There must be a lot of writers in the world, just judging by the number of writer-themed gift ideas there are floating around there every year around the holidays. From t-shirts and mugs emblazoned with debatably pithy sayings to notebooks, writing-related apps and software, and even gadgets like the Freewrite wireless typewriter.
In spite of the ubiquity of variously kitschy gift ideas for the writer in your life, it can often be hard to know what kinds of gifts will do them the most good. Writers, after all, tend to lead somewhat solitary lives, and so sometimes–minus them having an Amazon wishlist they can send you a link to–it can be tough to know what they might need from day-to-day. Maybe your writer likes to write things out longhand before typing them up. In that case, she could probably use more of her favorite pens. Or maybe your writer needs a distraction-free writing environment. Noise-cancelling headphones may be just the ticket.
One thing that every writer needs is a great website, designed by people who know what makes author websites tick. That’s what we do here at Clockpunk Studios. We are writers ourselves, and we’ve made creating the very best in author websites our focus from the start. That means we have a lot of experience dealing with the ins and outs and ups and downs that go into an author website; we know what functionality to include, and what pitfalls to avoid! We also know that every author website is different, and so we work with our clients to create a website that reflects who they are as an author and helps to build their brand.
At the end of the day, probably the best gift that you can give to any writer is to read one of their books and leave an honest review of it on Amazon, Goodreads, or just on your own blog. Glowing reviews are best, of course, but ultimately any review is great, as long as it’s honest. Tag your favorite writers on Facebook or Twitter and let them know about your review. Reviews not only boost an author’s spirits, they also help other people find their books, and contribute to things like Amazon ranking algorithms that lead to better visibility. In fact, take it from an author, there are few things that we appreciate more during any time of year than plenty of reviews!