The 11 Best Digital Gifts for Book Lovers

Choosing gifts for the bookworms in your life can be tricky. How do you know what they’ve already read and what’s on their to-read pile? Although it’s easy to order books online, if you leave your gift shopping until the last minute, those parcels may not be delivered in time. And if you venture into bookstores, there’s the added burden of navigating the crowds to find the perfect gift.

You can avoid all of these problems with the use of technology. There are many ways to get creative with these great gift ideas that will delight your book-loving pals.

Listening to audiobooks can be just as good as reading books. If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to consume books in this format, you won’t need to look any further than a gift membership to Audible Premium Plus.

Audible is Amazon’s market-leading audiobook service, and a Premium Plus gift membership gives the recipient access to a wide range of audiobooks and exclusive podcasts. You can select however many months of membership you want to gift your loved one, choosing one month, three months, six months, or 12 months. Depending on the membership duration, they can select at least one title from the vast catalog to keep forever.

A Kindle Unlimited subscription is the perfect gift if your friend or family member is an ebook reader. Offering members unlimited reading and listening, there’s such a range of books, magazines, and audiobooks that they’re bound to find something to entertain them.

Best of all, Kindle Unlimited can be used on any device, so even if they don’t own a Kindle e-reader or an Amazon Fire tablet, they can use their membership on any device through the Kindle app.

Scribd has been described as “the Netflix for books.” When you look at what the service offers, it’s easy to see why. Scribd’s ebook catalog numbers over two million titles. But there’s lots more to this comprehensive subscription, with audiobooks, magazines, news articles, podcasts, and even sheet music included. The Scribd app is available worldwide on a wide variety of devices, including iOS, Android, and some Kindle tablets.

Scribd offers gift subscriptions for six or 12-month periods, with special offers often available. The gift subscription codes have no expiration date, so the recipient can redeem the present whenever they’re ready to get started with Scribd. If you’re unsure whether it’s the right choice, try the 30-day free Scribd trial to help you decide.

4. Gift a Specific eBook Title

Did you know that you can gift a Kindle book directly to the recipient? If you already have a title in mind, search for it on Amazon’s Kindle Store and look for the Buy for others option in the purchase box on the product detail page. Fill out a short form with the recipient’s details, leave them a message, and choose the date you want the Kindle book delivered. It couldn’t be easier. Some other online ebook stores offer similar gift options, including eBooks.com.

The problem with this option is what book to select. Because many book lovers use Goodreads to choose new titles, you could consult your friend’s Goodreads “to-read” list for inspiration.

5. Give a Digital Book Token

Digital book tokens work the same way as physical book tokens, allowing readers to choose which books they want to add to their library. They’re the perfect last-minute gift, and they often come as an e-gift card or a physical gift card, with lots of fun designs to choose from.

You can easily get digital book tokens from the websites of leading book retailers, such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Consider buying Bookshop tokens if you want to support local and independent retailers.

6. Subscription to an Online Book Club

The perfect gift for a book lover who loves to discuss what they’re reading, a subscription to an online book club offers the reader an immersive literary experience that will go way beyond simply reading the book.

Literati is an excellent choice if you’re considering this as a gift idea. Calling itself a “book club, reimagined,” Literati delivers subscribers a monthly book package. It hosts an accompanying online book club via a dedicated app offering exclusive content and author interviews.

You don’t need to worry about finding the best fit from the wide range of genres, as subscribers can easily switch between genres throughout their membership.

7. A Book Subscription Service

Many fantastic choices are available if you like the idea of a book subscription service without the book club discussion element. Book subscriptions are perfect for last-minute gifts, as they will be sent to the recipient’s home later on purpose. And there’s nothing better than a gift that truly lasts all year.

Look for subscriptions that match your book-loving friend’s favorite genre. Cratejoy offers diverse options, such as Sci-Fi or Thriller clubs.

8. A Reading Care Package

All self-respecting bookworms will know that there’s nothing better than creating the perfect reading atmosphere. That’s why a reading care package that bundles books together with little luxuries to enhance the hours lost in a story is the complete gift.

Of course, you can create your own package, but it’s possible to order some fantastic care kits online. Try the Books and Bubbles package for a home spa experience or an Introverts Retreat Box featuring candles, chocolates, and more. All are available as single boxes or subscriptions for up to 12 months.

Perhaps your book-loving friend has a best-seller buried within their own imagination, and you can give a gift that will help them unlock it. A Scribbler subscription helps book lovers make the move from reader to writer.

Each month they’ll receive a new-release novel with a signed bookplate, and there’s a Writing Passport to go with each one, exploring the month’s writing theme with the author. Subscribers get access to online materials that decode the publishing industry, and many fun writers’ gifts are also thrown in.

Storyworth is a company that makes readers and their loved ones the stars of a dedicated book. This brilliant concept sees Storyworth sending the subject of the story a series of questions each week via email. There are hundreds of story prompts to pick from, or you can write your own.

The person replies with their answers, and, over a year, the tales build up and are bound into a beautiful book, a keepsake full of memories to cherish forever.

Perfect for parents, grandparents, and anyone celebrating anniversaries, Storyworth is a great way to share your family history while creating a unique book along the way. Some gifts are worth far more than the money they cost, and Storyworth falls firmly into that category.

11. Donation to a Literacy Charity

Because Christmas is a time for thinking of others and helping those who are less fortunate, there’s an opportunity to do good through your gift-giving. Why not give the gift of literacy to others with a donation to a literacy charity, such as the World Literacy Foundation, Book Aid International, or Room to Read, in the name of your loved one?

Find the Perfect Digital Gift for Book Lovers

There are many ways to get creative with your gift-giving for your book-loving friends and family members. These digital options allow you to make last-minute gift choices without braving the stores.

Far from killing the printed word, digital technology has given us multiple ways to celebrate and share the joy of books.