2016 Holiday Gift Guide For Writers

It's that time of year again, and every year I update the gift guide for writers. For those of you who have writers in your life (and we all do. We're like black sheep, we're everywhere!) don't miss this list!

Here’s a simple guide of various gifts that writers would greatly appreciate, including a few items to avoid. :)

~Reviews! - 2nd year in the row on the top of the list! Reviews on novels through whatever medium you use. Amazon, GoodReads, B&N Nook. If you loved a novel, write a review and let others know! Can't tell you how much this one is appreciated, especially by Indie authors like us, more than any other 'gift!'

~Wireless laser printer (color or black & white) - With the amount of paper we go through printing out our masterpieces, the faster the better. Preferably one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to replace the toner.

~ Subscription to PicMonkey or Canva - Most authors are now involved in areas of marketing or promotions for their own novels and brand, if not 100% responsible for it. These sites help us create graphics and appealing ads to market our lovely books! (Writers, if you don't know about these sites, you must check them out!)

~Printer paper - A whole case doesn't cost that much, and we'll go through every single sheet. It's like chocolate or coffee, they don't last very long in a writer's household.

~Ink or Toner - See paper.

~Coffee mugs - Speaking of coffee, we go through ridiculous amounts of this life-saving beverage. Though feel free to spread the wings a little bit and include some kind of special flavored hot teas. Just to shake things up. But be unique with these mugs. Show us something different, and of course must be dishwasher safe!

~Coffee, or Starbucks gift cards – We need something to put in those lovely mugs you purchased. Since we're not allowed to filter coffee through an IV, we'll settle for the next best thing.

~Pens – But not just any pen. Give us something different, like those coffee mugs.

~Books – Obviously! Was there any other guess? We'll settle for giftcards to bookstores, too.

~ Chocolate or Fruit Bouquets - Something snack size so we can munch as we write. Chocolate because this is my guilty pleasure, and fruit bouquets because it would be nice to have something healthy in there. Or perhaps chocolate-dipped fruit! Ooh, best of both worlds!

~Massage or Spa Day gift card – This one is still on the list, because it's vital. Can't stress it enough. This forces us out of the house to relax our writing muscles.

Don’t Bother With These:

X Thesaurus – Once again, top of the Do Not Purchase List. Every writer already has one, and every good writer knows not to use it. Still #truth.

X Subscription to Writer’s Digest or Writer’s Journal – This was on the list last year as an option, but this year it got kicked to the curb. Why? Because all of the information in these subscriptions are now available online through other means, and mostly free of charge. Sorry!

X Digital Voice Recorder – Every phone has something already on it that works. My phone came with 3 different apps.

X Journals – Unless specifically requested, stay away from these! Every writer has a billion of these shoved somewhere in drawers. Plus, it’s a cliché. Writers are supposed to hate clichés.

That's this year's gift guide for writers. Do you have any suggestions for this list, something that we missed?  Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza! Happy Holidays! PEACE ON EARTH

*This post originally appeared on Smart Girls Read Romance blog on 12/10/15.

Susan Sheehey writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. Her latest series, Royals of Solana is currently being recovered and packaged, and will be available early 2017. Her original debut novel, Audrey's Promise, was rereleased November 2016, and is available on e-retailers now. Susan is a strong advocate for autism awareness and acceptance, and includes the healing element of water in every story. She lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and two boys. Follow Susan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and SusanSheehey.com. Sign up for her monthly newsletter of goodies and exclusive contests Here.

Reviews: The Bread & Butter of Indie Authors

How often do you write a review for the books you read? If you do, where do you post them? Do you manage a personal blog for reviews, or do you share them on Amazon & GoodReads, etc?

How much do you rely on reviews on those websites for a book you want to purchase? Do negative reviews influence your purchasing decisions for books?

Before I became an author, I was an avid reader (still am). But in my hectic life, I didn’t get around to writing a review about a book I loved. Definitely a shame. In fact, I was one of those readers who only posted a review if the book irritated me. As a way to ward off other readers from purchasing the book and feeling the same way. Honestly, I didn’t write that many negative reviews at all. But it was the only time I felt compelled to write one.

Now as an author, I realized my method of writing reviews was completely wrong.

Positive reviews were far more powerful than any negative one I ever wrote. I should have written many more to thank the author for such an awesome and compelling story.

Little did I know at the time that was the best way to thank an author.

For Indie authors like myself, getting our name out there is extremely difficult, especially with so many other awesome writers out there. It’s hard to set ourselves apart. Don’t get me wrong, I love that there are so many incredible stories and characters out there. It’s never been a better time for readers. Each book you pick up is more and more likely to amaze you. You have so many ‘favorite’ authors in your book piles now.

The coveted 5 Star review

But how can we entice readers to pick up a book written by an unknown author?

The resounding answer I keep getting is:

Reviews.

Theoretically speaking, the more reviews a book has, the more likely a reader is willing to buy it (trusting the positive reviews.) Therefore, the more it plays into Amazon’s secret algorithm for visibility. The more reviews, the more 3^rd party promotional sites are willing to display your covers. The better placement novels get on website rankings such as B&N Nook, iBooks, etc. Thereby equating to more sales. Then generating more reviews on top of it. It's a beautiful circle.

I’m not going to touch on Amazon’s new review policy or the controversy around it, because that’s a whole monster on its own.

But I want to hear from you. How much stock do you put on reviews? Are there some sites you trust more than others for reviews?

Let me know your thoughts.

Susan Sheehey writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and women's fiction. Her latest series features royals on the run, in Royals of Solana. Water plays a crucial element in all of her stories, and she's a strong advocate for Autism Awareness and acceptance. Forced to give up Diet Coke, she now functions on massive amounts of french vanilla coffee. Susan lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and two boys. Follow her at www.SusanSheehey.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Battle of the Book Formats

Oh how the battle thickens.

It’s no longer a question between paperbacks or hardbacks. It’s evolved past physical book vs e-book. Oh no, my friends. It’s become so much more complicated.

You can’t just choose ‘e-book’ anymore. Now you must choose which format of technology to read these precious stories.

Kindle, Nook, Kobo Mobile (iPhone or Android), laptop, tablet.

.pdf, .mobi, .epub, and probably 10 more I can’t think of right now.

The choices expand every month. 

Forty years ago, you still had options of which material you wanted your book printed on, but imagine…what if not just paper, but perhaps cotton, leather, wood, chocolate (yes please!), or stone (try balancing that on your head!).

And the battle continues, with additional, equal amounts of confusion and choices.

Which do you prefer? Physical books or e-books?

If you prefer physical, the main choices are hardback and paperback.

If you prefer e-books, which format do you use most?

And an even more dangerous battle to wage: what price are you willing to pay?

I’ve realized that most e-books $2.99 and under are significantly shorter than full-length novels from just 5 years ago. My normal expectation is anything less than $3 is a novella or dime-length novel (pretty sure I just aged myself with that term). Perhaps my expectation is inaccurate, but that’s the impression I have. Or perhaps its because everyone’s attention spans are significantly shorter than a few years ago…

What was I saying?

Wait, one battle at a time.

Personally, I’m still 70% physical books. At first my reluctance to move to ebook was because I loved the feel of the paper in my hands, turning the pages between my fingers, and more importantly the smell. There are not so many things in the world better than that new book smell. But now my excuse is far more superficial. It’s more along the lines of maintaining a full battery in my electronic devices long enough to read what I want, and the data usage charges my wonderful wireless carrier imposes on me every time I download a book.

The remaining 30% for ebooks (if I actually have a charge on my device and I’m not over on my data usage), I go back and forth between iPad and my iPhone. I have evolved (slightly), as is the publishing industry.

Just in time for me to purchase my first pair of reading glasses, which I’m sure is just around the corner for me.

By Susan Sheehey

Author of Audrey's Promise and Prince of Solana

Follow Susan on Twitter or Facebook and her website