As a busy entrepreneur, have you started your holiday shopping yet? To save time, there are always gift cards and food items. Another option is to visit your favorite bookstore. Here, you can find unique gifts and even buy a hot, holiday beverage at an in-store café. Plus, you can peruse the periodicals for the latest news and celebrity gossip to help ignite publicity ideas for upcoming campaigns.
But before you head out to the store, I asked self-publishing book expert Jill Exler of jexbo™ for her tips on finding the perfect book-gifts fast:
1. Why do you think books make great gifts?
Books make great gifts because they can uniquely fill so many needs. They can teach, entertain and comfort the recipient. They don’t need to be tried on, they don’t spoil and they’re easy to wrap (which is nothing to sneeze at when you’re frantically wrapping gifts during this gift-giving season).
2. What three books do you recommend as great gifts for friends and family?
If you have friends who like to cook, check out Nigella Lawson’s “How to Eat- The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food.” I’ve given several copies of that book as gifts. As I’m from Detroit, I always like to give books by Elmore Leonard because his books often feature locations I and the recipient are familiar with. For kids, C. S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” are great.
3. How do you find the perfect book for someone special?
One thing to remember when you’re looking for the perfect book for someone special is you aren’t buying something for yourself. Try to think about what makes the other person special while you’re shopping.
For instance, if someone likes traveling, check out the travel section for books about certain destinations. Look at the photography section for photos of different parts of the world and at the biography section for books by and about people from different countries.
4. What tips can you provide for finding, purchasing and wrapping a book fast?
Shopping online for books is fast and easy. Sometimes there are great deals available with free shipping, especially during the December holiday season. Some book-sites offer gift wrapping as a feature.
And a secret tip is, before you actually purchase the books, go to a search engine such as Yahoo! or Google and search for the name of the store and “free gift wrap” or “coupon code” to find discounts.
5. Are there any other tips you would like to provide as an expert on self-published books?
There are books on virtually every subject available, but if it does happen that you find there isn’t a book on a specific topic, why not write it yourself? Nowadays, it’s easy not just to publish the book yourself, but also to sell it yourself. And if you are looking for a book about something, chances are someone else is, too.
Thanks for your great tips Jill!
And if you have last-minute gift ideas for other entrepreneurs, please let us know below. We’d love to hear from you!
