‘Tis the season…to find the perfect gift. And what better thing to buy for your favorite writer than a writing-related book that will help them on their journey? 

Here are my recommendations for books available widely, on Amazon, Bookshop(you’ll find each of these titles at this link, with the exception of Create, which you’ll find here), or your favorite local indie bookseller: 

 5 Writing Books

1. Blueprint For a Book, Jennie Nash. This new mini-bible is a start-to-finish guide to writing your best book. Perfect for the new writer, it’s also highly recommended for the experienced writer, as Jennie walks the author through creating an Inside Outline for a novel. The I/O teaches the writer how to craft a story that uses cause and effect, and if your favorite author has ever written a novel that doesn’t use this technique, you’ll know how much they need this book.
2. Writing Fiction, 10^th Edition, Janet Burroway & Ned Stuckey-French. Because this book is big and a little pricier than some, you’ll want to gift it for sure. It’s an MFA in Writing, between the covers.With detailed examples and numerous exercises, I recommend this to all truly aspiring writers. Plus, it will keep them occupied through those cold winter nights.
3. Create, Meera Kothand. As you know (ha!) I keep this blog active mainlybecause I love connecting with all of you. It’s not a source of income but a way to share some of the stuff I’ve learned over the years I’ve been involved in publishing. But maintaining the pace of blogging without repetition and with enthusiasm is taxing. Enter this workbook. It’s a planner, it’s a brainstorming book, it’s a way to keep track. If your favorite writer blogs – or even if they want to plan their year in some way towards marketing and advancing their career, this is a great addition to your gift stack.
4. Marketing For Writers Who Hate Marketing, James Scott Bell. This is my new favorite read for the writers I coach or talk to who are ready to submit. Not craft, no, but a useful tome to address all those issues around the processes of submitting and publishing. It’s especially useful for the self-pubbed or indie author but I found it useful for those of us in mid list traditional publishing. We all must learn how to market – that’s just a fact. And the small tips and tidbits herein are  Consider: a writer, no matter how published, needs to cultivate an email list. This list allows your favorite writer to announce their new book to an audience already primed to read it. Gift them this one and they’ll love you for it.
5. Story Genius, Lisa Cron. Yes, I put this on all my top # craft books lists. If your favorite writer has not yet succumbed to buying it, you can. I’m a fanatic for understanding brain science, and Lisa makes clear that it is the reader’s connection with the writer’s brain through the character’s emotions that ties us to story. Once your writer has read this one, they will craft stronger stories for sure.

Have a happy holiday with writerly joy!