How do you feel about October? I have mixed emotions.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

But the days grow shorter while the weather gets colder\u2026and colder\u2026and colder. (Sigh.)<\/p>\n

Still, October is Sarcastic Month and National Popcorn Popping Month, and the week of October 9 is Pet Peeve Week. What\u2019s not to like about them and the many offbeat October holidays you can use to add life and fun to your book promotion?<\/p>\n

How to use these unusual October holidays<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s look at a couple of special days in October and how they might help you bring more attention to your books.<\/p>\n

<\/a>A couple of them are controversial: October 5, National Kale Day<\/strong>; October 26, National Mincemeat Day<\/strong>; and October 30, National Candy Corn Day<\/strong>. You know why I say they\u2019re controversial, don\u2019t you? People either love \u2019em, or hate \u2019em. Stir the pot by creating a branded social media graphic<\/a> for each and asking folks in your network to weigh in.<\/p>\n

Howl at the Moon Night on October 25<\/strong> seems made for vampire and children\u2019s books, don\u2019t you think? Work with your local children\u2019s 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<\/a>) for people to sign up for your newsletter.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Use World Smile Day on October 7<\/strong> to encourage people to do at least one thing to make someone smile. If there\u2019s a connection to smiling in your novel (a perpetually happy character, perhaps?) or you offer self-help advice, write and distribute a tip sheet<\/a> with advice on how to find ways to smile more. No connection? Use it anyway to drip out \u2013 share one at a time, over time \u2013 social media posts and images with ideas for how we can all smile more.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Use these October book promotion possibilities<\/h2>\n

Expand your book promotion with this short list of unexpected and fun October holidays. Look for more on the beautifully redesigned Holiday Insights<\/a> site, too.<\/p>\n

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

  Be sure to check out the list of book-related occasions during October in our\u00a02022 literary calendar<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n

  How can you link any of these to your book or its theme, message, characters, or mission? Please tell us in a comment.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  <\/a><\/p>\n

  How do you feel about October? I have mixed emotions.<\/p>\n

  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.<\/p>\n

  But the days grow shorter while the weather gets colder\u2026and colder\u2026and colder. (Sigh.)<\/p>\n

  Still, October is Sarcastic Month and National Popcorn Popping Month, and the week of October 9 is Pet Peeve Week. What\u2019s not to like about them and the many offbeat October holidays you can use to add life and fun to your book promotion?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":19414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,25,11],"tags":[35,1019,1283],"class_list":["post-15597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-publicity","category-fiction","category-tactics","tag-book-promotion","tag-october-holidays","tag-october-occasions"],"yoast_head":"\n