Looking for creative writing gifts for the Jane Austen or Stephen King in your life?
Overwhelmed by the myriad of options available on Amazon and Google?
In this easy-to-digest gift guide, I’m going to help you find the perfect gift for your writer friend, spouse, or loved one.
I’ll break everything down into categories, and I’ll even give you different price options for each unique gift idea so you can choose the best gift for your budget.
Sound good? Let’s dive in.
Here are 62 of the best gifts for writers and authors in 2022 (and beyond):
Most writers are avid readers.
Book lover? Bookworm? Bibliophile? We writers wear these terms as badges of honor.
That’s why a gift — any gift — related to reading is usually a big hit with writers.
Of course, “any gift related to reading” is broad and incredibly unhelpful.
So let’s look at several specific gift ideas you can try…
Does the writer in your life use torn sheets of paper, envelopes, or old Hootie and the Blowfish CDs to mark where they left off when reading?
You know they can do better, so let’s help them do better. Let’s gift them an actual bookmark.
And, at under $10 for a pack of 5, they’re a pretty affordable gift.
Want something a bit more creative?
Try postcards.
Win, win.
Every book lover has their favorite genre, but when you’re buying a book for a writer, getting something related to the craft of writing is usually a safe bet.
Here are four writing books we routinely recommend to our students:
If the writer in your life has ever said anything like…
…they probably wouldn’t appreciate a Kindle E-reader.
However, if they’ve ever uttered anything like, “How the heck am I going to fit all these books in my suitcase?” they’d probably love a Kindle.
Also:
Anyone who reads books on tablets (or who works on digital devices all day, which let’s face it, is most of us) needs a good pair of blue light blocking glasses.
I don’t pretend to understand the science behind them, but I know from personal experience they reduce eye strain and, in my case anyway, help me to have fewer headaches.
In other words, they’ll eventually end up buying a brand like Swanwick anyway, so you might as well save them a step.
Yes, it’s cliche. And, yes, most writers already have a dozen cheap pens scattered around their house.
But a good pen? A really, really good pen?
That’s a different story.
If you give a writer a good pen, it’s a gift that will be treasured.
On a tight budget? That doesn’t mean you can’t buy the writer or author in your life a solid pen they’ll love.
Don’t want a fine-point pen? Or maybe you’d like an upgrade in the “looks” department?
And if you get it for them, your writer friend or loved one will be able to respond and say, “Yes — yes it is.”
Is the writer in your life tech-savvy?
Does he or she prefer to write notes on paper?
I’ve included it on the list because it’s plated in 10 karat gold.
Sometimes, the most thoughtful gift you can give a writer is the gift of silence.
No, that doesn’t mean giving them the cold shoulder — it means giving them what I consider to be one of the very best gifts for writers:
Noise-canceling headphones that block out the world’s distractions so you can get down to business and write.
Of course, noise-canceling headphones aren’t cheap. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t good deals to be found.
Let’s look at a few…
But what if the writer in your life prefers earbuds?
It’s IPX7 rated (meaning it’s sweatproof and waterproof), offers USB-C charging, and has a battery that lasts 35 hours when fully charged.
Plus, the brand is called “EarFun” — how could it NOT be a good time for your ears?
Plus, its active noise cancellation can switch between different modes based on your location. That’s not a big deal if you only wear them in your writing space inside your home, but if you mix things up and sometimes go to coffee shops that play Justin Bieber music, it’s a feature you’ll appreciate when those distracting, horrible noises are blocked.
It offers many of the features you see with Apple’s AirPods Pro (more on it below), but at a much lower price.
Just think of all the pens you could buy with the money saved!
They’re probably my most extravagant purchase to date. So much so that, seconds after purchasing them, I had buyer’s remorse.
“Do you have any idea how many pens you could’ve bought with that money?” I asked myself.
But as soon as they arrived and I tried them on, I fell in love. Put simply: They minimize distractions and make my job infinitely easier.
The former is $200 earbuds with legions of die-hard fans and a host of great features.
The latter is over-ear headphones that cost almost $500. And, no, they aren’t plated in 10 karat gold. However, they are adored by almost everyone who’s purchased them.
(I hear the guy from the Monopoly board game can’t stop raving about his.)
If your writer friend or loved one is like most people, they rely on coffee (or tea) to get them through their day.
However, since society doesn’t let us inject it straight into our veins, a middleman — a coffee mug, cup, glass, tankard, stein, or chalice — is required to deliver caffeine goodness to our bodies.
Until the day such middlemen are no longer required, mugs will remain a fixture on every writer’s desk.
And that makes them great gifts for writers.
Want to give the writer in your life a mug that’s more special and unique than what’s available on Amazon?
Henneke Duistermaat, who’s both a talented writer and a talented cartoonist, has a collection of mugs designed to inspire and encourage writers and authors, young and old.
It features Henneke’s alter-ego, Henrietta, moving across vintage typewriter keys on one side, and a hand-written ritual on the other that’s designed to boost your creativity.
If they’re anything like me, the writer in your life will love it.
If you have a few more dollars to spend, consider getting a mug that’s virtually impossible to accidentally tip over.
Don’t believe such a thing exists?
Check out this video:
Plus, it fits into any car’s cupholder.
This portability will come in handy when your writer friend needs to leave the house (to buy more coffee).
If you have deep pockets and want to give the writer in your life the gift of not having to get up out of their chair, walk to a microwave, and warm up their cold cup of coffee like a caveman, buy them this:
What’s it do?
It does magic, my friend. Or, more specifically, it keeps your coffee warm for you.
So, not exactly magic, but close.
And if your special writer’s keyboard is currently filled with crumbs that fell from a sandwich consumed during the Obama administration, or their mouse has potato chip stains on it from a flavor they don’t even make anymore, an upgrade would undoubtedly be a welcomed writing gift.
But what to get?
A mechanical keyboard or one that’s low-profile and quiet? What about ergonomics? And do they need to be compatible with Macs, PCs, or both?
Let’s walk through several options (and several price points) so you can choose the right one.
Logitech is a trusted brand (you’ll see it pop up several times on this list) and this particular keyboard/mouse combo has over 27,000 reviews and a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Amazon. It’s a solid deal.
Want to give something that’ll be a bit kinder to your writer’s wrists and hands?
(Hey, remember back before COVID hit when people would actually shake hands? Good times. Good times.)
If your budget is bigger and you’d like to give your writer friend the best of the best, here’s where you should put your money.
At $100, it certainly isn’t cheap. But it’s really, really good.
Want ergonomic options?
In short, I highly recommend it.
Neither is better than the Logitech offerings in my opinion, but if your writer friend needs their Apple, don’t be a Scrooge. Give them their Apple.
Does the writer in your life prefer the clickety-clack sound and the tactile feel of mechanical keyboards?
Many writers do. In fact, some writers are so devoted to the typing experience provided by mechanical keyboards that the mere idea of using a low-profile keyboard sends shivers down their spines.
Most likely, such writers already own a mechanical keyboard. However, if they could use an upgrade, you have a few options:
Oh, by the way:
If your writer friend already has a perfectly good keyboard (that just happens to be incredibly filthy), you can help them remove those food crumbs by gifting them an air duster.
There are lots of great gifts for writers out there, and this post has only scratched the surface.
That’s why I’d love to hear from you.
What great writing gift did I miss?
A comfy pair of pajamas or literary t-shirt that says “It’s not the size of the short story that counts”? A tote bag from Etsy filled with a variety of novel tea flavors? How about a literary journal, pencil, or composition notebook?
In short:
What are your favorite gifts for writers? What about your favorite gifts for authors? What’s your go-to birthday or Christmas gift for the Ernest Hemingway in your life?
Share them in a comment below!
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Note: Most of the links above are referral links, which means we may get a small commission if you click on one of the writing gifts and decide to make a purchase. However, there’s no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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