Gifts for the Socially Savvy Author (or Those Who Want to Be)

It's that time of the year when we're all decking the halls, turning up the holiday music and biting our nails about the perfect gifts to give. 

If you know an author with a book out or a book in the works, then chances are they are also trying to figure out how to boost their social media presence to reach more readers. Forget the coffee mugs and sharpened pencils...this year give them the gift of bettering their digital platform.

Read on for some cool, socially-savvy ideas:

• A subscription to Canva ($119.40 a year) or BeFunky ($34.95 a year). I reviewed both of these image creation services last month so head there for more details. In short, they are fantastic, DIY ways for your favorite author to be their own graphic designer for all their social content. 
  
  
• Help them stand out in the crowd with a gift of iStockPhoto or Dreamstime credits for photos to spice up all those social posts with images that aren't found on the free sites (that everyone else is using these days). 
  
  
• A realtime Facebook Like Counter will either inspire or depress them...or make them laugh.
  
  

• A year's worth of Buffer at the Awesome level ($120 a year). I can't say enough good things about Buffer. It's the ultimate content scheduler and will easily make someone's social media life much more manageable. There is a free version but it is limited--the next step up is well worth the price. 
  
  
• A ManageFlitter Pro account ($144 year) will help your author take Twitter to the next level, building their following with quality followers--not just anybody that will follow back.
  
  
• A Mophie battery pack or iPhone case ($59.95+) can help extend the life of their digital experiences, whether the author is in a foreign country on a research trip or a writing conference tweeting the day away.

And moral support cannot be underestimated! Reshare their posts, like their Facebook page and help them share the love this holiday season!

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