Odd October occasions offer book promotion opportunities
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).
There’s already a chill in the air here in Western New York as fall approaches. As we say goodbye to summer and look ahead to cooler months, let’s think about how you can banish the weather blues by having a little fun with your book promotion.
October offers more than a few quirky, unexpected, and downright wacky holidays and occasions that you can take advantage of to bring attention to your book. (Looking for something with gravitas? You won’t find it here.)
It’s also National Popcorn Popping Month and National Sarcastic Awareness Month. A bounty of riches! (Hmm . . . was that sarcasm?)
How to leverage odd October 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.
- October 5, Do Something Nice Day, works well for the children’s book How to Be Nice. Does one of your novel’s characters have a reputation for being “nice?” Have you written a self-help book that includes wisdom on the importance of being nice or advice on how to be a better person? Or, do you just want to help a very chaotic world become a nicer place? Then this holiday is for you.
- Cookbook Launch Day on October 12 is a no-brainer for anyone about to introduce a cookbook, but what about those of us who love cookbooks? Write a blog post that shares those you own, or post about one of your favorites on social media. This is a good opportunity to support other authors, especially those who help you create menus!
- October 21, Count Your Buttons Day, is perfect for my talented cousin, Sylvia Liszka Durell. Sylvia’s the author of Haiku for Button Lovers, an Amazon category best-seller when first published. Sylvia can post a photo of a jar full of buttons on Facebook and offer her book as a prize for anyone who can guess how many buttons it holds.
Which can you add to your book promotion calendar?
Here’s a partial list of the odd October occasions you can add to next month’s book promotion calendar. Get the full list on the Holiday Insights site.
- October 1 International Day for the Elderly
- October 2 National Custodial Worker Day
- October 3 Techies Day
- October 5 Do Something Nice Day
- October 7 Bald and Free Day
- October 9 Fire Prevention Day
- October 10 National Motorcycle Ride Day
- October 11 It’s My Party Day
- October 12 Cookbook Launch Day
- October 13 International Skeptics Day
- October 14 National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
- October 16 Dictionary Day
- October 17 Wear Something Gaudy Day
- October 18 National Meatloaf Appreciation Day
- October 19 Evaluate Your Life Day
- October 20 Brandied Fruit Day
- October 21 Count Your Buttons Day
- October 22 National Nut Day
- October 23 TV Talk Show Host Day
- October 25 Mother-In-Law Day
- October 27 Black Cat Day
- October 29 National Frankenstein Day
- October 30 National Candy Corn Day
- October 31 Increase Your Psychic Powers Day
Which of these holidays can you use next month to help spark conversation and call attention to your book in a fun way?
Like what you’re reading? Get it delivered to your inbox every week by subscribing to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter. You’ll also get my free “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources” cheat sheet immediately!
Evaluate Your Life Day (Oct 19) is right on message for me. I invite all my readers to examine their marriages and find out what led them to their unhappy situations. A very important holiday!
We all need that reminder. What do you think you might do with it? Any ideas?
Sandy
I noticed the book promotion opportunities you have for authors in October. I happen to have three books come out within the last four months. Although I believe all have strong value, there is one I feel is too important to be overlooked. On October 5th, is DO Something Nice Day. Let’s do something nice with the social awareness book “Best Buddies for Life.” The children’s book is about two twin brothers, just shy of eight years old. One was born with Cerebral Palsy and has mental and physical impairments. These boys are so close, they are best buddies for life. Jared does many nice acts to help his brother each day. Tim is a happy child and loves his brother Jared. The book is available in print & eBook. Audiobook will be released soon.
It sounds like the perfect tie-in for your book, Nancy. How do you plan to use it for book promotion purposes?
Sandy
October 31 is an obvious one for me – my children’s novel The Slapstyx features grubby goblins who are getting up to no good, and psychic twins who have to sort them out!
That sounds like a fun read, Annabelle! I’m sure you can have fun promoting it around Halloween, too.
Sandy