23 of the most fun October holidays for book promotion

How do you feel about October? I have mixed emotions.

The trees are spectacular this time of the year in my part of the U.S. And I live in apple country, so I can get plenty of apple cider, the Official Drink of My House, along with fruit for pie, crisp, and sauce.

But the days grow shorter while the weather gets colder…and colder…and colder. (Sigh.)

Still, October is Sarcastic Month and National Popcorn Popping Month, and the week of October 9 is Pet Peeve Week. What’s not to like about them and the many offbeat October holidays you can use to add life and fun to your book promotion?

How to use these unusual October holidays

Let’s look at a couple of special days in October and how they might help you bring more attention to your books.

A couple of them are controversial: October 5, National Kale Day; October 26, National Mincemeat Day; and October 30, National Candy Corn Day. You know why I say they’re controversial, don’t you? People either love ’em, or hate ’em. Stir the pot by creating a branded social media graphic for each and asking folks in your network to weigh in.

Howl at the Moon Night on October 25 seems made for vampire and children’s books, don’t you think? Work with your local children’s librarian to host a Howl at the Moon contest for the little ones. Novelists, write a short story around that theme and offer it as a limited-time incentive (a lead magnet) for people to sign up for your newsletter.

Use World Smile Day on October 7 to encourage people to do at least one thing to make someone smile. If there’s a connection to smiling in your novel (a perpetually happy character, perhaps?) or you offer self-help advice, write and distribute a tip sheet with advice on how to find ways to smile more. No connection? Use it anyway to drip out – share one at a time, over time – social media posts and images with ideas for how we can all smile more.

You might want to brainstorm with a friend about how to use these holidays or events to your advantage. Open your mind to the possibilities and have fun with them.

Use these October book promotion possibilities

Expand your book promotion with this short list of unexpected and fun October holidays. Look for more on the beautifully redesigned Holiday Insights site, too.

• October 1 International Coffee Day
• October 2 Name Your Car Day
• October 3 National Boyfriends Day
• October 3 Techies Day
• October 5 National Kale Day
• October 6 Come and Take it Day
• October 7 World Smile Day
• October 9 Curious Events Day
• October 9 Moldy Cheese Day
• October 10 National Angel Food Cake Day
• October 12 Cookbook Launch Day
• October 12 Moment of Frustration Day
• October 12 National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
• October 13 International Skeptics Day
• October 18 No Beard Day
• October 19 Evaluate Your Life Day
• October 21 Babbling Day
• October 22 Smart is Cool Day
• October 25 Howl at the Moon Night
• October 26 National Mincemeat Day
• October 29 Hermit Day
• October 30 National Candy Corn Day
• October 31 Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

Be sure to check out the list of book-related occasions during October in our 2022 literary calendar, too.

How can you link any of these to your book or its theme, message, characters, or mission? Please tell us in a comment.