Hooray … just in time for the coming year …
It’s your 2024 Literary Calendar of Days, Weeks, and Months
Last week, my goal was to set your stage to start using many of the special literary days that are recognized by the media. Tap into them. Use them in your blogs. Tie them to you and your book.
Its drum roll time … suggest you print this out and save this blog and last week’s. Here they are
JANUARY
National Braille Literacy Month National Book Blitz 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
January 30-6: National Storytelling Week
1-7 – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
Second week of February: Freelance Writers Appreciation Week 5-11 – Freelance Writers Appreciation Week
20-26 – Freedom to Read Week in Canada
3 – 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
It’s Your Turn … Here’s your month-by-month, 2024 literary calendar. What days can you coattail you, your expertise, and your book with? Start building on your visibility and presence.
Dr. Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. Often, she must roll up her writing sleeves and become a Book Doctor, juicing up storylines and author words. She empowers authors and works directly with authors who want to be seriously successful and has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the ’80s. Judith is the author of 44 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, Snappy Sassy Salty: Success for Authors and Writers, and How to Create a Million Dollar Speech. Her personal memoir When God Says NO-Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present is a #1 bestseller on Amazon and her historical fiction debut Secret Journey. Collectively, her books have earned over 45 book awards. Judith speaks throughout the year at publishing conferences.
Throughout the year, she holds Judith Briles Book Unplugged in-person and online experiences: Publishing, Speaking, Marketing, and Social Media. All are two-day intensives limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. Join Judith live for the “AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing” podcast on the Toginet Radio Network HERE.
Follow @AuthorUYOUBooks and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorYOU, and join the Facebook group Book Publishing with The Book Shepherd. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her.
©2023 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved.