Substack Gift Guide: Publications for and about writing

Christmas is around the corner, and here on Substack, that means writers are creating a cornucopia of gift guides to fit any niche, sharing gift ideas for everyone from the dumpling enthusiast to the sneakerhead, the Sinophile to the Gen Z’er.

For the thoughtful last-minute shopper (or discerning self-gifter), we’ve put together a selection of subscription publications to inspire the writer in all of us, from creative inspiration to nuts-and-bolts of writing craft.

Paid subscriptions support writers in doing the work they care about and give readers a direct relationship with the writers and ideas they find most meaningful. And because there’s no packaging or supply chain slow-downs involved, subscriptions make an ideal last-minute gift. Find out more about how to give a gift subscription here.

For the creatively curious

• Austin Kleon ~ Weekly art, writing, and creative inspiration from the author of Steal Like an Artist and other bestsellers.

• The Art of Noticing ~ Ideas, inspiration, and prompts for creativity, work, and staying human. From author Rob Walker.

• Werk-In-Progress ~ Poems, questions, essays, and vibes from Saeed Jones.

For the craft-minded

• Story Club with George Saunders ~ A place to explore the way the short story works.

• Chuck Palahniuk's Plot Spoiler ~ Exclusive fiction too out-there for prime time, by the author of Fight Club. Writing lessons. Lurid back story.

• Ijeoma Oluo: Behind the Book ~ Writing, life, and writing life.

For support and guidance

• The Unschool for Writers: a DIY MFA ~ The Art and Craft of Writing: fiction—short and long, nonfiction/memoir, picturebooks, middle-grade/YA novels.

• Freelancing with Tim ~ Demystifying the world of freelance journalism.

• Dear Writer ~ A love letter to writers, about writing, from a writer who is trying to mend her broken relationship with writing.

For book club community

• The Big Read: War and Peace ~ Reading Leo Tolstoy’s famous War & Peace, one chapter per day.

• Freddie deBoer ~ Ian McEwan’s The Cement Garden and Hermann Hesse’s Demian were the first two books to be featured in this ongoing book club.

For perspectives on the publishing industry

• Agents and Books ~ The FAQ on how to find an agent and how to write books, all in one place.

• Notes from a Small Press ~ Thoughts, explanations, and screeds about the publishing industry by Anne Trubek, founder of Belt Publishing.

• Counter Craft ~ Fiction craft, publishing demystification, weird books.

Inspiration for young minds

• DrawTogether with WendyMac ~ Weekly drawing podcast, activities, and special art-guests delivered direct to your inbox, from DrawTogether: the show that's a class that's a club - for kids!

• Can We Read? ~ A weekly review of children's books, old and new, to help you raise readers and build a culture of reading in your home.

Inspiration for the comics artist

• Tales From the Farm ~ News, new comics, work in progress, exclusive merch, and behind the scenes commentary for all things Jeff Lemire.

• Stupid Fresh Mess ~ Skottie Young's Newsletter about comics, art, writing, process and life.

• I’m Fine I’m Fine Just Understand ~ Quiet comics about gender, mental health, and getting older.

Inspiration for the TV writer

• Room Snacks ~ The art, craft, and snacks of TV writing.

• Frank ~ Frank conversations about popular culture as it was, as it is, and where it’s going.

What other paid publications about the writing life would make a great gift subscription? Chime in in the comments.