Awesome August occasions for authors

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As we head into August during the summer of 2020 that never really was, let’s lighten things up by finding ways to add levity and personality to your book promotion.

August brings you many lighthearted, unexpected, and mostly not serious holidays and occasions that you can leverage to your book’s advantage.

The eighth month of what seems like an unusually long year (to me . . .) is also Family Fun Month and Romance Awareness Month. Those have potential for children’s, parenting, and romance book authors.

How to leverage awesome August occasions

Not sure how to go about pairing your book with any of the fun holidays below? Here are a few examples to get you started.

• August 1, National Girlfriends Day, is just two weeks after the publication date for Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close, which is co-authored by the hosts of the hit podcast “Call Your Girlfriend.” It’s a natural topic for that day’s podcast. Do girlfriends play a role in your novel or nonfiction book? Create social media images to celebrate the occasion.
• National Thrift Shop Day on August 17 is a good fit for a consumer finance book or a novel with a thrifty character who loves thrift stores and consignment shops. I hope the author of The Nakano Thrift Shop: A Novel takes advantage of it.
• Written a love story or a book about relationships? Don’t miss Kiss and Make Up Day on August 25. Write an essay about reconciliation for your blog or Medium, pitch a guest blog article, or get a discussion going on Facebook.

Which can you add to your book promotion calendar?

Here’s a partial list of the awesome August occasions you can add to next month’s book promotion calendar. Get the full list on the Holiday Insights site.

• August 1 Campfire Day
• August 1 National Girlfriends Day
• August 1 National Mountain Climbing Day
• August 2 Friendship Day
• August 2 Sisters Day
• August 5 National Underwear Day
• August 5 Work Like a Dog Day
• August 6 Wiggle Your Toes Day
• August 8 Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day
• August 9 Book Lover’s Day
• August 10 National S’mores Day
• August 13 Left Hander’s Day
• August 14 National Creamsicle Day
• August 15 National Honey Bee Awareness Day
• August 17 National Thrift Shop Day
• August 20 National Radio Day
• August 21 Senior Citizen’s Day
• August 25 Chinese Valentine’s Day
• August 25 Kiss and Make Up Day
• August 26 National Dog Day
• August 27 Global Forgiveness Day
• August 29 International Bacon Day
• August 30 Toasted Marshmallow Day
• August 31 National Eat Outside Day

Which of these holidays can you use next month to help spark conversation and fun?