I am a traditionalist. I love Thanksgiving and refuse to start thinking of the holidays and Christmas before we all enjoy that big feast with family and friends in November. However, now that December is here, it is full on. (One caveat: When it comes to business and book promotion, we start strategizing for the holidays LONG before Thanksgiving!)
December is the darkest time of year with the Winter Solstice falling on December 21, and then slowly but surely, the days begin to get longer again. Other holidays include Chanukah, which begins on December 12. Christmas is on December 25 and Kwanzaa begins on December 26th, which also happens to be Boxing Day.
When it comes to book publicity, marketing and promotion, tying into events on the calendar can make your topic newsworthy again. With that in mind, and because I love to do this every month, here is a list for December that may be helpful in your efforts. December is…
National Car Donation Month (Good timing! You can write it off on your taxes!)
AIDS Awareness Month (We don’t hear about it as much as we used to, but it’s still a problem.)
National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month (Hopefully will leave the cars at home and grab an Uber or Lyft.)
National Tie Month ($220,000. Believe it or not, that’s the price of the most expensive tie ever made. It was created by Satya Paul Design studio and contained 271 diamonds and 150 grams of gold. A bit ostentatious, don’t you think?)
National Write A Business Plan Month (Too many go without one. Make a plan for your business and your book(s)!)
Operation Santa Paws (1-24) Show extra love to your furry friends!
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Universal Human Rights Month (People around the globe are asked to come together for equality and justice for all.)
Here are some special weeks in December:
Cookie Cutter Week: 1-7
Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week: 1-7
National Hand-washing Awareness Week: 4-10 (First Week)
Gluten-free Baking Week: 17-23 (Week Before Christmas)
It’s About Time Week: 25-31 (This week is dedicated to last-minute goals, chores, or bursts of inspiration to become the you that you aimed to become way back in January. Haha. Let’s do better in 2019)
Here are some special days in December:
National Mutt Day Dec. 2
St. Nicholas Day Dec. 6
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Dec. 7
National Chocolate-covered Anything Day Dec. 16
National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day – Third Friday in December
Universal Hour of Peace Dec. 31
This is quite a list. The good news is that it means many different authors and books have a chance to tie into one or more of the above topics. Now is the time to take action on behalf of your book! If you have questions about that, shoot me a note either by hitting reply, or by filling out the contact form on my website. www.joannemccall.com.
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