May holidays Archives - Build Book Buzz

Use magical May holidays for book promotion

Sandra Beckwith — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 12:00:03 +0000

The magical month of May offers authors several occasions they might relate to more than other people would – Short Story Month, Mother Goose Day, and Limerick Day, to name a few.

But the fifth month of the year also features an interesting selection of holidays and occasions that are perfect for other types of special interests, too. Whether you or your readers enjoy salads – it’s National Salad Month! – or have a thing about lumpy rugs, you’ll be able to find a special holiday in May that resonates.

With an open mind and a little creativity, you’ll be able to take advantage of these fun special days and occasions in May for book promotion.

How to use these fun occasions

Let’s look at a couple of special days in May and how they might help you bring more attention to your books.

May 2 is “Brothers and Sisters Day.” Does your book involve siblings or sibling relationships? Use this as a conversation-starter on social media. For example, sometimes the people we think of as our brothers or sisters aren’t related to us by blood, are they? Ask readers about both their birth and non-birth-related siblings.
“Love a Tree Day” on May 16 presents an opportunity to talk about the importance of nature in our lives. It’s a no-brainer for the author of the best-selling The Hidden Life of Trees, but you don’t have to write about trees to leverage this one. Blog or post on social media about your relationship with trees and nature at large. Create and share a social media image for the holiday, asking followers about their favorite trees (I’m a fan of Gingkos).
Who among us doesn’t pick up a lucky penny when they spot one? “Lucky Penny Day” on May 23 is for all of us who just can’t resist. You can take this in so many directions. Blog about “luck” – does it just happen, or do we create it for ourselves? Post a photo of your lucky penny collection on Facebook and ask friends to do the same in a comment. Ask social media followers to tell you why they collect them or about the luckiest thing that has happened to them.

If you need to, brainstorm with a friend about how to use these holidays or events to your advantage. Open your mind to the possibilities and have fun with them.

With an open mind and a little creativity, you'll be able to take advantage of these fun special days and occasions in May for book promotion.Click to tweet

Magical May book promotion possibilities

Expand your book marketing with this short list of unexpected and fun May holidays. Look for more on the Holiday Insights site, too.

May 1 Loyalty Day
May 1 Save the Rhino Day
May 2 Brothers and Sisters Day
May 3 Garden Meditation Day
May 3 Lumpy Rug Day
May 4 National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 6 Space Day
May 7 National Babysitters Day
May 7 National Train Day
May 9 Lost Sock Memorial Day
May 11 Twilight Zone Day
May 13 Blame Someone Else Day
May 13 Frog Jumping Day
May 13 Leprechaun Day
May 14 National Windmill Day
May 15 National Chocolate Chip Day
May 16 Love a Tree Day
May 16 National Sea Monkey Day
May 23 Lucky Penny Day
May 24 International Tiara Day
May 25 National Towel Day (UK)
May 27 Don’t Fry Friday

Be sure to check out the list of book-related occasions during May in our 2022 literary calendar, too.

How can you link any of these to your book or its theme, message, characters, or mission? Please tell us in a comment.

Book promotion in the merry month of May

Sandra Beckwith — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

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 lots to celebrate in the merry, merry month of May besides the fact that my little corner of the world will (usually) be able to say goodbye to snow for a few months.

The lusty month of May is National Barbecue Month, National Bike Month, and National Hamburger Month, but it also offers us Wildflower Week (the result of April showers that bring May flowers, right?). They’re all hints of warmer weather to come.

May brings those of us in the Northern Hemisphere more than warmer weather, though. It also offers authors a selection of whimsical, wacky, and quirky book promotion opportunities you can use to bring attention to your book.

How to use the merry month of May opportunities

The list below offers plenty of light-hearted occasions you can link to your book for marketing purposes.

Here are a few examples of how to use them to help you imagine what you might do.

Do you write about cooking or gardening? May 1, Herb Day, might be just what you need to share advice or recipes on Instagram and Pinterest. It’s perfect for Lynn Alley, the author of the 2013 book, Cooking with Herbs: 50 Simple Recipes for Fresh Flavor.
Is your book about fashion, or is your fictional protagonist a fashionista? May 8, No Socks Day, is a natural for you. A fashion writer for The Wall Street Journal recently reported that no-show socks are passé. Share your opinion about that on social media or in an essay on your blog.
Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14 gives children’s book authors an opportunity to record a fun dancing-like-a-chicken video or to host an online storytelling hour (using books starring chickens, of course). The author and illustrator of Chicken Talk could do so much with this one.

Your May book promotion opportunities

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

May 1 Free Comic Book Day
May 1 Herb Day
May 3 Lumpy Rug Day
May 4 Bird Day
May 4 Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You)
May 5 Bike to School Day
May 6 No Diet Day
May 8 No Socks Day
May 9 Birth Mother’s Day
May 9 Lost Sock Memorial Day
May 9 National Babysitters Day
May 10 Clean up Your Room Day
May 11 Eat What You Want Day
May 11 Twilight Zone Day
May 13 Frog Jumping Day
May 14 Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 17 Pack Rat Day
May 20 Be a Millionaire Day
May 20 Pick Strawberries Day
May 21 National Bike to Work Day
May 21 National Waiters and Waitresses Day
May 23 Lucky Penny Day
May 24 International Tiara Day
May 25 Tap Dance Day

Which of these holidays can you work with in your book promotion plans? How will you use next month to help generate conversation and call attention to your book in a lighthearted way?

Wacky May holidays bring promotion opportunities

Sandra Beckwith — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:00:10 +0000

It’s time to inject a little fun into your book promotion.

I always get so many happy comments and emails when I run these wacky holiday lists that I’m going to try to do it more often. These unusual special occasions give you a chance to get creative – and smile.

The goal is to find one or more wacky May holidays from the short list below or the expanded list on HolidayInsights that relates to your book. Use that occasion as a starting point for any number of book promotion tactics.

Winning ways with wacky May holidays

If you haven’t done this sort of thing before, here are some ideas to get you thinking:

Write a blog post that connects the holiday to your book. Do you write mysteries? Use May 11, “Twilight Zone Day,” to reminisce about the episode that scared you the most. The author of a book on how to get organized can use “Lost Sock Memorial Day” to write about how to avoid honoring that holiday by using a simple trick that prevents lost socks.
Host a contest. Ask your readers to nominate their favorite school nurse for May 9, “School Nurses Day.” The winner you select will receive a copy of your book as a thank you gift. As part of the nomination process, require people to do something specific, such as like your Facebook page or follow you on Pinterest or Instagram.
Write and distribute a tip sheet related to a holiday with a connection to your book. Is your book about wealth management? Create a tip sheet for “Be a Millionaire Day” that provides advice on how to do that for longer than a day.

May’s wacky days

Let these wacky holidays inspire your creativity.

May 1 Mother Goose Day
May 3 Garden Meditation Day
May 4 International Tuba Day
May 6 Beverage Day
May 6 No Diet Day
May 8 No Socks Day
May 9 Lost Sock Memorial Day
May 9 School Nurses Day
May 10 Clean up Your Room Day
May 11 Eat What You Want Day
May 11 Twilight Zone Day
May 12 Limerick Day
May 14 Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 17 Pack Rat Day
May 18 No Dirty Dishes Day
May 20 Be a Millionaire Day
May 25 National Brown Bag It Day
May 25 National Towel Day
May 25 National Wine Day
May 25 Tap Dance Day
May 28 National Hamburger Day

Don’t forget to use the more traditional May occasions such as Mother’s Day, college commencements, and high school graduations as jumping off points, too. Reporters and producers in particular are always looking for a fresh approach to an old favorite.

Have you ever used a holiday to help promote your book? What did you do? Tell us in a comment.