The Giving Season: 10 Practical Gifts for Writers in a Time of Pandemic
Now more than ever, it’s time to skip the funny T-shirt or coffee mug as a gift for the special writer in your life. The global pandemic has made it exponentially harder for aspiring writers to break into traditional publishing and the newly published writers to succeed. The publishing industry is still trying to regain its footing under the current climate of lockdowns, layoffs, and losses.
Top 10 Gifts: COVID-19 Edition
Unless the writer in your life is a best-selling author, aim for something practical that will help boost his or her writing and publication efforts. Here are a few ideas:
#1 Give the gift of time. Most writers need to juggle their day jobs, family life, and creative writing. Uninterrupted writing, even just for a few hours, is my definition of heaven! If you can give just one thing, volunteer to babysit or run errands for your writer.
#2 Pay for a subscription or membership. Every writer could use professional support and access to special resources. A subscription to a writing magazine (e.g., Writer’s Digest, Publishers Weekly) or an online information service (Publishers Marketplace, Literary Marketplace, etc.) or a literary journal (Electric Literature, One Story, etc.) will go a long way. You can also give the gift of membership in associations such as the Authors Guild or International Thriller Writers or Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. There’s a group for just about every genre.
#3 Be an assistant for the day. This is directly related to #1. Perhaps your writer is doing research about the Great Depression for a work in progress. Maybe he or she is looking for writing contests to enter in 2021. Volunteer for a task or two that Amazon Alexa can’t do.
#4 Buy a book. Buying a good book is a reward in itself, but since we’re talking about gifts, you should buy a copy of your writer’s book and give it to someone else. If your writer is unpublished, buy a book in his or her genre or get a bookstore gift card. When you buy a book, you’re supporting the industry your writer wants to be a part of.
#5 Support independent bookstores. While you’re trying to fulfill #4, how about supporting your local independent bookstore? Indies are among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 lockdowns. If your local bookstore is not open, order a book through the store’s website. If the bookstore doesn’t sell online, the easiest way to support it is by shopping on bookshop.org. Do a search on the platform for your local indie store. If that store sells books using Bookshop’s platform, buy a book through the store; it will earn 30 percent of the cover price of any sales it generates. If your local indie store isn’t an affiliate, buy a book on bookshop.org anyway. Your order will contribute to an earnings pool that’s divided evenly among independent bookstores every six months.
#6 Give the gift of company, but be mindful of social distancing. Most writers enjoy working alone, but it can get lonely at times. While the pandemic is raging, invite your writer for a long walk or a short run, so you can safely spend time together outdoors. If indoor or outdoor dining is allowed in your city or town, treat your writer to lunch or even just coffee, and spend quality time together.
#7 Don’t forget food and beverage. Feed the writer in your life, even if it’s just picking a restaurant gift card or a bottle of wine. If you don’t have the budget for it, you can always cook for your writer. It can be as simple as using your Panini grill to make a special sandwich. Add a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, while you’re at it. You can eat together, or if you’re social distancing, surprise your writer with a special delivery.
#8 Offer moral support. Writing is full of rejections, disappointments, and uncertainties. Securing a literary agent and getting published traditionally is hard. Take the time to offer some encouragement through something palpable like an old-fashioned letter or a handmade card. Better yet, record a short video message with your smartphone.
#9 Write an online review and interact on social media. If your writer has a published book or short story, one of the nicest things you can do is to read the work and write an honest review online. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, or on literary websites and other platforms can influence casual browsers to buy a book or read a short story. Most readers can’t be bothered to rate or review even books they like, so you can be sure this is a gift your writer will greatly appreciate.
If you’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and social media, give a shout-out to your writer to help generate some buzz for his or her work. If your writer is unpublished, show your support through interactions on social media, especially on posts pertaining to a particular work (or work in progress). Leave comments on your writer’s blog, “like” the posts, and “follow” your writer.
#10 Give the gift of an online writing course or conference. If you can afford it, ask your writer if there’s a course or conference he or she wants to attend. In-person events can be expensive, but the pandemic has forced those events to switch online. You might be able to get a more affordable deal at this time.
With the right gift, you can make writing (and getting published) a little more enjoyable for the special writer in your life. Happy giving!
Note: I’ve updated this post, first published on my blog on Dec. 6, 2017. Photos by Cindy Fazzi.
