You have plenty of them this year! There’s a day, week, month, or special occasion for just about every book-related topic you can think of in 2020.

Want to support your local library? Promote literacy? Get more people reading? You’ll get what you need in the 2020 literary calendar.

How to use the 2020 literary calendar

How can you take advantage of these special dates? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4. Here are the basics.

Step 1. Start by reviewing the list below and selecting those that resonate with you. For example, if you are a children’s book author, one of them might be Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week starting February 3. Is the Grapes of Wrath the best book you’ve ever read? Feburary 27, John Steinbeck’s birthday, might be for you.

Step 2. Add the dates you like to your calendar. Then schedule time before each holiday or occasion to create the materials you’ll use to promote the event. (Don’t be like me and forget to do this.) The lead time depends on what you’ll do to recognize the event, how much time you need, and whether your plan involves collaborating with others.

Step 3. Decide how you’ll recognize the occasion. Here are a few ideas:

• Write a blog post or article about why it’s important to you. This can be for your blog, for someone else’s, or on a platform such as Medium.
• Join a local library committee to plan and execute library-related events.
• Reduce the price of your book for a limited time.
• Create an event-related image to share on social media. Some themed months, weeks, and dates with an organization behind them create images you can use, too. Here’s one for Independent Bookstore Day, April 25.

Step 4: Execute your plan.

Your 2020 literary calendar

Ready to have some fun? Here’s a month-by-month breakdown.

January

1 – Copyright Law Day

2 – National Science Fiction Day

4 – World Braille Day

12 – Universal Letter Writing Week

14 –  Poetry at Work Day

18 – Thesaurus Day

18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)

19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday

22 – Library Shelfie Day

25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)

January 26 – February 2 – Family Literacy Week

27 – Lewis Carroll’s birthday (author of Alice in Wonderland )

27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada

February

Library Lovers’ Month

1 – Take Your Child to the Library Day

3-7 Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week

5 – World Read Aloud Day

9 – Read in the Bathtub Day

12 –Judy Blume’s birthday

14 – International Book Giving Day

14 – Library Lovers’ Day

19 – Amy Tan’s birthday

23-29 Canada’s Freedom to Read Week

26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day

27 – John Steinbeck’s birthday

March

1-7 – Read an E–book Week

2 – Read Across America Day

2 – Dr. Seuss’s birthday

3-9 – Return Borrowed Books Week

4 – National Grammar Day

5 – World Book Day in the UK and Ireland

16 – Freedom of Information Day

20 – World Storytelling Day

21 – World Poetry Day

26 – Robert Frost’s birthday

30 – Pencil Day

April

National Poetry Month

1 – Reading is Funny Day

1 – Poetry and the Creative Mind Day

2 – Children’s Book Day

2 – Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday

4 – School Librarian Day

4 – Maya Angelou’s birthday

12 – Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day

12 – Beverly Cleary’s birthday

13 – Scrabble Day

14 – Noah Webster published American Dictionary of the English Language

15 – Rubber Eraser Day

16 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day

18 – Newspaper Columnists Day

19-25 – National Library Week

19-25 – National Poetry Week

21 – National Library Workers Day

22 – National Bookmobile Day

23 – Take Action for Libraries Day

23 – William Shakespeare’s birthday

23 – World Book and Copyright Day

23 – English Language Day

25 – Independent Bookstore Day

27 – Tell a Story Day

28 – Great Poetry Reading Day

May

Short Story Month

Get Caught Reading Month

1 – Mother Goose Day

2 – Free Comic Book Day

4-10 – Children’s Book Week

5 – National Cartoonists Day

12 – Limerick Day

22 – Sherlock Holmes Day

31 – Walt Whitman’s birthday

June

Audiobook Appreciation Month

GLBT Book Month

10 – Ballpoint Pen Day

22 – Octavia Butler’s birthday

23 – The first typewriter patent was awarded

25 – Eric Carle’s birthday

July

Read an Almanac Month

4 – National Tom Sawyer Day

11 – E.B. White’s birthday

21 – Ernest Hemingway’s birthday

30 – Paperback Book Day

31 – J.K. Rowling’s birthday

August

2 – National Coloring Book Day

9 – Book Lovers Day

18 – Bad Poetry Day

21 – Poet’s Day

31 – We Love Memoirs Day

September

Library Card Sign Up Month

Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month

Literacy Month

Read a New Book Month

4 – Richard Wright’s birthday

6 – Read a Book Day

7 – Buy a Book Day

8 – International Literacy Day

21-27 Science Literacy Week in Canada

22 – Hobbit Day

22 – Dear Diary Day

24 – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday

25 – National Comic Book Day

September 27-October 2 – Banned Books Week

29 – International Coffee Day in the U.S. (October 1 in the UK)

October

National Book Month

6 – Mad Hatter Day

7 – Random Acts of Poetry Day

11 – Myth and Legends Day

16 – Dictionary Day

20 – National Day of Writing

20-26 – National Friends of Libraries Week

November

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

National Memoir Writing Month

National Non-Fiction Month in the UK

Picture Book Month

National Family Literacy Month

1 – National Author’s Day

10 – Young Readers Day

15 – I Love to Write Day

18 – High Five a Librarian Day

December

10 – Dewey Decimal System Day

16 – Jane Austen’s birthday

21 – Crossword Puzzle Day

21 – National Short Story Day

24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Yule Book Flood

Here’s a short disclaimer: Please note that there’s conflicting information online about some of these dates, but we’ve tried our best to verify and validate everything. Please let us know if you have a correction or clarification.

Have we missed anything? If you know of a holiday or occasion that should be on this calendar but isn’t, tell us in a comment. We’ll continually update this as needed. Thanks! 

Editor’s note 1-15-20: Thanks to an alert reader, we’ve add #123: May is Short Story Month.

When you combine the right holiday with a message, theme, character, or setting in your book, you can get ideas for an engaging blog post, a lively online discussion, or ways to get media attention.

Try using this strategy every month to keep people talking about your book long after the launch.

Ideas you can use

To get things started, here are a few examples of books that can take advantage of these fun February opportunities:

• February 2 is “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.” This is tailor-made for self-help book Ice Cream for Breakfast: How rediscovering your inner child can make you calmer, happier, and solve your bullsh*t adult problems, Richard Scarry’s children’s book Ice Cream for Breakfast, and memoir Of Course You Can Have Ice Cream for Breakfast!: A Journalist’S Uncommon Memoir.
• Randi Minetor, author of Backyard Birding: A Guide to Attracting and Identifying Birds, can use February 3, “Feed the Birds Day,” as the timely news peg for a tip sheet on what seedy treats to use to attract certain types of birds.
• February 15, “Susan B. Anthony Day,” lets the author of the children’s book Who Was Susan B. Anthony? or Strudels with Susan B. Anthony schedule school visits.
• Any author with a book involving dogs (think A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans) can create social media images that will start a conversation for February 22, “Walking the Dog Day.” Use them to get your network talking about how walking the dog contributes to or benefits their lives.

Festive and Fun February occasions

Use this short list of fun February holidays to inspire you. See all of them on the Holiday Insights site.

• February 2 Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
• February 3 Feed the Birds Day
• February 4 Thank a Mailman Day
• February 5 National Weatherman’s Day
• February 6 National Chopsticks Day
• February 7 Send a Card to a Friend
• February 9 Toothache Day
• February 10 Umbrella Day
• February 11 Clean out Your Computer Day
• February 11 Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day
• February 11 Make a Friend Day
• February 11 National Inventors Day
• February 14 Ferris Wheel Day
• February 14 National Organ Donor Day
• February 15 Singles Awareness Day
• February 15 Susan B Anthony Day
• February 16 Do a Grouch a Favor Day
• February 20 Hoodie Hoo Day
• February 20 Love Your Pet Day
• February 22 Be Humble Day
• February 22 Walking the Dog Day
• February 26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day

You can also look ahead to March and April so you’re well-prepared for the next few months.

Which of these holidays can you link your book to? How will you use it for book promotion?

Find and leverage a fun holiday from the short list below, or browse the expanded list on HolidayInsights for one you can link to your book. Then brainstorm how you might combine the two — the holiday and your book — to create content or get attention.

Ideas for those crazy July holidays

Here are just a few examples from the abbreviated list below:

• Do you write science fiction? World UFO Day on July 2 is for you.
• You’re a children’s book author? Have fun with Teddy Bear Picnic Day on  July 10.
• Is your book on a technology topic? Embrace Your Geekness Day, July 13, is for you.
• Do you write historical fiction? Consider using Amelia Earhart Day on July 24 a springboard.
• Is ice cream one of your major food groups? (Raising my hand on that one.) Use your Facebook page or group to poll people about their favorite flavor on National Ice Cream Day on July 15.
• Are you a Buffalo, N.Y.-area author? July 29, National Chicken Wing Day, is tailor-made for you and those tasty Buffalo chicken wings you’re so well known for.

Crazy July holidays

Let this list of crazy July holidays inspire you to review the longer list.

• July 1 Build A Scarecrow Day
• July 2 World UFO Day
• July 3 Disobedience Day
• July 5 Workaholics Day
• July 7 Chocolate Day
• July 8 Video Games Day
• July 10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day
• July 11 Cheer up the Lonely Day
• July 13 Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
• July 13 Embrace Your Geekness Day
• July 14 Shark Awareness Day
• July 15 Be a Dork Day
• July 15 Cow Appreciation Day
• July 15 National Ice Cream Day
• July 16 Fresh Spinach Day
• July 16 Global Hug Your Kids Day
• July 18 National Hot Dog Day
• July 20 Moon Day
• July 22 Hammock Day
• July 24 Amelia Earhart Day
• July 24 Cousins Day
• July 26 All or Nothing Day
• July 28 National Day of the Cowboy
• July 29 National Chicken Wing Day

Authors who have used this tactic have been happy with the attention they’ve brought to their books.

Now it’s your turn to have fun and get creative with these crazy July holidays.

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

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.

Starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, the movie’s about what happens when parents who have blown their daughter’s college fund start an illegal casino in their basement to generate enough money to cover her higher education expenses. (Hilarity ensues!)

If you’ve written a book on how to pay for college, you should be capitalizing on the buzz around this movie starring two bankable comedians. (More on that in a moment.)

In general, you always want to look for ways to link your book to current events, whether it’s breaking news, celebrity gossip, or, as in this case, a movie that’s getting a lot of attention. It’s about being opportunistic — the opportunity presents itself and you grab it to get book publicity.

How to be opportunistic

But how do you do that?

Let’s use “The House” as an example. It might get you thinking about how you can be more opportunistic with your book publicity in the future.

In the movie, the couple has to do something outrageous and illegal to raise enough money to pay for college. Kind of sounds like real life, doesn’t it? So apply that concept to real-world media opportunities that can include:

Op-eds (opinion essays)

Write an op-ed about how for some families, this doesn’t seem too far from reality. Sure, it’s all fun and games in the movie theater, but what about in real life? How does the average family pay today’s skyrocketing college costs?

Article interviews

Pitch a newspaper, online media site, or blog on an article about more realistic ways to pay for college than what’s portrayed in the comedy. The movie provides the “hook” that will get media outlets interested in your more grounded and practical advice.

Radio interviews

Using the movie as the hook, contact radio talk show producers to offer an interview segment where you offer alternative funding options. “While the parents in this movie felt that opening an illegal casino was their best option, there are other more, um, practical ways to pay for college when you haven’t saved enough.”

TV interviews

Talk to a local TV talk show producer or evening news assignment editor about doing a stand-up interview outside a local theater playing the movie. “Crowds are flocking to theater X to watch the comedy about how Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler open a casino to pay for college, but one local expert says you don’t have to go to those lengths if you haven’t saved enough yet.”

Be prepared

Because many of the opportunities you can leverage appear and disappear quickly, you have to be able to react quickly. There’s often just a 24-hour window to use the headline or breaking news to your advantage.

It helps to have the basic tools ready to use:

Pre-write op-eds around topics that tend to be newsworthy over and over and have them ready to use when the opportunity arises. You can adjust what’s in your files to tailor it for the current news topic, then send it out quickly.

Let’s say you’ve written a young adult novel with a story built around what happens when students are bullied. Your opinion of bullying won’t change from month to month; solutions you recommend won’t either. Package all of this in an op-ed that you tweak when a story about bullying makes news and get it out to the right publication quickly.

Have a good, short author bio that’s relevant to the topic. Be prepared to copy and paste it into an email pitch.

Make sure your author head shot is labeled with your name so that when you send it with an op-ed or the newspaper asks for it during an interview, it’s ready to send. (Check now: Does it have your name? I suspect that for half of you, the file you’ve been using does not.)

Have templates in place for pitch letters that you’ll email for newspaper article ideas, radio interviews, and TV news or talk show segments. Templates streamline the process for you so you can respond quicker. (I’ve got templates for everything you need, plus samples of what your finished pitches should look like, in Build Book Buzz Publicity Forms & Templates.)

Create, and regularly update, your media list. Whether you’re seeking local, regional, or national media attention, you want to pitch the right people. You can maintain and update your own list, or use one from a distribution service (affiliate link). Either way, reaching the right people with the right information at the right time will help you score priceless publicity.

Two-step process

As you’ve learned here, it’s a two-step process:

1. Be alert to opportunities.
2. Respond quickly and appropriately.

Some people will tell you it’s all about luck. Me? I think that “luck” happens when you’re ready and looking for it, able to recognize it when it’s in front of you, and in a position to act on it.

I hope you’ll be ready for the good luck that comes from leveraging opportunistic author publicity.

Are you ready for your next opportunity? What’s in your publicity toolkit? Tell us in a comment. 

Tip of the Month

I always share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month, it’s a guide to book cover colors and what they communicate to readers. For example, according to Cover Design Studio, a red cover suggests energy, enthusiasm, emotion, and power.

Learn more about which colors work best together along with what the colors mean in “Best Colors for Book Covers.” You don’t want to design your own covers, but you do want to know enough about colors to guide your cover designer.