12 Days of Christmas Giveaways for Writers and Authors

12days

I’ve decided to run 12 days of giveaways, and give away cool and fun things that only a writer could truly appreciate. This is all the stuff I’d like to buy for myself, basically, but I’m giving it away instead. I’m also giving away a bunch of publishing and book design services.

‘Tis the season, after all.

I’ll run the giveaways from December 1st to December 12th (I’ll add links to this page tomorrow). If you want to win any of the following items, click the link and sign up to win. Each contest is a little different, but usually you have to like or tweet or share something, and you get more entries if other people sign up using your link.

PS) Even if you’ve already entered, you can share again.

Most of these giveaways are using “Gleam”  – my new favorite giveaway software. Each has several different ways to enter; you don’t have to do all of them. If you “refer friends” you should use the unique link, grab the image and use it to share on Twitter or Facebook directly (if you just press the sharing button, it won’t share the image… you’ll be more successful if you include the visuals).

What you can win

Awesome book shaped lamp

A lamp that glows when you open it.
Glowing Book Lamps
 

 

Edgar Allan Poe Lunchbox

I’ll even fill it full of your favorite cookies. Edgar Poe Lunchbox giveaway

 

Shakespearean Insults 2016 calendar

You’ll get my little book of Intimidations and Ultimatums as well.

Shakespearean Insults 2016 Calendar
 

 

Awesome book-pillows!

1545_olde_booke_pillowes1545_olde_booke_pillowes_sleep Win a bookish pillow (Perfect for late night reading)

 

The Zombie Guide to Good Grammar

This is a side project I’m working on – you can help if you want, I need zombie examples. Or enter to win a free book (it makes a great gift).

The Zombie Guide to Good Grammar 

 

Inflatable wizard hat for cats

(maybe you can make him disappear for awhile so you can type in peace). Wizard hat for cats (and HP stuff)Win and I’ll throw in these two Harry Potter plushies I got from Etsy, and the phoenix feather wand I got when I supported the Harry Potter castle.

IMG_4061

 

 

Heated gloves that plug into your USB

I LOVE these… so great for typing in winter. Heated gloves that plug into your USB

 

Writer’s Tears whiskey ($50)

Make some Irish coffee and keep writing. Must be 21 to enter. Writer’s Tears whiskey

 

Iron cast tea pot set + tea ($75)

These heavy pots are a little impractical, but they’re beautiful enough to make up for it, so I had to include one.
Cast iron tea pot
 

 

$150 voucher at CreativeLive

Education is priceless: I got this voucher at a conference but I want to share it; there are some amazing courses on CreativeLive. I recommend Tim Grahl’s course on Selling Your First 1000 books, but there are lots of specific courses on marketing, social media, blogging and business. $150 voucher at Creative Live

 

Antique Typewriter ($175)

I bought 3 of these for a photo shoot and have given the first two away. Win the last one! I’m not sure that it’s functional, but they are pretty and add great ambiance. Win a typewriter. Put some style in your writing.

My course on book marketing ($197)

After writing a few books on the subject, I decided it’s much easier to show people how to do stuff online with video tutorials. This course is a guided walk through to making a stable book marketing platform that sells books on autopilot.

$197 Book Marketing Course
 

 

Free book formatting ($349)

I’ll format your book for mobi and epub, and your print book with InDesign to make it look amazing and professional. Free book formatting

Free ebook cover design ($629)

I’ll make you a simple (but awesome) ebook cover that will sell the book. I won’t give you total freedom, because authors very rarely understand what needs to be on the cover to attract the right readers. Here are some of the covers I’ve made for my own books.
Free ebook cover design

 

Free full-print book cover design ($829)

Same thing but customized for print (Createspace or Ingram Spark). I’ll take care of spine width, back cover copy, barcode, and everything else. If you’re entering for both the ebook and print book, and want to do the “write a blog post” option, you can just write one blog post, link to both diybookcovers.com and bookcovers.creativindie.com, then use your same post to enter both. Free print book cover design

Author Platform review and marketing plan ($2500)

I’ll review your platform, books and Amazon pages and suggest fixes and upgrades. I won’t do everything for you, but it should be enough to double your traffic and email list (and probably sales; but that entirely depends on how readers respond to your books).
Author Platform Makeover

The 2016 Nanowrimo Castle ($5000)

And then there’s this: one month free stay in a castle next November. Should be epic. It’s kind of insane. Click here to enter.

For Grammar Police…

Grammar-Grumble-Mugs

I just added another giveaway on the BookButchers site; you can win some cool grammar mugs and stuff. Check it out.

 

Happy Holidays!

I’m doing all this for fun, and to thank my followers for an exciting year. If you like it, please share this page with your writer friends, or write a blog post about it, or share some of my free resources. Thanks!

PS) You should totally be running giveways to build your own email list, followers and traffic… I wrote an article about getting started HERE.

115 Comments

  • jaandrews Posted December 1, 2015 8:18 pm

    Nice Giveaway! If I MUST decide, I think I want the Shakespeare calendar the most!

  • Emily Irish Posted December 1, 2015 9:52 pm

    Oh my gosh. So many epic ones. I think I’m most excited about either the typewriter or the Author Platform review giveaway! 😀

  • MariPi Posted December 1, 2015 10:37 pm

    This is really cool stuff!!! *_*

  • Rosanne Posted December 1, 2015 11:18 pm

    This is so awesome!!!

  • Katie C Posted December 1, 2015 11:23 pm

    Oh my… I can’t choose! Right now, the book lamp looks gorgeous, but the book pillow is so clever!

  • Kim Paluch Posted December 1, 2015 11:26 pm

    Thank you for wanting to celebrate and share with us! This is an awesome giveaway! I really do like a lot of what you’re giving away.

  • Lea Anna Posted December 2, 2015 1:26 am

    The lumio lamp!

  • shamanss Posted December 2, 2015 3:22 am

    I want to win the whiskey the most because there’s nothing better than winding down with a glass of whiskey after writing all day.

  • Bonnie Boucek Posted December 2, 2015 4:07 am

    How to choose?! If it is only one, I would love the whiskey. The CreativeLive voucher is cool too.

  • L J Higgins Posted December 2, 2015 12:25 pm

    Author Platform Review, Cover Design and formatting are awesome! But honestly I would be over the moon to win any of these amazing prizes. These are great Derek!

  • OursIstheStorm Posted December 2, 2015 1:02 pm

    Been wanting to try the Writer’s Tears for a while now…

  • susancsuarez Posted December 2, 2015 2:51 pm

    Love this!!

  • Meghan McDonnell Posted December 2, 2015 5:29 pm

    I would like to win the whiskey because I dig me some whiskey and I have shed many a tear over my writing, whether recalling emotional stories from my life or fearing I’ll not succeed as a writer.

  • Johnny K Posted December 2, 2015 5:45 pm

    Thanks for the giveaways!

  • Daniel Adorno Posted December 2, 2015 9:58 pm

    Very creative and awesome prizes here, Derek!

  • Kim V Posted December 2, 2015 11:01 pm

    I would most want to win the book light because it is just so unique and lovely.

  • Franki Kidd Posted December 3, 2015 1:47 am

    Really cool gifts and great ideas. Hmmm glow in the dark lamp book or whiskey? Also, interesting that you did the 12 days of Christmas at the first half of the month. On my website I ran an ugly sweater Christmas contest…won’t spam you here…but thought my idea was hellua-corny- cool.

    • Franki Kidd Posted December 3, 2015 1:59 am

      Wow author platform make over, book cover, course….oh my…..only thing missing is a night in a castle to write…..Wow-za.

  • Jaylan Salman Posted December 3, 2015 9:01 am

    Awesome idea
    Good luck to the winners 🙂

  • Kathryn Sandford Posted December 3, 2015 9:08 am

    This is awesome thanks!

  • themommazie Posted December 3, 2015 9:16 am

    Actually all prizes are awesome but I think my favorite is the book lamp.

  • Cecilia Medone Posted December 3, 2015 9:23 am

    My, my… These are truly some awesome gifts! Thank you very much Derek!
    I entered a few and, if my book was already completed, it would have been great to try also for the bigger prizes, like the formatting and your plan.. I hope these will be won by someone who deserves them!
    Wishing luck to everyone! But, mostly, to me 🙂 Hehehe 😉

    • Cecilia Medone Posted December 3, 2015 9:25 am

      All are amazing prizes, but the typewriter is something… I won’t say anything more, just that I truly hope to be chosen for that one 🙂

  • tgieph Posted December 3, 2015 9:30 am

    I’d love the antique typewriter or to be able to write IN A FRIGGIN CASTLE. Amazing prizes you’ve put up! Good luck, everyone.

  • Celina Posted December 3, 2015 9:38 am

    This is a great giveaway Thanks for the opportunity and good luck to anyone that’s entering!

  • Deus Posted December 3, 2015 9:57 am

    I don’t know if I could call myself a writer yet since I haven’t finished any books. But I do write. These things are heaven for readers & writers! I want to at least receive one for Christmas. 🙂

  • pink_ink_1 Posted December 3, 2015 10:27 am

    Oh…I can’t really chose so I’d try for the ones I like the best. You seem to have only stunning ideas!

  • Emily Posted December 3, 2015 10:40 am

    Thanks for this opportunity!! I would love to win the glowing book lamp thingy the most!

  • Annie Douglass Lima Posted December 3, 2015 11:07 am

    What a fun giveaway! I would love to win any of the prizes, but my first choice would be the heated gloves. They’re just so ridiculously awesome! I live in Taiwan, where winter doesn’t last very long, but the cold weather is intense (because of the humidity) while it’s here. I often wear fingerless gloves when I type, so those would be perfect!

  • Donna B Posted December 3, 2015 11:11 am

    I’d love to have the Shakespearean Insults 2016 calendar and your little book of Intimidations and Ultimatums, because it sounds perfect for my son..

  • ClickClick Posted December 3, 2015 11:47 am

    What great gifts. I hope I win something. I’m not a writer, but I’d love the castle stay just to get away from everyone and everything.

  • doreen lamoureux Posted December 3, 2015 12:26 pm

    The lamp rocks but my most favorite of all is the cast iron tea pot. I really love that… very very very much. . Gosh, I hope Canadians can enter.

  • Lori Zwermann Posted December 3, 2015 12:27 pm

    Thank you for the gift idea on behalf of my grateful friend 🙂

  • Lori Zwermann Posted December 3, 2015 12:29 pm

    Thank you for the gift idea on behalf of my grateful tea drinking friend who loves teapots. As for me? I’d like the formatting yes, that would be fantastic.

  • doreen lamoureux Posted December 3, 2015 12:31 pm

    When I write , I love to fuel with my green smoothie

  • Alexandria Posted December 3, 2015 12:46 pm

    These prizes are great!

  • N.m. Skehan Posted December 3, 2015 1:03 pm

    Oh boy gifts custom chosen for writers. I love them!! I’m torn between the book lamp and the book pillow. The pillow I think!! Dear Santa . . . 😎

  • niki Posted December 3, 2015 1:21 pm

    entered! great, fun gives 🙂

  • Chelsea Marlin Posted December 3, 2015 1:42 pm

    Such awesome prizes!

  • it’s nothing, really Posted December 3, 2015 1:52 pm

    Thanks for making early December fun for writers!

  • Anne Posted December 3, 2015 1:52 pm

    Well, I sure don’t want the cat’s witches hat, that’s just asking for major medical bills. I really like the book lights which I’ve just started seeing about a month ago. I also like the month in a castle. I’m not a writer, but it would be a neat experience living in Europe for a month and traveling around.

  • Beth Posted December 3, 2015 2:10 pm

    Thanks so much for all of these!

  • Alyn Yang Posted December 3, 2015 2:13 pm

    I want the book lamp! It would be perfect for my bedroom!

  • Lori Ha Posted December 3, 2015 2:14 pm

    Happy Holidays! I love these giveaways because they are so neat 🙂
    Thank you

  • MsArdychan Posted December 3, 2015 2:20 pm

    What fun gift items! I think I need an hour to explore this site!

  • Ronni Posted December 3, 2015 3:00 pm

    I love everything on this list and would be happy to win anything!

  • Teresa Lynn Posted December 3, 2015 3:01 pm

    That book lamp is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Love it! The book pillows are neat, too, and who wouldn’t want to spend a month writing in a castle? Great giveaways!

  • Marina Mignucci Posted December 3, 2015 3:08 pm

    So cool! I love them!!

  • Lisa Sandmann Posted December 3, 2015 3:22 pm

    I love the typewriter and the book lamp!

  • Zara Heflin Posted December 3, 2015 3:41 pm

    These are all amazing! I’m a Poe fan, so the lunchbox would be my favorite. Happy Holidays to you too!

  • Nicole Zoltack Posted December 3, 2015 3:47 pm

    Which prize do I want most? Honestly, I would be happy with any of them! But most of all, probably the author platform makeover.

  • Micaiah Sophia Posted December 3, 2015 3:51 pm

    This is such a cool idea :3 the book lamp looks awesome!

  • Mary W. Jensen Posted December 3, 2015 4:01 pm

    This is an awesome collection of gifts. I’ve been eyeing that booklight since I saw it on Shark Tank.

  • Just Commonly Posted December 3, 2015 4:10 pm

    Awesome! Really cool gifts and giveaways! Especially love the book lamp! Typewriter! O, you sure know us book nerds! or fans! =) Thanks!

  • Lara Dunning Posted December 3, 2015 4:15 pm

    Great gift ideas!

  • Sabrina Joy Posted December 3, 2015 4:16 pm

    There are so many amazing prizes to be won. Every time I scrolled down, I found a prize that I wanted even more than the previous or conflicted with the previous. I think my favorite is the Glowing Book Lamp though. It would be so lovely to have in my home.

  • Verlene Landon Posted December 3, 2015 4:40 pm

    GREAT giveaways!

  • Hala Posted December 3, 2015 4:41 pm

    I love that Shakespearean calendar <3

  • Greer Grenley Posted December 3, 2015 5:26 pm

    I’ve been trying to find an antique typewriter for ages. If I don’t win it, I still want to buy one. Where did you get it?

  • Kaitlyn Johnson Posted December 3, 2015 5:32 pm

    Great giveaway! This is fantastic and generous, with the platform makeover and the writer’s conference trip. Thanks so much for hosting this!

  • S.E. Andres Posted December 3, 2015 5:41 pm

    That book lamp is amazing! I love it so much! I can see it on my dresser now! I love the writers tears whiskey, too. So funny!

  • Laurie P Posted December 3, 2015 5:53 pm

    Amazing prizes for any reader or writer. I want them all, thanks for the links.

  • Kate Posted December 3, 2015 5:56 pm

    Thank you for having these giveaways!

  • Ann-Sofie Posted December 3, 2015 6:22 pm

    That book lamp is just epic, and the light in my room broke just a couple of days ago, coincidence? I think not.

  • shootingstarsmag Posted December 3, 2015 6:26 pm

    I’m pretty simple – I’d love those book pillows or even the book lamp! How fun.

    • Derek Murphy Posted December 4, 2015 9:28 am

      The book pillows and book lamp are the most popular, I’m going to give away 3 of each. 🙂

  • Kalani Grace Posted December 3, 2015 6:34 pm

    I really like the glowing book lamp! It’s really cool!

  • Amy MItchell Posted December 3, 2015 6:44 pm

    I am kind of in love with all of these prizes…how could you not be? But I am probably most excited about the book lamp, book pillow, antique typewriter, the cast iron teapot, the course on book marketing…okay, pretty much everything!

  • maggie Posted December 3, 2015 6:50 pm

    What an amazing giveaway! I love the humor in some of these gifts.

  • Jeanna Schirm Massman Posted December 3, 2015 6:56 pm

    Is it just me or are these the coolest prizes ever? Love these giveaways!

  • Laurie Bergh Posted December 3, 2015 7:11 pm

    I would most love to win the glowing book lamp!

  • Ela Alvarado Posted December 3, 2015 7:54 pm

    I love the gifts!!My personal favorite is the book lamp:) You always do the coolest giveaways!

  • Fictisha Posted December 3, 2015 8:18 pm

    I like it all, lol!

  • virtual alicia Posted December 3, 2015 9:17 pm

    This is a really amazing idea. Thank you so much! I love the whiskey.

  • Kate Tilton Posted December 3, 2015 11:01 pm

    This is..so awesome….

  • Olivia Roach Posted December 3, 2015 11:55 pm

    Thanks so much for all these epic giveaways! I really appreciate them as a booklover and writer myself. I can imagine myself in that castle, taking a photo of the castle, every room, every ornament that looks cool and all my books in the areas as well. *le sigh*

  • Eeva Lancaster Posted December 4, 2015 2:33 am

    This is the best giveaway I’ve seen Derek. I just love that book lamp and pillow. Hahaha! Very cool. 🙂

  • Kelly Beck Posted December 4, 2015 3:16 am

    So many amazing items for anyone who loves books!

  • Amanda Sheila Posted December 4, 2015 4:11 am

    OMG would love to win all of them!

  • Sandra Watts Posted December 4, 2015 4:30 am

    I would love the book shaped lamp. It is pretty awesome!

  • Sandra Watts Posted December 4, 2015 4:32 am

    I don’t write but I love my coffee when I read.

  • Karen Dragon Posted December 4, 2015 5:25 am

    So I feel like I should want the higher value stuff, but I’m in the mood for something less practical that instead I can use as inspiration to get writing. Also, I’m a serious HP fan, so I want the wand, plushies, and cat wizard hat the most, followed by the book lamp and book pillow, because those look delightful.

  • Cassia Posted December 4, 2015 5:31 am

    I love these prizes! If I don’t win any of them they’re definitely going on my Christmas list ^ ^ Great writer presents, that’s for sure 😀

  • Tara Gauthier Posted December 4, 2015 6:17 am

    I definiteliy love the book lamps, but my kids would love the Harry Potter items and the usb gloves would be great for my hubby!

  • Jolie Posted December 4, 2015 8:38 am

    Awesome stuff! Thanks for offering all of this!

  • Rainne Atkins Posted December 4, 2015 1:21 pm

    Awesome Gifts. Thank you very much for the chance to win 🙂

  • Author Casey L Bond Posted December 4, 2015 1:48 pm

    Thank you for being so supportive of the indie author community!

  • Sil Bar Posted December 4, 2015 2:51 pm

    Great idea 🙂 and fun, too…personally, the vintage typewriter had me salivating (sorry for the image!), they are just gorgeous 🙂

  • Yva Destruction Posted December 4, 2015 3:35 pm

    what a great giveaway! the book lamp is pure magic!

  • Marianne Sciucco Posted December 4, 2015 4:17 pm

    Super prizes. Best contest I’ve entered.

  • Morgan Hegarty Posted December 4, 2015 5:41 pm

    These are fantastic gifts not only for writers, but for just about anyone with a creative personality! Seriously a great giveaway considering how many personalities it caters to.

  • Alicia Ferra Posted December 4, 2015 6:23 pm

    I really like the book lamp! My lamp hasn’t been working in ages. This is a great giveaway.

  • Ash R. Posted December 4, 2015 8:22 pm

    I really like the book shaped pillow 🙂

  • Wanda Bergman Posted December 4, 2015 9:13 pm

    I’d most like the Book Pillow because I know I would use it every day. And it looks so amazing!

  • Teresa Kline Posted December 4, 2015 10:40 pm

    My favorite is the glowing book lamp! It’s so beautiful and creative 🙂

  • Maria Stanica Posted December 5, 2015 6:39 pm

    Honestly, I love al of them! The Shakespeare Insult Calendar is definitely one of my favorites.

  • TwilightBizarre Posted December 6, 2015 4:16 am

    Definitely the book pillows would be my most wanted item on here!

  • gwenct35 Posted December 7, 2015 12:10 am

    These gifts are super cool!! I’m loving the book lamp and book pillows <3

  • Tenley Erickson Posted December 7, 2015 9:42 am

    I love the Glowing Book Lamp! The Cast Iron Tea Pot comes in at a close second. Beautiful!

  • Elizabeth Muir Posted December 7, 2015 1:52 pm

    What an awesome idea!

  • Jodi Aman Posted December 7, 2015 2:08 pm

    Great stuff Derek. Love the videos!

  • novels Posted December 7, 2015 5:14 pm

    Absolutely awesome and adorable!

  • Sherry Soule Posted December 7, 2015 6:23 pm

    Thank you for the giveaway! Happy Holidays – sherry-soule

  • Tanya Khan Posted December 7, 2015 8:25 pm

    Love these giveaways! I absolutely love this site. Great resource for writers!

  • rikke Posted December 7, 2015 11:19 pm

    Love these prizes! Would love the book lamp or pillow!

  • Sara Rowe Posted December 8, 2015 2:51 am

    I absolutely LOVE these things, but as a self-published author I think I would love the free book cover best!

  • A.K. Andrew Posted December 8, 2015 4:19 am

    Wow. These gifts are fantastic! I’d love the book light , the Poe lunch box, & book formatting the most. Thanks so much:-)

  • juliecutshaw Posted December 8, 2015 11:13 am

    Comment entry..The item in your generous #12DaysOfChristmasGiveaways that I would most enjoy winning, would be the Glowing Book Lamp. So unique and inspiring. #DerekMurphy #Author #BookDesigner @Creativindie

  • Charlotte Elizabeth Posted December 8, 2015 4:03 pm

    Comment entry.. I’d love to win any of these because they’re cool things that you don’t come across often! Would be lovely gifts for my family and friends.

  • Tess Wysocki Posted December 8, 2015 7:44 pm

    Comment entry…these are super cool gifts. Anyone who has a creative streak or would love to have one would adore any of these.

  • Marcy Pusey Posted December 8, 2015 9:59 pm

    You might be one of my new favorite people. Writing in castles? YES! (I just spent October, my birthday month, visiting as many as I could. It helps that I live in Europe, but still). Fun writerly giveaway things? YES! NaNoWriMo? YES!

  • Becky Doughty Posted December 11, 2015 7:00 am

    Fantastic giveaways, Derek! Learning so much from all you share – thank you!

  • Epiphanoter Posted December 11, 2015 10:00 am

    Oustanding giveaway, Derek!
    Every gift is unique and special.
    The book lamp and the book- pillow are the gifts that I want the most to receive. The first reason- both of them have the word ‘BOOK’ in them!
    And the second reason, the book lamp has the meaning of enlightenment that the books give us and for the book- pillow, you can use it for short naps when you’re really tired and you’re writing.
    Happy writing!

  • Kim V Posted December 11, 2015 11:09 pm

    I’m definitely a morning bird.

  • Robin Wilson Posted December 12, 2015 3:23 am

    First let me say thanks for these wonderful giveaways! Your generosity is so awesome! I would be gifting to my son. I know he would love the book lamp. He is a voracious reader and is growing his own library of books. Thank you again and best of luck to everyone!

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