I wish I had created this long ago… my own day for annual calendar

It’s time to step up to your influence building plate. Why not do it by having a special day, or week, or even a month each year that’s all about you and/or your book … or your expertise? Create one for 2025. You can attempt to register it with Chase’s Calendar of Events. The odds won’t be great in your favor … at least early on.

Why not claim it? Push forward and use it. Start putting your day/week/month out and support it throughout the timeline. Posters. Events. Contests. Blogs. What else? Have some fun.

Step 1. Review the list below and identify and circle those that speak to you. Circle them. For example, do you have a favorite classic author from years gone by? Throw one of them a virtual birthday party! One of my personal faves is Pat Conroy and his book The Prince of Tides—he was born on October 26. Of course, I would make a poster celebrating the read that I was so engrossed in that I couldn’t put the book down on vacation … and ran into a sidewalk sign in Maui reading it as I walked!

Do you have more than one book? March could be your month—it’s National Reading Month. In July, National Anti-Boredom Month bubbles up. Fiction authors should be grabbing this one along with children and juvenile authors.

Take advantage of them—create a special campaign for forward usage. Ideal social media poster fill-ins.

Step 2. Create your own calendar. Add your favorite occasions and dates to your calendar, plus a reminder a few days in advance to goose you that “the day” is coming.

Step 3. Noodle ways to celebrate and cross promote your book/expertise with it.

You can:

• Create a social media campaign. Think posters, posts, podcasting,
• Write a Blog. Why this is a special day is important to you or write about it in your email newsletter.
• Feature it in your Newsletter. Include it as a special feature or lead with it. Add your snazzy poster so there is a pop.
• Imagination time … create any event-related image to post out social media. Here are two that I created for World Book Day, which is in March each year.

Think of special holidays that are universal and you don’t need to explain:

• Create a short video to share on social media. Start with your YouTube channel and then post over to Instagram or Facebook Stories or share it on your book’s Facebook page. Adventurous? Could TikTok be in your midst?
• Celebrate and Party time! Why not—if Sadie Hawkins could have her day to ask a guy out … why not you?
• Team up with a group of authors with my 3-3-3 concept. Do it solo or with a group of other authors. Get a company/group/facility/store supporter—it gets one-third of book sales. Donate one-third of the proceeds from book sales during a specific period to a nonprofit or because that is one of your “purposes.” The final 0ne-third goes to you.

Step 4: Don’t let all these amazing ways to honor books—YOUR BOOKS—and reading go to waste. Mix Quote type posters and ones with Images. Have some fun … and make these a habit to post.

Step 5: Flip it … take your primary word or them and do the same. Have some fun? Mix Quote type posters and ones with Images. Have some fun … and make these a habit to post.

HOT Tip … why not create your own month … week … day? And use it for marketing forward with social media campaigns and special quotes posters. Hint … look at the months below. Many are loaded with days; some are light. My suggestion is to look at the light months: June, July, August, and December. Media attention will be more open for you to pitch to. Mine is August 16 … I’m thinking of expanding it for the entire month. Last year, I identified every month as a special month. 

JANUARY

National Braille Literacy
National Book Month
Book Blitz Month
Hot Tea Month
Library Lovers Month

30-February 6 National Storytelling Week

9-15 Universal Letter Writing Week

1 – Copyright Law Day
1 – International Public Domain Day a.k.a. Public Domain Day
2 – National Science Fiction Day – celebrates Isaac Asimov birthday
3 – JRR Tolkien Day
9 – National Word Nerd Day 16 – Book Publishers Day
11 – Poetry at Workday 18 – Thesaurus Day
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)
19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
23 – National Handwriting Day
25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)
26 – Library Shelfie Day
27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada 29 – National Bible Sunday

FEBRUARY
Library Lovers’ Month
National African American Read-In

Creative Romance Month

January 30-7: National Storytelling Week
2-8– Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week

3-7 National News Literacy Week

9-15 – Freelance Writers Appreciation Week

20-26 – Freedom to Read Week in Canada

5–  Read Aloud Day
3 – Take Your Child To The Library
7 – World Read Aloud Day
7 – Charles Dickens’s birthday 9 – Read in the Bathtub Day
14 – International Book Giving Day 14 – Library Lover’s Day
14 – Read to Your Child Day
20 – Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
27 – John Steinbeck’s birthday

MARCH

National Reading Month Small Press Month
National March Into Literacy Month Gardening, Nature and Ecology Books Month Read an E-Book Month

1-7 National Ghostwriters Week 2-6 Read Across America Week 3-9 Read an eBook Week
3-9 Return Borrowed Books Week
17-23 World Folktales and Fables Week 21-27 Shakespeare Week

2 – Read Across America Day 2 – Dr. Seuss’s birthday
4 – National Grammar Day
7 – World Book Day (UK and Ireland) 14 – Write Your Own Story Day
16 – Freedom of Information Day
19 – International Read to Me Day
20 – World Storytelling Day
20 – Bibliomania Day
21 – World Poetry Day
25 – Tolkien Reading Day
26 – Robert Frost’s birthday 30 – Pencil Day

APRIL

Drop Everything and Read Month – aka D.E.A.R.
National Poetry Month School Library Month National Literature Month

23-29 National Library Week 15-21 Canada Book Week
7-13 National Library Week
1 – Edible Book Day a.k.a. International Edible Book Festival
1 – Library SnapShot Day
1 – Reading is Funny Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
2 – National Children’s Picture Book Day 2 – Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday
4 – National School Librarian Day
5 – National Library Worker’s Day 7 – Take Action for Libraries Day
9 – National Unicorn Day
10 – National Encourage a Young Writer Day
12 – Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day
13 – Scrabble Day
14 – National Donate a Book Day
15 – Rubber Eraser Day
15 – World Art Day
16 – National Librarian Day
17 – International Haiku Poetry Day
18 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day
18 – Newspaper Columnists Day
19 – Poetry And The Creative Mind
21 – Thank You for Libraries Day
23 – Shakespeare’s birthday
23 – Talk Like Shakespeare Day 23 – World Book and Copyright Day 23 – World Book Night
23 – World Book Day (UNESCO)
23 – World Book Night (UK and Ireland)
23 – Canada Book Day – kicks off Canada Book Week
24 – Congress approved the Library of Congress
26 – National Library Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day)
27 – Independent Bookstore Day
27 – National Poem In Your Pocket Day
27 – National Tell A Story Day
28 – Great Poetry Reading Day

MAY
Get Caught Reading Month Short Story Month
Family Reading Month

1 – 7 Canada Children’s Book Week First week- Children’s Book Week
3-9 – National Library Week
8 – 14 Reading Is Fun Week – always second week of May 13-19 National Stationery Week
1 – National Mother Goose Day
2 – International Harry Potter Day
4 – Free Comic Book Day
5 – National Cartoonists’ Day
7 – Free Comic Book Day – always first Saturday 9 – Make a Book Day
12 – National Limerick Day
14 – International Dylan Thomas
16 – National Biographer’s Day
25 – “Towel Day” from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
26 – World Dracula Day
27 – Literary Education Bookiversary 31 – National Speak in Sentences Day

JUNE
Audiobook Appreciation Month
National Lesbian and Gay Book Month Book Month – GLBT
10 – Ball Point Pen Day
12 – Anne Frank’s birthday
23 – National Typewriter Day -Typewriter patent awarded

JULY
National Anti-Boredom Month Read an Almanac Month

4 – Alice in Wonderland Day 17 – World Emoji Day
21 – Ernest Hemingway’s birthday
30 – Paperback Book Day
31 – J.K. Rowling’s birthday (and Harry Potter’s)

AUGUST
Romance Awareness Month

2 – National Coloring Book Day
9 – Book Lover’s Day – also November 6 14 – Love Your Bookshop Day
16 – Author Alive Day – OK, its Judith’s day celebrating she’s still breathing 18 – Bad Poetry Day
21 – Poet’s Day
30 – Frankenstein Day
31 – We Love Memoirs Day

SEPTEMBER
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month Library Card Sign Up Month International Literacy Month
Read a New Book Month – also in December

18-24 – National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week
25-October 1 – Banned Books Week – always starts the last week of September

1 – National Coffee Day in
4 – Newspaper Carrier Day (Canada)
6 – National Read A Book Day
6 – Read a Book Day
7 – Buy a Book Day
8 – International Literacy Day 8 – National Ampersand Day 11 – Libraries Remember Day 13 – Roald Dahl Day
13 – National Twilighters Day 18 – Read an E-book Day
22 – Hobbit Day
22 – Dear Diary Day
24 – National Punctuation Day
25 – National Comic Book Day
29 – National Coffee Day in the U.S.

OCTOBER
National Book Month
National Reading Group Month Black Speculative Fiction Month Church Library Month
National Cookbook Month
National Medical Librarians Month

16-22 – National Friends of Libraries Week 16-22 – Teen Read Week
25-30 Canada National Media Literacy Week

1 – Final day of Banned Books Week 1 – International Coffee Day
5 – National Poetry Day (UK and Ireland)
6 – Mad Hatter Day
7 – Bookshop Day
7 – Love Your Bookshop Day
11 – Myth and Legends Day (Australia)
16 – Dictionary Day
17 – Black Poetry Day
20 – National Day on Writing
26 – Pat Conroy’s birthday – one of Judith’s fave authors
27 – Frankenstein Friday
27 – National Tell a Story Day in Scotland and the U.K. 31 – Books For Treats Day

NOVEMBER
National Family Literacy Month National Memoir Writing Month
National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo
National Write a Nonfiction Book Month – NaNonFiWriMo
Picture Book Month
Library and Information Services Month National Life Writing Month
National Novel Writing Month a.k.a. NaNoWriMo Picture Book Month

World Nursery Rhyme Week – varies every year 1-7 Banned Books Week
1-7 Mystery Series Week
1-7 National Newspaper Week (USA and Canada)
1-7 Mystery Series Week
7-13 National Book Award Week
11-17 National Young Readers Week
13-17 World Nursery Rhyme Week
13-19 Teen Read Week 19-25 National Bible Week

1 – National Family Literacy Day 1 – National Author’s Day
2 – National Non-Fiction Day in the UK
4 – National Waiting for the Barbarians Day 6 – Book Lovers Day – also August 9
8 – Young Readers Day
12 – National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day 15 – I Love to Write Day
18 – High-Five a Librarian Day
25 – A’phabet Day or No L Day (Pun Day)

DECEMBER
Read a New Book Month – also in September
Spiritual Literacy Month

7 – Letter Writing Day
8 – Canada – Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day 10 – Dewey Decimal System Day
21 – Crossword Puzzle Day 21 – National Short Story Day
21 – Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day
24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Christmas Book Flood

~~~

Dr. Judith Briles started writing notes to her classmates in first grade … and got into “disruptive trouble” from her teachers. She’s now the author of 47 books and counting, still being a disrupter. Her books have won over 55 book awards and been Amazon bestsellers. You can follow her professional side at www.TheBookShepherd.com where she works with writers to become published authors. Listen in to her weekly podcast: AuthorU: Your Guide to Book Publishing at https://bit.ly/AuthorUPodcast

©2024 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved