Buying gifts for your publishing team

As a writer, you write alone -- but you don't get that book to the bookstore shelves by yourself. It takes a team. And when people bust their butts for me, I want to make sure they feel appreciated. In today's post, I'll give you some links to places that have wonderful gifts for the publishing people who matter the most.

My core publishing "team" consists of my agent (Kristin Nelson), her assistant (Sara Megibow), Chutney (the agency wonder dog), my editor at Ace Books (Anne Sowards), her assistant (Cameron Dufty), and my publicist at Ace (Valerie Cortes).

I have favorite websites I use for buying and sending gifts:

• ProFlowers -- www.proflowers.com
  
• See's Candies -- www.sees.com
• Wine Country Gift Baskets -- www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com
  

The quality of all three sites is incredible. ProFlowers runs some wonderful sales. My favorite from ProFlowers is the two dozen assorted color roses. A vase is a little extra. My advice is to get the vase, not everyone keeps a flower vase sitting around the office. And then there's shipping (which varies according to the location). Pop over to their site; they have some wonderful prices, and their flowers are magnificent. And believe me, two dozen perfect roses make one heck of an impression. Last year when Kristin and Anne finished negotiating the deal for The Trouble With Demons and Bewitched & Betrayed, I sent them both roses. They didn't expect it (which made it even more fun) and both of them were completely blown away. ; ) I wanted Kristin to know that as an agent, she walks on water; and I wanted Anne to know how thrilled I was to get to continue to work with her. ProFlowers helped me make my gratitude loud and clear.

For Christmas last year, I went with See's Candies. A coworker of mine who knows her chocolates, raved about them. She was right. Their taste, quality, prices, and selection are much better than a lot of the expensive chocolates you could buy. Of course, I bought a box for me and Derek to do a taste test before giving them as gifts. YUM!! And you can tell that they're incredibly fresh. Anyhoo, last Christmas I did chocolates for my entire publishing team (except Chutney who can't have chocolate). I'll think I'll go with a Christmas dog treat assortment for Kristin's office wonder dog. *Important note about sending Christmas presents if your publisher is in New York: Send your gift to arrive no later than the second week of December. The NY publishing industry essentially shuts down during the holidays. BUT if you send your gift to arrive the first week in December, your gift might be the first one that they get. ; )

And in my post on Monday, July 14, I talked about giving gifts to the bookstore manager or event coordinator who made all the arrangements for your booksigning.

Wine Country Gift Baskets -- I've used them during my time in corporate life, and send them as personal gifts as well. Again, wonderful quality, arrives in pristine condition. And it's much more than just wine. They offer gourmet food baskets, bath & spa baskets, coffee & tea baskets, and "welcome the new baby" baskets.

BTW -- All gifts related to your writing business are tax deductible.

A gift for important occasions makes the people who help your career on a daily basis feel appreciated. I always try to make sure those ladies feel appreciated. And when you're emailing them for one reason or another, include thanks and kudos. You never need a special occasion to say thank you.

Coming up tomorrow: I'll have a special Saturday Fun Pic along with some REALLY COOL AND EXCITING NEWS! Then next week, I'll continue my series on "Things I didn't know until I got published " with Amazon rankings, advertising, your literary legacy (your will), book promo that you have to do for yourself, and more.

Happy Friday!
Lisa