A Gift Guide for Bookish People
Budget-friendly options and a short list of my favorite things
As a self-proclaimed book nerd, I come to you with my guide to help you find a gift for the reader, writer, or bookish person in your life.
I’m a big believer in giving gifts that are usable. Call me Scrooge or too sensible, but I prefer giving someone something that adds to their life or giving them something they’ll use most days or something that’ll help them achieve their goals.
I’m going to start with budget-friendly options and then break it down into further categories.
So, here’s the list 🎁
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Budget-Friendly Gifts For Bookish People
Sign Them Up for a Library Card
Make it an excursion, pick up some local coffee along the way, and go with your friend to sign them up for a library card. Bonus points if you show them how to access the online library like Libby or Cloud Library.
For my fellow Pennsylvanians: Did you know that as long as you have an PA address you can sign up (virtually) for the Free Library of Philadelphia? They’re currently upgrading their system, so virtual registrations are currently unavailable, but if you live nearby you can go in-person. Their Libby collection is incredibly stacked.
Get Books from Thriftbooks.com
In my effort to not buy books (or anything) from Amazon this year, I’ve been absolutely loving Thriftbooks. This is a great place to splurge on a friend while keeping it low cost, especially if they’re older releases.
Why buy one book at full price, when you can be two or three for that same price? Makes sense to me.
Annotate Their Favorite Book
If you know your friend’s favorite book, buy a copy of it (from Thriftbooks, maybe?) and annotate it. Use highlighters, sticky notes, and write little comments in the margins.
I would personally cherish a gift like that for the rest of my life. Low cost, higher time investment, but imagine the conversations your annotations might spark!
Writer-Themed Stickers
There are plenty of writer- and book-themed stickers all over the internet, especially Etsy. You can find the sticker below here.
They’re perfect for the friend who loves personalizing their water bottle, laptop, or journal. Look for waterproof or water-resistant stickers. And be sure to buy from the artists who are actually making the stickers (the art, not the physical sticker) themselves.
Bookmarks
If you love making your gifts, handmade bookmarks would be perfect for your bookish friend. You can also get some really cool low-cost ones from Etsy.
Here’s a few links to handmade bookmarks:
Check out the bookmarks on Etsy
Last year a friend got me a metal spoon bookmark that had a bookish quote etched into it—and it’s by far my favorite bookmark.
Puzzles
Listen, if you have a creative in your life you know there’s a lot of “not-writing time” but just know, they’re always thinking the story they’re working on.
One of the best ways to let them have that time to percolate on their latest project is a puzzle. It’s tactile, it’s quiet, it’s often times a solo endeavor—basically the perfect set up for a thinking session.
They don’t have to be book-themed, but I do know Barnes and Nobles has a few. This is probably my favorite puzzle I’ve ever put together. I even lacquered it and put it in a big frame.
You can scale up or down in difficulty. If your friend is a puzzle savant, maybe get them the ‘impossible puzzle’ which is just clear puzzle pieces. Part of me wants to try it, but I know I’d eventually rage-quit.
Gifts For Improving Writing (& Editing) Craft
Writing Craft Books
Story Genius - if you loved psychology in school, you’re gonna like this one.
The Thesaurus Series, but specifically:
Romancing the Beat - this book lives on my desk
Writing Classes and Other Resources
For those who are looking to pivot into writing professionally, specifically romance ghostwriting, check out Marjorie Muller’s ghostwriting course.
Club Ed Freelancer Membership. I’m a big fan of the self-paced courses from Club Ed (Check out their Substack: Club Ed Newsletter too). Whether you get a loved one a membership or purchase them a class, they’re going to love their time with Club Ed.
A paid membership to The Wordforge. In the new year, I plan on bringing more deep dives and discussions about writing, editing, and more.
Gifts For the ADHD Writer (or Editor)
Timers
These are great for writing/editing sprints and also just keeping track of time. I love my timer because I can see the time ticking by while also being very aware of the time I’m putting into my editing projects.
ADHD often comes with time blindness and timers are one of the ways to become aware of the time being spent while also keeping on task.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
I’m a big believer in spending money on things that are going to last me years if not decades, and my Bose over-the-ear headphones have been exactly that. I’ve had them since 2018 and they still work perfectly.
They’re very comfortable and you can toggle the noise-cancelling feature to high, low, or off.
Fidget Toys
I always need to have something in my hands when I’m editing, otherwise I itch to pick up my phone (don’t worry, I’m working on my phone dependence).
You can find some interesting ones on Etsy. And of course, there’s a plethora on Amazon, but see if you can find one by a small business.
Some ideas to get you started:
National Autism Resources - they have a really great collection of different types of fidget toys
NeeDoh - Their fidget toys are these incredibly tactile “dough”-like globs (sometimes shaped into squares or animals). I’m partial to these.
Gifts for the Cozy Writer (or Editor)
Fingerless Gloves
Fingerless gloves are perfect for the fall and winter months, or for those who love to crank up the A/C. I purchased from the Etsy store AlaskanKnitGifts about two years ago, and her gloves are well-made. You can pick from several different colors too.
Blankets and Socks
Whether you go homemade or not, you can’t go wrong with cozy, warm blankets and socks.
Some ideas to get you started:
HouseWoolArt from Ukraine - lots of cozy-looking socks
ChunkyWoolStudio from Lithuania - specializing in those chunky knitted blankets
My Favorite Things of 2025
Here’s a few of my favorite things I bought for myself or for my business that I use almost everyday:
My walking pad
This keyboard (the clackiness scratches my brain)
Scrivener (for writing) - They give you a 30 day free trial and it only counts the day that you have the software open. If you use it only one day and open it again a month later, you will have 29 days left in your trial until you open it again
Scapple (for brainstorming) - Same company as Scrivener, same 30 day free trial
These erasable pens - I love writing in pen, but I always want to erase rather than strikethrough. And these are worth every single penny.
Before we wrap up, I want to welcome in the 45 new subscribers since the rebrand went live. If you made it this far, let me know by click the heart button. It helps the Substack more than you know.
Hopefully this gift guide sparked some ideas for you.
I’d love to hear some of your ideas in the comments!
Coming up later this month, I’ll be posting a guide for planning your goals in the new year and when and how to book a developmental editor.
Happy Holidays! 🎄
Love it! I’d personally love everything on this list, especially the stickers and puzzles.
Made me smile. Learned a thing or two as well! A lot of great ideas there.