Holiday Gift Guide for Writers: 2024

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Finding the perfect gift for the writer in your life (or if you’re a writer the perfect item to add to your wish list) can be like searching for the perfect word to finish your scene. It’s a hunt through myriad options, some of which seem pretty good…but there’s only one absolute right answer. 

For writers, that perfect choice can be the difference between a great sentence and one that’s just so-so. And thus it is for people who love writers each holiday season. 

We’ve gathered a gaggle of gorgeous gifts for the writers in your life, each one selected to solve one specific problem our members face every year. If you put one in their hands this season, you’ll make 2025’s writing journey that much more enjoyable.

And, as we all know, if your favorite writer’s journey is more enjoyable, so will be yours. From the small and silly to a moderate investment, from brand new entries to absolute classics, here are our favorites for 2024. 

12 Top Gifts for Writers This Holiday Season

Please note, some of the links on this page are referral links, so we will earn a small commission at no extra charge to yourself if you purchase from Amazon after clicking on a link.

1. Aqua Notes Pad

Ask any writer, and they will tell you they get some of their best ideas in the shower. For some reason, that combination of predictable process, relaxing warm water, and idle minds unlocks creativity like almost nothing else in the world. Those fortunate writers with good short-term memories get to rinse off, dry off, sit down at the computer, and start working on the idea. For the rest of us, Aqua Notes is the best answer.

This gift consists of a pad of waterproof paper, a pen that writes underwater, and suction pads that stick them to the side of any fiberglass or tile bathroom wall. When that idea hits, your favorite writer can scribble it down and continue to enjoy their shower.

At $15 for an Aqua Notes Pad on Amazon, this makes a good low cost gift or stocking stuffer. Aqua Notes is the name brand, and you can find some generic equivalents for a little bit less. 

2. Yearly Planner For Writers

Whether your favorite writer plans their stories meticulously, or flies by the seat of their pants, it’s a universal truth that writers need to plan and organize their time. In the busy lives most adults lead, you have to make time to write because “finding” that time is next to impossible. 

Any yearly planner can do the job of carving out an hour for writing amid work responsibilities, gym trips, PTO meetings, and family tasks. However, a few yearly planners are especially good at meeting the needs and overcoming the challenges faced by writers. Three of our favorites include:

  • Day Designer, which offers lots of task and project management tools to help you break up your book into manageable chunks. 
  • Author Planner Workbook, which specifically addresses making a book happen. Don’t let the 2016 release date worry you. The calendar sections are blank, so you can set them up for any given year. 
  • The Ultimate Planner for Writers, a 580 page monster that lets you keep almost all of your writing ideas and schedule time to implement them, all in one place. 

The first two cost between $15 and $30, right in Secret Santa territory for most folks. That Ultimate Planner runs $90 – a reasonable price considering how much it costs to print, but definitely something to buy as a primary gift, or for several people to go in on together. 

3. Book Them a Hotel Room

Many writers, especially aspiring writers, struggle with making uninterrupted time to write. Often that struggle is made all the worse by guilt over what family time they’re missing while sitting at the computer. Booking them a night or two in a nearby hotel to write undisturbed is a gift on two important fronts. 

First, it gifts them a block of uninterrupted time to gather momentum in their writing. They’ll return with a feeling of accomplishment and greater confidence in their ability to get their writing done. Perhaps more importantly, though, it tells them in no uncertain terms that you respect their writing and support their dream. 

A hotel room isn’t cheap, so for many people this might be the only holiday gift they get for their favorite writer, or the product of many friends and family members pooling their resources. That said, the potential for helping your writer make a quantum leap in their career makes it worth it. 

Pro Tip: If this gift is for your significant other, book an extra night or two at the end to…um…reward their hard writing work.

4. LEGO Typewriter

This nerdy pick is exactly what it sounds like. The brand-name lego version is made from 2,079 pieces, keys that move its internal components, a wide enough platen roller to feed real paper into, and a letter written and signed by the successor to LEGO’s founder that you can slip into the piece when it’s finished. It is not built for actual typing – you might be able to conceivably replace the decorative ribbon with a real one (if you can find such a thing), but it won’t stand up to the abuse most writers heap on their keyboards. 

While the other items on this list so far are about helping the writer in your life write more easily, this simply celebrates how much your writer loves writing. The official LEGO typewriter is pricey at $250 or so, but you can find off-brand versions for much less. Quality and attractiveness are less assured with those, of course. 

5. This Lap Desk

Some writers need a desk and office to write because it makes them feel professional and dedicated. Others like the hubbub of writing in a coffee shop, cafe, or pub. For some, writing in the cozy confines of their bedroom is exactly the vibe they need to get their creative juices flowing. That last kind of writer is often challenged by the logistics of managing a laptop, a mouse, their legs, and whatever all else usually occupies their bed. 

Lap desks are the answer to this problem, but not all lap desks are created equal. That’s why we think  this one by LAPGEAR is perfect. It fits laptops up to 14 inches and has a cupholder so their coffee doesn’t spill when the cat jumps on the bed. The padded bottom molds to legs, blanket crumples, pillows, and anything else. It even has a carrying strap to make it easy to bring onto and take off of the desk.

This lap desk runs $35 on Amazon and comes in four colors. 

6. Writer’s Tears Whiskey

There’s not much to say about this. Writer’s Tears Whiskey has been around for a while now. It makes a great gag gift for the writer you love, and it’s damn good whiskey to boot. If your favorite writer likes a good joke and doesn’t mind a finger or two of the good stuff after a hard day of writing, a bottle of this can be just what the doctor ordered. 

Walsh Whiskey produces Writer’s Tears in four varieties: copper pot, double oak, red head, and single pot still. There’s a good chance your local liquor store has a few bottles, or you can go to the Walsh Whiskey website to order online or find a local distributor. They have regular bottles in the $50 range, running up to special sets for as much as $140, and down to sampler sizes you can slip into a stocking. 

7. Wireless Typewriter Keyboard

Writers “of a certain age” suffer from a problem. On one hand, we are all very aware that modern technology makes both the craft and the business of writing much, much easier than it was at any other time in human history. On the other hand, we really like the aesthetics of old school typewriters. There’s something about them that feels, to us, more legitimate than the laptops and word processing software on which we ply our trade. 

Many slightly younger writers don’t have that exact problem, but they’re sufficiently into steampunk that old-school typewriters look and feel cool to them. 

For both, this bluetooth LED keyboard is the answer. They keys are made to look like old-school typewriters, and the mechanical build gives feedback a lot like typing on an ancient Olivetti…except the keys never jam. It’s not for every writer in the world, but specific writers will absolutely love it. Find this typewriter/keyboard on Amazon for $75.

8. Literary Fingerless Gloves

Cold hands are a thing in many a writing nook, a hardship confounded by the fact that wearing gloves while you type is impossible except for the writers with the smallest of hands and nimblest of fingers. Although installing a gorgeous fireplace in the office would solve the problem, that solution is out of reach for most of us. 

Fingerless gloves offer something more attainable, covering most of the wrist and hands while leaving the fingertips free to type and click. You can find lots of fingerless gloves online, but STORIARTS fingerless gloves come decorated with excerpts from classic works of literature. 

As of this writing, you can get The Raven, Dracula, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and many more for $30…or spend $35 to get special versions made with glow in the dark ink. 

9. Conference Pass

Attending a writing conference is both a useful tool and a rite of passage for writers wanting to take the next step in their professional journey. It’s a chance to celebrate what they do, learn craft and business secrets from those who have succeeded, and to meet fellow professionals to build a network, talk shop, and commiserate. 

Kind of like the hotel idea from earlier, this gift has a second significance: it shows your favorite writer that you also take their aspirations seriously enough to invest real money into their journey. 

And we are talking real money here. A local writing conference will cost anywhere from $250 to $500 just to attend, and in most cases they’ll need to stay at the hotel. It’s a big gift, but one that will “keep on giving” the whole year through. 

Pro Tip: if you lack the funds to buy a pass, many conferences ask for volunteers to handle some of the work associated with putting on the event. Those volunteers are usually compensated with free attendance…which is often transferable. 

10. Writer’s Block Pencils

If you read this blog often, you already know that writer’s block doesn’t exist, at least not for professionals. That doesn’t mean that any writer in the world fails to understand the concept of writer’s block, whether or not they suffer from the delusion of its reality. 

Which means every writer in the world will get a kick out of  this set of pencils, each marked with its own potential solution for writer’s block — ideas like “Lightly Plagiarize”, “Add a Vampire”, or “Try Vodka”. At $12 from Whiskey River Soap Company, they’re cheap enough for a stocking stuffer, office party gift, or small token for the holidays. 

11. Noise Canceling Headphones

Okay. Writers do best when they have space and silence to concentrate. Sometimes that “silence” includes the background noise of a busy cafe or heavy metal music at a volume normally associated with industrial demolition, but writers need both to do their best work. 

Which is often impossible in crowded living situations full of kids, roommates, or beloved spouses busy with their own tasks. Or if they’re trying to squeeze in writing on their lunch break. Or in that busy cafe. Life happens, even when people are trying to write. 

If your favorite writer suffers from this challenge to their productivity and aspirations, a good pair of noise canceling headphones can change their lives for the better. There’s a vast array available at a variety of price points. Just make sure they’re bluetooth and have a reasonable battery life. If your favorite writer has an unusually small or large head, check for sizing as well. 

We particularly like these headphones that work well and were only $40 when we bought them last year.

12. Typewriter Jewelry

We’re not talking about high-end gem-encrusted jewelry of the kind you buy when you’ve made a huge mistake in your relationship. We’re talking about fun charms and trinkets in the $10 to $30 range that help your favorite writer celebrate the wordsmith inside of them. 

An Amazon search will turn up dozens of options, like:

One Last Little Thing

We didn’t want to include it in the list above, but if you really want to go the extra mile for your favorite writer consider, then consider gifting them a subscription to Apex Authors (that’s us!).

Each week, the Apex Authors team provides an always up-to-date live training, and have an expansive library of articles and courses designed to propel their writing career. Our exclusive software, engineered to maximize book sales, combined with unparalleled personal customer service, ensures that your favorite writer will receive the support they need every step of the way.

Join Apex Authors today for a low monthly or annual fee and start writing, publishing, and selling your books with confidence! offers software, live training, marketing mojo, and special reports that have helped thousands of writers make the transition from aspiring part-timer to making their full-time living from books. 

An Apex Authors membership costs $59 per month, so it’s a bit of an investment. But, like the hotel stay and the conference signup, it doesn’t just provide meaningful support in your favorite writer’s journey — it demonstrates in real terms how much you value and respect their dreams. Use coupon code GIFTGUIDE through Christmas Day (December 25, 2024) to get an additional $100 discount off of a year of Apex Authors: a savings of $311! (The discount will appear below the checkout form.)

We hope that have found the next great gift idea for a writer in your life, and have a great and happy holiday season!

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