a review of those books. (You can use the same review on independent sites like Fable, The Story Graph, Amazon, and Goodreads.
Hint: reviews can be 1-2 sentences. Pretend you are telling me what you love about it. Feel free to record this and transcribe it.
Get their books on buyers’ radar
Help authors spread the word!
Order their book from your local library.
Order a copy of their book for yourself or as a gift from your local independent bookstore.
Go on Goodreads and add their book to your shelf. Add relevant tags to help people find it. Her Lisbon Colors tags could be: upmarket fiction, travel fiction, Portugal, Lisbon, artist.
A friend pointed out that Her Lisbon Colors is on a list alongside other quite popular novels. This made me so happy! Please add ‘book club fiction’ to Her Lisbon Colors on your Goodreads shelf. Takes just a minute!
Make a stack of your favorite indie authors’ books. Photograph it, post it on the socials and tag the authors. Here’s one I posted on Indie Author Day last month. (Some are mine, some are my clients’ books, others are friends’ books. See bottom of the post for titles and author names. >>>
For newsletter writers
Go into your spam folder and mark all the Substack newsletters as ‘not junk/spam’.
Don’t just follow; subscribe to their newsletter.
Pass their newsletter on to someone who will love it.
Leave a comment letting the writer know how their words have affected you.
Highlight favorite books, newsletters, and writers in your annual review. Comment on how they have impacted your life.
What ideas do you have to support writers during this season and beyond? Share them below. And THANK YOU for all your support of me and my books.
Titles and authors of books in the photo above:
Override! What If There Was Another Way? Anne Ditmeyer
The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book Cynthia Morris
Permission to Glow Kristoffer Carter
Swing Ashleigh Renard
Some Dark Force Christina Boufis & Victoria Olsen
No Big Deal Torey Ivanic
Missing Tyler Tami Palmer
White Plains David Hicks
Stories I Can’t Show My Mother Ann Tinkham
Her Lisbon Colors Cynthia Morris
Chasing Sylvia Beach Cynthia Morris
Rise of the Reader Nick Hutchison
Part of Me Paul Wyman
I’d Rather Be in the Studio! Alyson Stanfield
Through Frankie’s Eyes Barbara Techel
Holy Wildness Tonja Reichley
Open to Love Dr. Horsley & Dr. Powers
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