December 10, 2023 (Updated )
Whether your sibling is the editor of a fashion mag or your flatmate is a future political correspondent, we’ve curated the ultimate gift guide for all journalists and writers — from stationary picks to something a bit different.
Regardless of whether you are buying for an accomplished writer, need a goal-setting stocking filler for a student, or a just want a fun, thoughtful gift idea for the journalist in your life, we have you covered.
Did you know Journo Resources publishes an annual magazine? The fourth edition of The Yearbook is now available to pre-order — just in time for Christmas! A beautiful 100-page ring-bound book filled with in-depth features, practical tools and industry advice, it goes directly towards funding our annual fellowship and makes quite the lovely gift, if we do say so ourselves.
Just drop us an email after you purchase and we’ll send you a gift certificate, and three digital copies of our previous editions.
While you can’t go wrong with stationery, it can be overwhelming. We’ve popped some ideas below, so you don’t end up buying the whole shop.
Impress with a Moleskine: Ah, a Moleskine notebook — the stuff of stationery dreams. Your writer or journalist friend is probably always after one, but will never buy it for themselves.
Moleskines can be pretty pricey but are often on offer on Amazon. TK Maxx also sometimes stocks the brand at hugely discounted prices, so it’s always worth a look in there, too.
Add a pop of colour with independent stationery brand Fawn & Thistle: Founded in 2013 by illustrator Kirsten McNee while she was finishing her degree, Fawn & Thistle is all about fun, bright, and quirky designs. You can shop everything from literary cat bookmarks to retro Christmas decor, but we particularly love the notebook and planner rangefor journalists and writers, which starts from £5. A gorgeous addition to any desk, you can purchase most of the designs in either planner or notebook form.
Plan mindfully with The Evolve Journal: Created by brothers Freddie and Sam (whose childhood dreams were to be a Bin Man and Batman, respectively), The Evolve Journal, which comes in at £27.99, is packed full of daily prompts and reflections. While they loved listening to self-help podcasts and reading self-improvement books, the brothers struggled with structure and longer-term goal-setting. And so the Evolve Journal was born. With a recent design refresh, it functions as a daily planner and journal by combining daily task lists with insightful prompts and questions. If you use our exclusive discount code JOURNO15, you’ll also get 15 per cent off your order.
Practice kind accountability with The Give Yourself Kindness Journal: Another great gift for anybody who loves the idea of journaling but needs a little nudge. Made sustainably in the UK, this beautifully bound book encourages authentic reflection with its three months of prompts. It is also undated, so you can start — and return to it — at any point. Approved by experts worldwide, it’s priced at £28.95 and is designed to make journaling feel less like a chore.
Go luxurious with Papier: We are stunned by Papier’s stationery every time and have included the company in previous guides. Browse all of Papier’s beautiful, personalisable journals — from sleep journals to finance journals — here. We can’t promise you won’t leave with something for yourself, too. Prices start from £19.80.
Balance productivity and self-care with MYnd Map’s MY Journal: MYnd Map is a UK-based wellness and productivity brand born from its founder’s experience of feeling lost in her career. In particular, The MYnd Map Journal is designed to help people be more productive and organised, but in a healthy, balanced way. With six key life themes, weekly and monthly calendars, daily planner pages, a daily gratitude section, and illustrations to colour, the journal — priced at £29.99 — comes in several different colours, and there’s a PDF option, too.
Set manageable micro goals with The Priorities Method Journal: Created by Evening Standard Magazine columnist and life and mindset coach Lily Silverton, The Priorities Method Journal is printed and bound in the UK, and all packaging is compostable or recyclable.
This journal costs £30 and encourages accountability through micro-goals, recognising joyful moments, noting things to improve, and tracking to-do lists. Inside, you’ll find 52 weekly overview pages, 11 monthly or quarterly review pages, a yearly review, five mindful exercises, pages on “things I’ve loved”, and free notes pages.
“My aim for The Priorities Method is for it to become more than just a journal, workshop or event. I want to create a community that recognises the chaos of living (maybe even creates it sometimes?) but still knows that, within that, it’s possible to build a life you love. It won’t be perfect, but it will be yours,” says Lily.
Whiteboard planners: Are you always notebook-switching and losing your to-do lists? Yeah, me too. The answer? Whiteboard planners. The lovely independent stationery brand Good Tuesday has a great selection — from weekly to monthly and all wipeable.
Shower-proof notebooks: Yes, you read that correctly. We previously hosted Katie Edwards for an event about opinion writing, who casually mentioned that she keeps a waterproof notebook in the shower — the location of her best ideas. We’ve been on the hunt for one ever since. As the pencil attached to this notebook says: “No more great ideas down the drain.”
Pens glorious pens: Particularly applicable if you’re buying for a student journo, but equally, everyone needs pens. Bic has gotten boujee with this coloured pen gift set. Alternatively, a big ol’ pack of regular biros is a great stocking filler. This isn’t sponsored by Bic, btw (we wish).
The best pens in town, though? It’s got to be Muji. If you’re looking to impress on the stationery front, Muji pens are your best bet.
You can’t go wrong with practical. And practical doesn’t have to mean boring.
A tripod: There are tonnes of different tripods on offer at different price points, including under a tenner. This one even comes with a carry bag, and this gorilla-style one is currently yours for less than £9.
Lapel mics: There’s nothing worse than when you’ve shot some great video, only to find the sound quality is dire. A quick fix to this can be using lapel microphones — little mics that clip onto somebody’s clothing. Again, there are options for all budgets here — this two-pack is currently £26.99 and is really useful for recording conversations between two people.
Home podcast microphone: Know someone who’s always wanted to start a podcast? Well, a podcast mic might be the nudge they need. There are loads of budget-friendly options — from relatively basic to Barbie pink.
We thought we’d throw this into the mix as a practical gift option. By becoming a JR member, you’ll receive career-boosting benefits — regular workshops and events, additional newsletters, and free access to the brand-new shiny transcription service that is JR Transcribe.
Even better, you’ll simultaneously be supporting our work to make the industry look more like those it serves. Members also get a free annual copy of our magazine!
To ensure nobody ends up with ten notebook-shaped parcels under the tree, we’ve also curated a list of more unique gift ideas.
A surprise magazine subscription: Subscription services like Stack handpick a different independent magazine each month for subscribers. Similarly, Rare Mags selects a set of titles for subscribers based on their interests. A great idea for anybody who loves exploring new publications and writers but is easily overwhelmed at the newsstand!
A Typewriter: Thanks to our love for nostalgia, ‘retro’ tech has had somewhat of a rebirth — disposable cameras, flip phones, cassettes — the list goes on. A typewriter is a thoughtful and fun gift for any writer or journalist friend wanting to romanticise their creative projects and endeavours.
Our founder and editor, Jem, has the LEGO typewriter which we are obsessed with here at JR. While this one isn’t actually functional (yet), it looks incredible and is quite the building project. Jem has hopes and dreams of one day making it work as a real typewriter. There are lots of vintage working typewriters on eBay, and some more modern takes on Amazon. This also seems like a pretty comprehensive guide to finding typewriters suitable for working writers.
Keep them toasty with something warm: In the words of Martin Lewis: “Heat the human, not the home.” Chances are, your giftee will work remotely for at least some of their time. Chances also are, they’re rationing the heating. So, a wearable blanket, thermal socks, or even the humble hot water bottle might be appreciated. This one even has little pockets for cold hands and feet.
Vintage magazines: Vintage magazines, which can easily be found on sites like eBay, Oxfam, and Etsy, are a thoughtful and unique option. Some are more expensive than others, like this 1990 Supermodel edition of Vogue, which, to be fair, is signed by Naomi Campbell. For £15, you can purchase an 1800s Harper’s monthly magazine. Another idea (courtesy of TikTok) is to hunt down the edition of their favourite magazine published on their birth month. There are lots under £10.
Expand their knowledge with a non-fiction book box subscription: Husband and wife Dave and Emma founded Drift + Focus to help more people read more great non-fiction books. Together, they curate sustainable book parcels focused on expansive themes. Each box includes two new non-fiction paperbacks with reading notes, an exclusive Drift + Focus magazine and extra gifts from independent small businesses. They offer a quarterly subscription or one-off gift boxes, and you can also purchase gift vouchers.
Give the gift of sustainability with the world’s only plantable pencil: Danish company Sprout World, which develops sustainable and plantable writing tools, has created the world’s only plantable pencils. Once the pencil is too short to draw or write with, you can plant it. The Sprout pencils contain seed capsules in the place of an eraser, and when you plant the pencils with the capsule down and add water and sunlight, the pencil stub will start to grow a new life. The pencils grow into four different plants — one of which is a Christmas tree that lives for years. The limited Christmas pencil pack is available on Amazon here.
Keep them occupied with something crafty: Creative rest — as we explored in our piece on overwhelm — is important. We’ve already talked about the benefits of Lego and a colouring book is always fun.
Inspire new story ideas with the Really Good Conversations card game: Described as ‘The card game that gets people talking’, this is the perfect gift for journalists whose job is, quite literally, to get people talking. Some of the best conversations — and story ideas for journalists and writers — come from train journeys, trips to the pub, family gatherings and parties, and now there’s a card game to help start even more of them.
Help unlock their creativity with writing courses: Literary Agency Curtis Brown Group has a writing academy which runs courses remotely and in London. Since the academy was established in 2011, many former students have become commercially published authors, including Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry) and Julie Ma (Happy Families).
The academy offers a range of courses for all levels of writing skills and interests, from starting to write a novel, editing and pitching your novel — and how to improve your creative writing skills. Bestselling authors such as David Nicholls, Marian Keyes, and Erin Kelly all lead courses. You can purchase gift vouchers online here.
BBC Maestro also delivers online courses in a range of subject areas, from how to write thrillers with Harlan Coben to creating children’s books with The Gruffalo’s Julia Donaldson. There’s currently a Christmas sale, with 40 per cent off courses, subscriptions, and gifts.