With only a few days left to Christmas, you may be wondering what last minute gift you might get for your favorite author. Here is a list of gifts that you can give any time of year. Most authors won’t come out and ask for what they really want this holiday season, so use this list as your cheat sheet.

1. Buy a copy of the book. Authors love to sell more books. If you know an author (or are just a fan) buy a copy of their book. It will make their day, even if they don’t know it was you. If you already have a copy, buy another and give it as a gift. That’s two gifts for the price of one!

2. Book review. A book review is worth a thousand words. Give the gift of a favorable review this holiday season. Jump on to Amazon.com, GoodReads.com, LibraryThing.com or whatever your favorite reader-centric watering hole is. It will be a gift that keeps on giving, for years to come. If you happen to have the same last name as the author, use your initials or encourage a friend to post a review.

3. Tell your friends. If you’re an avid reader you’ve probably already promoting your favorite books on GoodReads or LibraryThing, so that is great. Be sure your author’s book is on your virtual bookshelf and don’t forget to rate and review it. What about sending out an email to your list of friends and contacts about your favorite book? Everyone is always looking for a new book to read and would probably appreciate the referral.

Social, Media

geralt / Pixabay

4. Get social. In this modern day of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a variety of other social media outlets, why not give a shout out and promote your favorite book and author with a tweet, post on Facebook or put them in your LinkedIn network. Get creative. Just one tweet or re-tweet will go a long way…well that is, if you have followers. Don’t forget to post on the author’s Fan Page how much you like their work!

book signing

nile / Pixabay

5. Book events. Offer to throw your favorite author a book signing event. Get your friends together, tie it in with your business (if possible) or tie it in with a fundraising promotion. People love to meet authors and authors love book signing events, so do them a favor and organize an event for them. Even if it’s only a few people, it will get people reading and talking about the book. Books are sold one at a time, so every little bit helps!

These are only a few ideas on how you can give back to your favorite author. This holiday season support your favorite author and get creative. It will be the best gift they get all year long!