Book Lovers Day: So Nice, We Do It Twice!

Book Lovers Day: So Nice, We Do It Twice!

Last December I posted a calendar of book-related holidays for 2024, aka, excuses to celebrate various aspects of our love for books. And as the title of that post noted, these are also “An Indie Publisher’s Book Marketing Goldmine!” It’s also a life-saver when you’re down to the last day and need something to write about on your blog this week (get it?).

So today is National Book Book Lovers Day (August 9 each year). And, according to one of the many websites that track literary holidays, so is the first Saturday each November, this year 11/2. Not that we really need an excuse, right?

But back to that book marketing / blog post goldmine idea: what can you do with the multitude of holidays on the calendar? I decided to ask Perplexity.ai (my current favorite AI writing tool), telling it to act as the marketing manager at a small independent publisher and come up with 25 ideas using 25 of the literary holidays on my list as hooks for an event or meme.

Here’s what the AI came up with (notice #14, without me specifying it):

1. National Science Fiction Day (January 2)
Headline: “Explore New Worlds with Our Sci-Fi Collection!”
Blurb: Celebrate National Science Fiction Day by diving into our curated selection of sci-fi novels. From space adventures to dystopian futures, there’s a universe waiting for you.

2. Library Shelfie Day (January 24)
Headline: “Show Us Your Shelfie!”
Blurb: Snap a picture of your bookshelf and share it with us on social media using #LibraryShelfieDay for a chance to win a free book!

3. World Read Aloud Day (February 1)
Headline: “Read Aloud, Spread the Joy!”
Blurb: Join us for a live read-aloud session on our social media channels. Perfect for kids and adults alike!

4. International Book Giving Day (February 14)
Headline: “Give the Gift of a Book”
Blurb: This Valentine’s Day, share the love by giving a book to someone special. Enjoy a 20% discount on all purchases.

5. World Poetry Day (March 21)
Headline: “Poetry in Motion”
Blurb: Celebrate World Poetry Day with a special reading from our favorite poets. Share your own poems on social media using #WorldPoetryDay.

6. Children’s Book Day (April 2)
Headline: “For the Love of Children’s Books”
Blurb: Discover our enchanting collection of children’s books. Enjoy a storytime session and special discounts all day.

7. National Library Week (April 7-13)
Headline: “Celebrate Your Local Library!”
Blurb: Join us in celebrating National Library Week with a series of events, including author talks, book signings, and library tours.

8. Drop Everything and Read Day (April 12)
Headline: “Drop Everything and Read!”
Blurb: Take a break and immerse yourself in a good book. Share your reading moments with us using #DEARDay.

9. World Book Day (April 23)
Headline: “A World of Books Awaits”
Blurb: Celebrate World Book Day with exclusive deals and a virtual book fair featuring author interviews and giveaways.

10. National Tell a Story Day (April 27)
Headline: “Tell Us Your Story”
Blurb: Share your favorite book stories with us on social media. The best stories will be featured on our blog.

11. Get Caught Reading Month (May)
Headline: “Get Caught Reading!”
Blurb: Share photos of yourself reading in unusual places. The most creative entries will win a free book!

12. National Children’s Book Week (May 1-7)
Headline: “Celebrate Children’s Literature”
Blurb: Join us for a week of fun activities, including book readings, crafts, and special discounts on children’s books.

13. National Readathon Day (May 19)
Headline: “Readathon Challenge!”
Blurb: Participate in our Readathon and see how many books you can read in a day. Share your progress on social media using #ReadathonDay.

14. National Book Lovers Day (August 9)
Headline: “For the Love of Books”
Blurb: Celebrate National Book Lovers Day with a special sale on all titles. Share your favorite book recommendations with us!

15. National Literacy Day (September 8)
Headline: “Promote Literacy for All”
Blurb: Support literacy initiatives by purchasing a book from our special collection. A portion of the proceeds will go to literacy charities.

16. Banned Books Week (September 22-28)
Headline: “Celebrate the Freedom to Read”
Blurb: Explore our collection of banned books and learn about the importance of intellectual freedom. Special discounts available.

17. National Comic Book Day (September 25)
Headline: “Celebrate Comics!”
Blurb: Dive into our selection of comic books and graphic novels. Enjoy special promotions and a comic book giveaway.

18. National Poetry Day (October 3)
Headline: “A Day for Poetry”
Blurb: Join us for a poetry reading event featuring local poets. Share your own poems using #NationalPoetryDay.

19. National Dictionary Day (October 16)
Headline: “Words Matter”
Blurb: Celebrate the power of words with special discounts on dictionaries and language books. Share your favorite words with us!

20. Halloween (October 31)
Headline: “Spooky Reads for Halloween”
Blurb: Get into the Halloween spirit with our collection of horror and mystery novels. Enjoy a spooky storytime session and special promotions.

21. National Novel Writing Month (November)
Headline: “Write Your Novel in November”
Blurb: Join our NaNoWriMo support group and get tips from published authors. Share your progress with us using #NaNoWriMo.

22. National Non-Fiction November
Headline: “Discover the World of Non-Fiction”
Blurb: Explore our non-fiction collection with special discounts throughout November. Share your favorite non-fiction reads with us.

23. International Authors’ Day (November 1)
Headline: “Celebrate Authors Worldwide”
Blurb: Join us in celebrating authors from around the globe. Enjoy author interviews, book signings, and special promotions.

24. National Family Literacy Day (November 1)
Headline: “Family Reading Time”
Blurb: Encourage family reading with our selection of family-friendly books. Participate in our family reading challenge and win prizes.

25. National Picture Book Month (November)
Headline: “Picture Book Magic”
Blurb: Celebrate the art of picture books with special events, including book readings and illustrator workshops. Enjoy discounts on all picture books.

I don’t like leaving you with output directly from the AI, but as I noted above, I’m pressed for time this week. So over to you: If you’re an author, I recommend trying a similar experiment with the AI’s role being the indie author of your book. Give it the title and links to my literary holiday calendar and to a couple of web pages describing your book, including your Amazon page with some reader reviews. Then ask for 25 marketing ideas or memes.

If you haven’t published yet, put the AI in the role of marketing whatever you’re selling and see if it can come up with any book-related holiday hooks connected to your product or service.

Let us know what you get back and how many of them you plan to implement.