29 lighthearted, quirky, and unconventional August book promotion occasions

Re-energize your summer book marketing with these whimsical holidays loaded with August book promotion occasions.

I love August.

By the time we hit this month in the U.S. Northeast, summer is entrenched. The temperature swings that are so common in June are a distant memory; warm-weather yardwork that consumes early July is done.

In August, we can just lean into the warmth and relax, much like they do in Europe. There, multi-week August “holidays” are the norm.

That doesn’t mean you should ease up on book promotion, though.

With that in mind, I’m sharing a long list of special days and holidays that offer lighthearted August book promotion occasions and opportunities.

How to take advantage of August book promotion occasions

What’s the best way to take advantage of the many fun August book promotion opportunities listed below?

Once you identify those occasions that are a good fit for your book or promotion goals, how can you use them?

Here are a few examples to get you started.

August 1, Mahjong Day

Do you write about community? Is one of your characters a gamer?

I remember hanging out with my Chinese aunt and her friends while they played the Chinese tile game mahjong when I visited my aunt and uncle in Los Angeles several decades ago.

That’s why mahjong’s new cross-generational and multicultural popularity caught my attention.

If there’s a connection to your book, why not take advantage of what has become a hot topic? Ask your newsletter subscribers and social media connections if they play mahjong (you can use a “poll” option for this).  

• Turn poll results into multiple social media quote graphics you can share during the next few days or weeks.
• Report your poll results in a press release you send to the media, bloggers, and podcasters.

August 9, Middle Child’s Day

Are you a therapist?

Does your novel or children’s book include a character with several siblings?

Okay, I admit I’m a middle child (fourth of seven born in nine years!), so I find this whole birth order topic fascinating. Here are some ideas for using it:

• Create a short YouTube video explaining how you used birth order traits for fictional character development.
• For nonfiction, create an Instagram carousel post about middle child character traits.
• Generate audience engagement by posting about the occasion on social media and asking followers to comment around where they fall in their family’s birth order.

August 17, Neighbor Night

Does your fiction include neighbor characters?

Do you write about bridge-building?

Are you an event or party planner?

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Not where I live. Good fences in my little village neighborhood say one of two things: “I have a dog,” or “Leave me alone.”

Let’s focus on good neighbors:

• Write a newsletter article or blog post about how to plan and pull off a neighborhood party celebrating neighborliness.
• Take ussies with your neighbors and post them on social media with a caption for each about why you like the neighbor featured or why they’re a good neighbor.
• Create a Neighbor Night graphic, share it on social media, and ask followers to comment about their favorite neighbors.

Your August book promotion occasions

Here’s a partial list of the August marketing opportunities you can add to next month’s book promotion calendar. Get the full list on the Holiday Insights site. (And while you’re there, look ahead to other months.)

• Admit You’re Happy Month
• International Pirate Month
• National Catfish Month
• Romance Awareness Month
• August 1 Mountain Climbing Day
• August 1 National Girlfriends Day
• August 1 Mahjong Day
• August 2 Campfire Day
• August 2 Sandcastle Day
• August 3 Friendship Day
• August 3 International Forgiveness Day
• August 4 National Water Balloon Day
• August 5 Underwear Day
• August 5 Work Like a Dog Day
• August 6 Wiggle Your Toes Day
• August 7 National Lighthouse Day
• August 8 International Cat Day
• August 9 Middle Child’s Day
• August 9 National Garage Sale Day
• August 10 National S’mores Day
• August 12 World Elephant Day
• August 13 Left Hander’s Day
• August 15 Relaxation Day
• August 16 National Honey Bee Awareness Day
• August 17 Neighbor Night
• August 20 National Bacon Lovers Day
• August 26 National Dog Day
• August 26 National Toilet Paper Day
• August 29 International Bat Night

Be sure to check out the list of book-related occasions during August in our 2025 literary calendar, too.

Which of these fun August holidays will work for you and your book? How will you use this list next month to create engagement while calling attention to your book in a lighthearted way? Please tell us in a comment.