The trees are spectacular this time of the year in my part of the U.S. And I live in apple country, so I can get plenty of apple cider, the Official Drink of My House, along with fruit for pie, crisp, and sauce.

But the days grow shorter while the weather gets colder…and colder…and colder. (Sigh.)

Still, October is Sarcastic Month and National Popcorn Popping Month, and the week of October 9 is Pet Peeve Week. What’s not to like about them and the many offbeat October holidays you can use to add life and fun to your book promotion?

How to use these unusual October holidays

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

A couple of them are controversial: October 5, National Kale Day; October 26, National Mincemeat Day; and October 30, National Candy Corn Day. You know why I say they’re controversial, don’t you? People either love ’em, or hate ’em. Stir the pot by creating a branded social media graphic for each and asking folks in your network to weigh in.

Howl at the Moon Night on October 25 seems made for vampire and children’s books, don’t you think? Work with your local children’s librarian to host a Howl at the Moon contest for the little ones. Novelists, write a short story around that theme and offer it as a limited-time incentive (a lead magnet) for people to sign up for your newsletter.

Use World Smile Day on October 7 to encourage people to do at least one thing to make someone smile. If there’s a connection to smiling in your novel (a perpetually happy character, perhaps?) or you offer self-help advice, write and distribute a tip sheet with advice on how to find ways to smile more. No connection? Use it anyway to drip out – share one at a time, over time – social media posts and images with ideas for how we can all smile more.

You might want 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.

Use these October book promotion possibilities

Expand your book promotion with this short list of unexpected and fun October holidays. Look for more on the beautifully redesigned Holiday Insights site, too.

• October 1 International Coffee Day
• October 2 Name Your Car Day
• October 3 National Boyfriends Day
• October 3 Techies Day
• October 5 National Kale Day
• October 6 Come and Take it Day
• October 7 World Smile Day
• October 9 Curious Events Day
• October 9 Moldy Cheese Day
• October 10 National Angel Food Cake Day
• October 12 Cookbook Launch Day
• October 12 Moment of Frustration Day
• October 12 National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
• October 13 International Skeptics Day
• October 18 No Beard Day
• October 19 Evaluate Your Life Day
• October 21 Babbling Day
• October 22 Smart is Cool Day
• October 25 Howl at the Moon Night
• October 26 National Mincemeat Day
• October 29 Hermit Day
• October 30 National Candy Corn Day
• October 31 Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

Be sure to check out the list of book-related occasions during October 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. 

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?

Look for an odd October occasion you can leverage on the short list below, or skim the expanded list on Holiday Insights for one that’s a good fit for your book.

Have a little fun combining the right holiday with your book to spark conversation online, write an entertaining blog post, or even get media attention.

How I’ve done it

I’ll share one experience I’ve had with this strategy that I hope will inspire you.

This image I created and shared on my Facebook page on August 9 for “National Book Lovers Day” had more reach, engagement, and clicks than anything I’ve posted in the previous year. (It also generated lots of book suggestions that I added to my “to read” list.)

Don’t you want this kind of engagement with your readers, too?

Ideas for those odd October occasions

Here are just a few examples from the list below:

• Are you a cookbook author? Share cookie recipes on October 1, National Homemade Cookies Day or offer your secret to sweet-tasting angel food cake on October 10, National Angel Food Cake Day.
• Do you write romance novels? Do something for National Boyfriends Day on October 3.
• Does your book involve technology? Write an ode to the tech-savvy of the world on October 3, Techies Day.
• Is your book about how to entertain? What can you do with October 11, It’s My Party Day?
• If you write about motivation or inspiration, use October 12, Moment of Frustration Day, as a springboard.
• All authors can make the most of Dictionary Day on October 16.

Odd October occasions

Use this short list of odd October occasions to inspire you. See all of them on the Holiday Insights site.

• October 1 National Homemade Cookies Day
• October 1 World Vegetarian Day
• October 2 National Custodial Worker Day
• October 2 Name Your Car Day
• October 3 National Boyfriends Day
• October 3 Techies Day
• October 5 Do Something Nice Day
• October 9 Leif Erikson Day
• October 9 Moldy Cheese Day
• October 10 National Angel Food Cake Day
• October 11 It’s My Party Day
• October 12 Moment of Frustration Day
• October 13 International Skeptics Day
• October 14 National Dessert Day
• October 16 Bosses Day
• October 16 Dictionary Day
• October 17 Wear Something Gaudy Day
• October 19 Evaluate Your Life Day
• October 21 Count Your Buttons Day
• October 24 National Bologna Day
• October 27 National Tell a Story Day in Scotland and the U.K.
• October 28  Mother-In-Law Day
• October 29 Hermit Day
• October 30 National Candy Corn Day

You can do this with several holidays, of course. And, if you don’t see anything that’s a good fit for you in October, look ahead to November and December.

Which one of these will work for your book? Tell us why in a comment!