The Very Merry Literally PR Christmas Gift Guide 2015

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

Books are ever present at Christmas time but this winter there are more reasons than ever to give a book to the lucky person in your life!

Normally the Christmas book market is lauded over by big publishing companies pushing out repetitive best sellers but as self publishing has become more and more accessible more diverse stories are being told. Here's our top reasons to give an indie or self published book this Christmas...

1. Self published authors are in touch. Want to know something about the book? Ask them! All our authors are willing to answer a fan's question every now and then, particularly via social media.

2. Pixelation is in the past. Gone are the days of pixelated, photoshopped and cropped covers, these days self published and indie published books are at least as pretty as their big house counterparts (see Charlie Maclean's Unforgettable for a prime example!).

3. Diversity is delicious. At big publishing houses catalogues need to be filled and markets need to be satisfied so anything that falls between or outside of genre lines is either reworked or flung aside. Independent and self published authors don't have to play by these rules meaning that you get a diverse and exciting range of topics covered in new and innovative ways.

Given all of that, here our Literally's offerings for Christmas gifts and guides this year (including offerings from indie publishers, traditional publishers doing things a bit differently - good for them - and directly from the authors themselves):

A Table at the Fields: A brilliant cookbook for the foodie in your life, the recipes are divided into seasons and rely on the produce that is available at that time of the year. The recipes all come from the mind of Colin McGurran, a Great British Menu winning chef, and his team at Winteringham Fields. Keep an eye out for the surprising tomato gazpacho and Christmas-dinner-party-stealing Balmoral venison.

Perfect for: A foodie friend who wants to boost their dinner parties to restaurant status.

Surprising suitable for: Anyone passionate about local sourcing, seasonal cooking and environmentally-conscious eating.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Colin-McGurran.php

Bound Feet Blues: Yang-May's Ooi memoir travels back in her, her mother's and her grandmother's memories to tell the stories that influenced her life. From China and Malaysia to 80s London, Yang-May's memoir and takes in her time at university, her coming out as well as her family and cultural history.

Perfect for: Any arty, non-fic fans especially those with a taste for oral histories and powerful storytelling.

Surprising suitable for: Any business or legal types who are wondering what else they could be doing. Anyone interested in Chinese / Malaysian heritage and history - such as the history behind footbinding.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Yang-May-Ooi—BFB.php

Napoleon's Other Wife: There are many reasons to write a book but Deborah Jay discovered a pretty fabulous one; to rescue a woman from her shady corner of history. In the author's own words, "Marie-Louise's life was, in many ways, infinitely more interesting than Josephine's [Napoleon's first wife], and she had without doubt a far greater impact on the lives of many. Apart from anything else, she bore Napoleon's only legitimate child. Josephine was the ‘trophy' wife, bereft of any feminist or humanitarian message: there is nothing permanent which attests to any true independent thinking, to any major achievements, to any advance of any kind of feminist agenda. Born into one of Europe's leading dynasties, Marie-Louise was neither in awe of Napoleon, though he adored her, nor clinging to him for his status. Instead, she decided to strike out for herself and their son, and is an inspiration to the modern woman."

Perfect for: A history buff with a penchant for strong female characters.

Surprising suitable for: A fan of romantic fiction who is bored of the standard fare and fancies trying historical biography that reads more like a romantic novel than a stuffy history text.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Napoleons-Other-Wife-by-Deborah-Jay.php

42 Days: Talking about death is hard, talking about the death of a young child is even harder but somehow author AJ Roberts has managed to write a book that shows the loss of a child as a rounded, real experience. The loss of AJ's own child 12 years ago clearly influenced this novel but he didn't publish it at the time as the publishers wanted to package it as a simple ‘misery lit' story. Now he has decided to self publish his novel and retain full control over it's redemptive message.

Perfect for: Any friends in the caring professions or that work with young families.

Surprising suitable for: A Nick Hornby fan that doesn't mind shedding a few tears for a good book.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/AJ-Roberts—42-Days.php

Unforgettable: Charlie Maclean's novel, Unforgettable is a high concept and fast paced book that charts two lives, lived in parallel. A moment in Alex's life splits his future and as you read you see the two paths his life could take extending alongside each other. What starts off as high-paced-plot swings smoothly into a satisfying and philosophical conclusion that will cause many faraway looks and ponderings.

Perfect for: 20 and 30-somethings with plenty of unanswered questions about love, life, sex and fate, looking for a gripping plot and a book to devour in a matter of days.

Surprising suitable for: A holiday reader looking to bring books into their wider life.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Charlie-Maclean—Unforgettable.php

Does It Wet the Bed?: A powerful account of Aideen Blackborough's life and the challenges that her cerebral palsy has placed and she has overcome. Does it Wet the Bed is a gripping and challenging memoir that offers a view of people with disabilities that is rounded and whole, as opposed to the 2d ‘victim' that is often paraded in mass media. Aideen's book covers her struggle to get into a mainstream primary and high school, her initial loneliness at university and her shakey, slow but sure steps down the aisle.

Perfect for: A mother who is a fan of powerful memoirs

Surprising suitable for: Anyone corporate looking for a different viewpoint on equality and diversity, disability in the workplace and the need for more inclusion.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Aideen_Blackborough.php

Taming Tigers: Taming Tigers is Daisy White's dystopian YA novel that focuses on Talia, a refugee looking to escape the controlled life she leads in a camp for displaced people. The strap line Daisy chose for her book really says it all: "If Cinderella carried a gun and was just as set on murder, as she was on finding her happy-ever-after..."

Perfect for: Teen girls looking for a book after The Hunger Games.

Surprising suitable for: Boys looking for an adventurous, challenging story.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Daisy_White.php

Beards: An unshaved history: In this book the history of beards in the gay community is explored in all it's stubbly, curly goodness. The book is illustrated with hundreds of stunning photographs and tries to explain the modern fascination with the bearded look by following its path from obscurity to notoriety. A great piece for anyone interested in the academics of gay culture or a brilliant coffee table book for fans of furry faces.

Perfect for: Bears, otters, cubs and wolves.

Surprising suitable for: Fashion and photography fans.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Dr_Kevin_Clarke.php

Love Always: The Love Trilogy is a set of inspirational books about all things ‘love'. A beautiful, thought-provoking, self-help book with a difference, Love Always, the final book in the trilogy, completes the lessons encouraging you to live with gratitude, entwined with your own goodness. Expand your inner awareness, melt away stress and anxiety, strengthen your intuition and become a magnet for happiness and personal growth.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Marianne-Vicelich.php

Perfect for: Mums, sisters, aunties, best friends - women who appreciate gorgeous books and need a boost every now and then!

Surprising suitable for: People who tend to shy away from self-help books.

Where's Sailor Jack?: Where's Sailor Jack follows Bob and Richard as they reminisce on their tumultuous life as baby boomers in post war Britain. They look back on lives filled with business successes, happy(ish) families and houses a little further South than they had imagined. When they add it all up, they come to a realisation, by their own admission, they'd taken far more out than they would ever put in.

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/John-Uttley.php

Perfect for: Mums, Dads, Grandparents and Great Grandparents of a certain age :-)

Surprising suitable for: Philosophy, religion and divinity students.

For more authors, books, writing and plenty more ideas for you please visit www.literallypr.com.

To request review copies, or books for competition prizes, or indeed to fill your Christmas Gift Guide with literature - we can help - just email info@literallypr.com. We have LOTS of books, LOTS of talented authors, LOTS to offer!