National Authors’ Day

National Authors’ Day is observed every November 1 in the United States — a day to thank and celebrate authors and their books.

History of National Authors’ Day

The idea for National Authors’ Day dates to 1928 and to Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, a teacher and president of the Women’s Club in Bement, Illinois. Years earlier, while recovering in hospital during World War I, she had written a fan letter to author Irving Bacheller about his novel Eben Holden’s Last Day A’ Fishing. Bacheller replied by sending her a signed copy of another of his works — a small kindness that stayed with her for years.

McPherson proposed a day to honour American authors to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which endorsed the idea in May 1929. But it took two more decades for official recognition: in 1949, the US Department of Commerce officially recognised November 1 as National Authors’ Day. Her granddaughter, Sue Cole, later took up the cause, promoting the day and urging people to write a note to a favourite author on November 1.

The story behind the day is itself a story about the power of a single letter. McPherson never forgot the pleasure of receiving a reply from an author she admired, and she wanted other readers to feel that same connection. In a sense, National Authors’ Day is the fan letter she once wrote, scaled up into a national observance — a reminder that behind every book stands a person who chose to write it.

How to celebrate National Authors’ Day

• Thank a favourite author with a note, as Sue Cole suggested — a letter, an email, or even a short message telling them what their book meant to you.
• Re-read a book that changed how you think, or finally start one you have been meaning to read for years.
• Buy a book from a local bookshop or borrow one from a library — both support the world that keeps authors writing.
• Share a favourite passage with a friend and tell them why it matters to you.
• It falls at the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), so it is a good day to begin writing a book of your own.

Why National Authors’ Day matters

Authors shape how we see the world. A novel can put you inside another person’s life; a work of history can change what you thought you knew; a poem can say in a few lines what an essay takes pages to explain. National Authors’ Day is a chance to acknowledge that labour — the years of drafting, revising and doubt that stand behind a finished book.

It is also a practical reminder. Books do not write, publish or sell themselves. Buying from bookshops, borrowing from libraries and telling authors their work mattered all help keep the culture of reading alive. A short note of thanks costs nothing, and it can mean a great deal to a writer working alone.

There is something fitting in the day’s origin, too. It began not with a publisher or a government, but with a reader — a teacher in a hospital bed, grateful for a story. Every author was once a reader first, and National Authors’ Day closes that circle, asking readers to reach back toward the writers who reached them.

National Authors’ Day: frequently asked questions

When is National Authors’ Day? It is observed every November 1 in the United States.

Who proposed National Authors’ Day? Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, a teacher from Bement, Illinois, proposed the idea in 1928.

When was it officially recognised? The US Department of Commerce officially recognised November 1 as National Authors’ Day in 1949.

Who promoted it later? McPherson’s granddaughter, Sue Cole, promoted the day and urged people to write a note to a favourite author on November 1.

What is the link with NaNoWriMo? National Authors’ Day falls at the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), making it a natural day to begin writing.

Related November 1 observances

November 1 is also the anniversary of the first performance of Shakespeare’s Othello in 1604 — a fitting companion for a day that celebrates authors and their works.

Read more about November 1 on November 1 Holidays, Observances and History.