Creative Titles for Your Wish List or to Give! | Creativity Matters Podcast (CMP)

Holiday Shopping 2020

If you are an Amazon.com shopper, you know that deals come and go, especially during the holiday (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.) frenzy. But this can be a good time of year to catch deals.

UPDATE: this deal has now ended. In the book space, recently, I’ve seen deals like “buy 3 for the price of 2” on certain books, and there are always deals that show up in certain categories where if you buy a certain amount, you get x amount back.

I noticed this morning a “spend $20 get $5 back” limited-time deal on a select group of books (physical books). One of the titles on my wish list was there, so I started looking to see what else might be there, and there are a number of books I’ve talked about through the years.

If you are looking for deals like this, you might be interested in titles like the ones listed below. This is, of course, the tip of the iceberg for creative books. I just checked to see if some of the ones “top of mind” might be included.

(Note: these are affiliate links. I have no information on how long this deal will be available. It may be today only. Look for the “deal” information somewhere below the pricing information when viewing a product.)

Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor (by Lynda Barry) –> countless shows, including: Episode 264: Quadrant Diary and Episode 383: Teapots in a Tree and Episode 358: Thinking in Words and Pictures
Making Comics (Lynda Barry) –> see all episodes above and Episode 377: The Monster Under the Desk
Dear Data (by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec) –> Episode 176: Dear Data and Data Resources
An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers (by Danny Gregory) (Creative License is not in this deal, but if you haven’t read it or don’t own it, it’s great to put on your wish list or to give as a gift!)
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (by Natalie Goldberg)
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (by Anne Lamott)
The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds (by John Muir Laws) (The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling is not in this deal but currently has its own $5 off coupon., as does How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention)
The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life (by Julia Cameron)
The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life (by Marion Roach Smith)
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (by William Zinsser)
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (by Stephen King)
Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic (by Lisa Congdon)

Specifically on Kindle:

Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany Kindle (currently $2.99 — not sure how it might look as an e-book since it’s a book of spine art) –> Episode 348: Book Art

Comics, Graphic Novels, or Graphic Novel-focused:

What It Is (Lynda Barry)
The Art of the Graphic Memoir: Tell Your Story, Change Your Life (by Tom Hart)
Moebius Library: The Art of Edena [important: this is a companion book for people who have read Moebius Library: The World of Edena
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: a Calvin and Hobbes Treasury (by Bill Watterson)
Calvin and Hobbes (Volume 1) (by Bill Watterson)
It’s A Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection (Volume 16) (by Bill Watterson)
Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (by Will Eisner) –> I am a Scott McCloud fan (see other titles) and have not looked at these, but the Will Eisner books are really well-known [This one is not part of the deal but part of the Eisner series: Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative]
The Art of Comic Book Writing: The Definitive Guide to Outlining, Scripting, and Pitching Your Sequential Art Stories (by Mark Kneece) SCAD
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (by Scott McCloud) –> big fan; I have this one; more of the theory
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (by Scott McCloud) –> more of a hands-on guide (currently – a coupon)
Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of) (by Kathleen Gros)
Thoreau at Walden (The Center for Cartoon Studies Presents) (by John Porcellino)
Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir (by Roz Chast)

No Deal – But Titles to Keep in Mind

How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum (by Keri Smith)
The Wander Society (by Keri Smith) –> Episode 232: Wander
How to Be a Wildflower: A Field Guide (by Katie Daisy) –> Episode 372: How to Be a Wildflower
Everyday Matters (Danny Gregory)
The Principles of Uncertainty (by Maira Kalman) –> Episode 197: Moments with the Moments
And the Pursuit of Happiness (by Maira Kalman)
Observe, Collect, Draw!: A Visual Journal (by Giorgia Lupi) (see Dear Data above)
All Over Coffee (by Paul Madonna) –> Episode 257: Red Sun
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (by Scott McCloud)
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process (by John McPhee)
Sketchnote Handbook (Mike Rohde)
The Art of Memoir (by Mary Karr)

Cartoon Guides

Miscellaneous:

Becoming (by Michelle Obama)
Untamed (by Glennon Doyle)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (by V. E. Schwab)
The Book Thief (by Markus Zusak)
Ada Twist, Scientist (Picture book: by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator))
Iggy Peck, Architect (Picture book: by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator))
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (currently: coupon)
How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students (by Catherine V Holmes)
Hygge Knits: Nordic and Fair Isle sweaters, scarves, hats, and more to keep you cozy (by Nicki Trench)
The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People (by Elizabeth Wagele)