All authors should post a holiday gift list on their blogs. Why? Well, first of all it helps people out. Many are flummoxed about what to get for their family and friends for the holidays, and they are naturally turning to the internet for suggestions. Secondly, the author will (duh!) include his or her own book on this list to promote sales. But here’s the key: a post of suggested books or other gift suggestions needs to be way more than a mere list.

Any blog post worth the pixels that it’s printed with should be more than a lineup of book suggestions. Like any of your other writings, a collection of recommendations for holiday presents should be fun to read. Your post should be filled with stories, even if the tales are only a sentence or two long. They should be entertaining and suggestive, so that the reader can easily make the leap from the blog to those friends and family that they are buying gifts for.

What connections can you make between the gift giver and the people he or she is buying for? And how can you do that in a way that is fun?

See my post here, and when you improve on it and include your own books, post a comment so that I can share your list with others.

Read about an assortment of must-have plants for the cocktail hour garden in my new book.