You Can’t Wrap an E-Book - gifting ebooks

[xendula]

I found this Slate article via Overdrive.

You Can’t Wrap an E-Book
Or can you? Nine ideas for making an invisible gift more fun to give.

It used to be easy to give your loved ones books for the holidays. You went to a bookstore, browsed the shelves , and picked out something thoughtful: Jodi Picoult’s latest for your mom, Harry Potter for your niece, maybe a Bill O’Reilly rant for that uncle who never shuts up at Thanksgiving.
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But now everyone has a Kindle or a Nook or an iPad. And how do you give an e-book? Sure, you can just hand over a gift card. But where’s the fun in that? Here are nine ideas for turning an e-book into a gift you can wrap up and tuck under the tree.

[VaultBoy]

My mother bought me a couple ebooks last year. She brought over a large package full of newspaper, some rocks and other crud to add some weight to it.

Inside was a screen shot of her computer with the Amazon checkout screen and a notepad document open with a little message.

Mom is a bit of a nut.

[xendula]

They have an empty box as an idea, but to add rocks, newspapers and a screenshot of the checkout screen is so much better!!

[HYPE]

Originally Posted by VaultBoy

My mother bought me a couple ebooks last year. She brought over a large package full of newspaper, some rocks and other crud to add some weight to it.

Inside was a screen shot of her computer with the Amazon checkout screen and a notepad document open with a little message.

Mom is a bit of a nut.

That's actually a very nice gift! She really wanted to make you happy.

[QuantumIguana]

Print out the cover of the book, and make it into a Christmas Card. That way you have something to open on Christmas. I'm asking for the Silmarillion for Christmas. I would prefer to have the e-book gifted to me, rather than a gift card. You can give an e-book as a gift, and choose when it will be delivered. I just won't turn on the wifi on my Kindle until it is time to open presents.

[Kumabjorn]

Would it be a copyright violation if the vendor added a personal greeting before the front page?

[Apache]

Even before ebooks., my family never bought me books as gifts. They could never know if I already had it. Before gift cards it was checks or cash in a nice card with a message. Now it is gift cards. I just have to convince them not to buy Books A Million Gift Cards. It is the only book store in town and their ebook selection sucks.
Apache

[xendula]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

Print out the cover of the book, and make it into a Christmas Card.

That's a cool idea. You an even print it out in one of those phto printers in drugstores.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Would it be a copyright violation if the vendor added a personal greeting before the front page?

I don't know, but that would be a geat idea. Or they could let you add a little message to the cover, so you can see it on readers that display covers on the home screen.

[DianNC]

#6 has the potential to be a disaster.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by DianNC

#6 has the potential to be a disaster.

Because it would be a copyright violation?

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

Print out the cover of the book, and make it into a Christmas Card. That way you have something to open on Christmas. I'm asking for the Silmarillion for Christmas. I would prefer to have the e-book gifted to me, rather than a gift card. You can give an e-book as a gift, and choose when it will be delivered. I just won't turn on the wifi on my Kindle until it is time to open presents.

One of the choices you have when giving an Amazon gift card is to use your own printer: it prints out a page and you fold it in quarters and get a card with a seasonally-appropriate graphic on the front and another graphic plus message and gift card code on the inside.

I'd love it if you could do that with an e-book gift card: the recipient gets a 6x4 card with the book cover on it, and when you open it it has a message and a code you enter to redeem the book.

[NightBird]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

Print out the cover of the book, and make it into a Christmas Card. That way you have something to open on Christmas.

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

One of the choices you have when giving an Amazon gift card is to use your own printer: it prints out a page and you fold it in quarters and get a card with a seasonally-appropriate graphic on the front and another graphic plus message and gift card code on the inside.

I'd love it if you could do that with an e-book gift card: the recipient gets a 6x4 card with the book cover on it, and when you open it it has a message and a code you enter to redeem the book.

I love these ideas. And to go along with the mug idea, maybe a "snuggly" reading set, with a throw (heated or not), slippers, a set of different coffees/teas/soups, coasters, mug, a tray to put everything on, and the card with the gift certificate.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by NightBird

I love these ideas. And to go along with the mug idea, maybe a "snuggly" reading set, with a throw (heated or not), slippers, a set of different coffees/teas/soups, coasters, mug, a tray to put everything on, and the card with the gift certificate.

That's a cuuute idea as well

Or how about a box of chocolates with one chocolate replaced by a note with a picture of the book cover saying "I thought these chocolates would go well with the ebook I got you"?

This would also work with the note inside a gourmet coffee tin.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by VaultBoy

My mother bought me a couple ebooks last year. She brought over a large package full of newspaper, some rocks and other crud to add some weight to it.

Inside was a screen shot of her computer with the Amazon checkout screen and a notepad document open with a little message.

Mom is a bit of a nut.

Originally Posted by xendula

They have an empty box as an idea, but to add rocks, newspapers and a screenshot of the checkout screen is so much better!!

I agree! But, then, I am a geologist.