I love the month of October. The leaves are changing color, you start to feel that autumn crispness in the air, and it’s time to pull out all the cozy sweaters and boots. It’s also time to clean up the garden, and of course, there is Halloween to anticipate.
It’s time to take a look at the book publicity and marketing opportunities for the month of October. Special events are featured all month, during certain weeks, and on particular days. The question is, can you tie your book into any of these special events and make it newsworthy again?
October is…
- Mental Health Month
- Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
- Family History Month
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Cyber Security Month
- Celiac Disease Awareness Month
- Health Literacy Month
- National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
- National Reading Group Month
- Squirrel Awareness and Appreciation Month (I like this one! I will include a picture!)
The first week in October, the 1st through the 7th is:
Walk Your Dog Week
National Work from Home Week
Positive Attitude Week
Special Days in October
1st: International Coffee Day (October is also Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month. Interesting!)
2nd: Boyfriend’s Day
16th: World Food Day
18th: Get Smart about Credit Day
19th: Evaluate Your Life Day
25th: International Artists Day
26th: Howl at the Moon Day
27th: Make a Difference Day
29th: Internet Day
By tying into one of these days, weeks or the month of October, you can make your book timely and newsworthy.
Bottom Line: Remember, editors, producers, digital directors — all those bringing content together to share with an audience are always asking in the back of their minds, “Why you, why now?” Being able to answer that quickly and easily makes you current and timely. Use the calendar to your advantage.
Oh, and one more thing. While there may not be an official special day for this (although there probably is somewhere), October is fall and a common experience for many means working in the garden. Therefore, books related to autumn gardening have a shot. It’s also a common time for colds and flu so if you have ideas for keeping people healthy and preventing illness, now would be a good time to secure coverage.
Be sure and plan. Planning for future events is necessary. Coming up, sooner than we think, Thanksgiving and all the various holiday celebrations and, of course, the New Year. New Year, New You. Let’s get your book out there.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. There is a lot to learn and know when it comes to writing, publishing, and promoting a book. Join me here for the International Authors Summit 2018. I think this is the last day or two that you can grab a freebie, so do it. 🙂 Click here, and I’ll see you there!
#October
#CalendarEvents
#BookPublicity
#BookMarketing