Welcome to our list of January observances and content ideas for your monthly author marketing plan!
If you’re committed to making this year one of your most successful yet – we can help you do that.
If you haven’t downloaded our Monthly Book Marketing Planner yet you can grab that at the bottom of this piece in our resources section.
Remember, without regular connections to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf (literal or virtual) they have no vested interest in…so take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.
Another great reason to bookmark this author marketing resource? Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags, is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.
And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.
When it comes to author marketing and building a brand, ensuring fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is equally as powerful as ensuring you also make time to really speak to your genre and topic.
How to Use My Content Ideas
Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun January Observances in 2020.
I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity!
Remember, not all these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!
Keep in mind, nearly all your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their stories, etc. so don’t forget to work in that angle.
I mention it as part of my recommendations occasionally, but please know that encouraging engagement is always the goal – so never post “flat” content, always get creative with how you can pull others into the conversation, and easily.
And if you’re feeling a little guilty about the lack of promotion planning you’ve done so far this year, use this list as a productive kick in the rear, commit to writing something for each of the holidays listed, use it on social, for your blog, in your newsletter – get creative – but giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step.
Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests, remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.
If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas to actual content and posts, please consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!
Getting Started with Content Ideas
All of January is National Braille Literacy Month. Use #NationalBrailleLiteracyMonth, #BrailleLiteracyMonth, or #BrailleLiteracy to post on social media about how you are taking part in National Braille Literacy Month.
To celebrate National Braille Literacy Month, reach out to someone you know who is blind or visually impaired and have them show you how they read Braille… You’ll be amazed at the process!
You can also help by getting involved with the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Braille Press.
January 1
New Years Day
National Bloody Mary Day
National Hangover Day
January 2
National Buffet Day
National Cream Puff Day
National Personal Trainer Awareness Day
National Science Fiction Day – This is for all my sci-fi authors, plan a discount promo and some killer social media posts.
January 3
National Drinking Straw Day – Is this even allowed anymore? Ha!
National Fruitcake Toss Day
January 4
National Spaghetti Day
National Trivia Day
January 5
National Bird Day
National Screenwriters Day
National Whipped Cream Day
January 6
National Bean Day
National Cuddle Up Day
National Shortbread Day
National Technology Day
January 7
National Bobblehead Day
National Tempura Day
January 8
National Argyle Day
National Bubble Bath Day
National English Toffee Day
National Winter Skin Relief Day
January 9
National Apricot Day
National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
National Static Electricity Day
January 10
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
National Oysters Rockefeller Day
National Save The Eagles Day
Time to Get Creative with Your Author Marketing
January 11
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
National Milk Day
National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day
National Vision Board Day – This is a good time to plan out your year as an author! Set some goals and figure out the steps to reaching them.
January 12
National Curried Chicken Day
National Kiss A Ginger Day – This could be fun if you have a red-headed star character.
National Marzipan Day
National Pharmacist Day
January 13
National Rubber Ducky Day
National Sticker Day
January 14
National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Ratification Day
January 15
National Bagel Day
National Hat Day
National Strawberry Ice Cream Day
January 16
National Fig Newton Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day – This is a fantastic opportunity to invite fans to share something, or submit ideas for new storylines, don’t miss this opportunity for quality market research.
January 17
National Bootlegger’s Day
National Hot Buttered Rum Day
January 18
National Use Your Gift Card Day
National Thesaurus Day – This is a fantastic reminder for authors, we all know the struggle, right?
National Winnie The Pooh Day
January is Almost Over
January 20
National Cheese Lover’s Day
National Disc Jockey Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 22
National Blonde Brownie Day
Library Shelfie Day – This is amazing, this is designed to encourage people to post pictures of their bookshelves. Considering doing a giveaway and encourage fans to post a picture of their shelf with your book on it! Digital shelves can count too!
January 23
National Handwriting Day
National Pie Day
January 24
Beer Can Appreciation Day
National Compliment Day
National Peanut Butter Day
January 25
National Irish Coffee Day
National Opposite Day
January 26
National Green Juice Day
National Peanut Brittle Day
National Spouses Day
January 28
National Blueberry Pancake Day
Data Privacy Day
National Have Fun At Work Day – Take a moment to do a short video of you in your work space, give fans and followers a peek behind the curtain!
National Kazoo Day
Plan for Vacation Day
January 30
National Croissant Day
January 31
National Backward Day
National Big Wig Day – If you have one, please, please post a photo.
National Hot Chocolate Day
National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day – Encourage fans to share some of their art, and consider doing a bonus or giveaway for fans who share art they’ve done for your books!
The Takeaway
Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity.
Coming up with unique content ideas as part of your author marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these January observances should really help.
Have plans for a fun take on any of these ideas? Share below in the comments!
Resources and Downloads
Monthly Book Marketing Planner
How to Create Video Content for Social Media
Irresistible Bonus and Giveaway Ideas for Authors
Please use the social share buttons below if you learned something from this post – your shares really help educate other authors, which raises the bar for publishing and gets more books in readers hands!
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