Ian Rankin helps fund Edinburgh book festival recovery
The festival has managed to expand the number of events in its programme, which was launched today, to its highest level since the event was last held in Charlotte Square in 2019.
Read more:
Sir Ian has become a new major sponsor of the festival and is expected to support the event for the next five years.
The support has come through John Rebus Ltd, the company the author named after his famous fictional detective, which is wife Miranda is also a director of.
Edinburgh-based author Jenny Colgan is a new sponsor of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Additional funding from the Scottish Government and the People's Postcode Lottery has helped the book festival to recover from the severing of its links with Baillie Gifford.
Another Edinburgh-based best-selling author, Jenny Colgan, is also sponsoring this year's festival, which has programmed under the theme of "repair."
The Edinburgh International Book Festival relocated to a new home at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, which opened at the former home of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last summer. The event, which dates back to 1983, has also attracted new backing from the Edinburgh-based legal firm Digby Brown and additional support from the Hawthornden Foundation, which was set up by the late Drue Heinz, a long-time supporter of Scottish culture who funded a number of literary retreats.
Most of the book festival will be staged, for a second year, at the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where the event relocated to last year in 2024 after three years of events at Edinburgh College of Art.
The 2025 programme, which encompasses almost 700 events, includes an increase in the number of events in the festival's biggest venue, the McEwan Hall, from nine last year to 15 this August, while the biggest outdoor venue at the EFI's garden space will be expanded in response to public demand.
An expanded programme of events will be held at the McEwan Hall as part of this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival. (Image: Mihaela Bodlovic)
Special guests include Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen, Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, Killing Eve and Succession star Harriet Walter, Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones, Scottish stage and screen favourite Brian Cox, Outlander star Sam Heughan, Radiohead musician Colin Greenwood, and the comedians Deborah-Frances White, Ivo Graham, David Baddiel and Tim Key, and Alice Oseman, creator of the Heartstopper books and TV series.
Scottish writers in the line-up include the authors Irvine Welsh, Len Pennie, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Louise Welsh and AL Kennedy.
Other well-known Scots due to appear include football pundit and record-breaking goal-scorer Ally McCoist, singer-songwriters Stuart Murdoch and Hamish Hawk, tennis coach-turned-author Judy Murray, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Most of the Edinburgh International Book Festival's programme is now staged at the Edinburgh Futures Institute complex. (Image: Chris Scott) A long-running controversy over the festival's involvement with Baillie Gifford and its links with the fossil fuels industry came to a head last spring when campaigners threatened to disrupt events which were backed by the company.
The threat led to the Hay Festival in Wales and several festival in Scotland, including Edinburgh, Wigtown and the Borders, ending their relationship with Baillie Gifford.
Organisers of Edinburgh's event said its board and management had 'collectively agreed' with Baillie Gifford to end its partnership.
At the time, festival director Jenny Niven said the pressure on her staff had 'simply become intolerable.'
At the time, the festival's then chair, Allan Little warned: 'Funding for the arts is now in a perilous position and we should all be clear that without the support of our partners and donors, the future of festivals like ours – and all of the benefits these events bring to authors and readers alike – is in jeopardy.'
The book festival received a significant financial boost in January when it secured a new three-year Scottish Government funding deal via its arts agency, Creative Scotland.
The festival, which had been on 'standstill' funding for more than a decade, will see its core support increase from around £300,000 a year to £520,000 this year and £620,000 next year.
However it is understood that the book festival only received around 70 per cent of the funding it was seeking for its next three programmes.
Ms Niven said the festival had not managed to make up the shortfall in its budget from the loss of Baillie Gifford's support, but had managed to attract new sponsors and additional investment from previous backers to help bridge the gap.
She told The Herald: 'We were really grateful to get an increase in our Creative Scotland funding this year, but as other festivals have pointed out that was about making up a long-running shortfall.
'We are back to that conversation about what sort of cultural offer we want to have and whether we are able to meet our ambitions. There's still lots of other things we would like to do.
'Public funding is only one part of the story for us. We have an extensive number of different benefactors, supporters and partners. It's a huge amount of work to make sure we have really good partnerships with them. We have amazing support from international literary organisations.
'We've not entirely made up the gap from the loss of Baillie Gifford's sponsorship.
'But lots of people we have had long-standing relationships with have really stepped in and been supportive this year.
'Ian Rankin is such a citizen of Edinburgh. He's really invested in supporting both literature and community engagement. He's such a strong supporter of literature.
'We have quite a lot of writers who support us anonymously. Lots of writers are quite motivated to support us as they know how much the festival does to support writers.
'Every year, the festival puts around £500,000 into paying the fees of writers and commissions for artists. We make a significant contribution.
"We're delighted to have lots of really long-standing relationships.
"I think we're continuing to put on a fantastic festival. Hopefully the programme will have so much in it for such a wide demographic and a huge range of people that it should be really attractive to sponsors and partners."
Rankin said: "We want our local international book festival to thrive. We've been patrons for a while, so this seemed a reasonable step."
Colgan said: "The festival has meant so much to me over the years and it's an absolute thrill to be able to support it in any small way."
Key additions to the 2025 line-up include a dedicated young adults programme, tailored for audiences under the age of 30, and a new 'kids zone' at the former NHS campus, which is known as the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Book festival events will be staged at the Our Dynamic Earth visitor attraction and the National Library of Scotland for the first time.
Ms Niven said: "One of the things that I think gives our programme depth, range and integrity is we do events looking at all kinds of different ideas and subjects.
"We've tried to make a lot more use of smaller venues this year so that people can have really specific discussions and conversations with audiences so they can get a more involved.
"But we've increased the capacity of the Courtyard Theatre on the green so that more of our audience can get access to writers who are bit more prominent."
The festival started selling tickets last month for its extended run of 1000-capacity events at the McEwan Hall, which are organised in partnership with Fringe promoters and producers Underbelly.
The line-up includes Nicola Sturgeon's book launch, authors Maggie O'Farrell and Ian McEwan, American journalists Anne Applebaum and Edward Wong, and Ruth Jones, co-creator of Gavin and Stacey.
Ms Niven said: "The Front List events we did at the McEwan Hall last year were all really successful. All but one of them sold out.
"Those events really help us to reach new audiences. We can see from our ticket analysis how many first-time buyers we already have for this year.
'Those events are also about putting the book festival on the map, being right in the thick of it in August and being able to say to some of the biggest names in publishing, politics and commentary that we've got a terrific stage where we can introduced them to a really wide range of readers. There's a real sense of drama and excitement about it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
90s Glasgow band back with new album of 'covers and collaborations'
'Being asked to tour Hungary as part of a Scottish contingent for the British Arts Council in 1996,' she says, 'and performing as part of a Creeping Bent Organisation label night at John Peel's Meltdown in 1998.' 'At the first, the audiences were pretty hard core, which The Seret Goldfish definitely is not. The trip is immortalised in the song 4 Excited People." She adds: 'The second was a spectacular night, which included performances by Adventures in Stereo, The Leopards and a brief appearance by Vic Godard, and it was brilliantly compered by the much missed poet, Jock Scot.' The Secret Goldfish will be launching their fourth album, Empty Holster, at a special showcase on June 21 in Glasgow's Glad Café. Ex-Orange Juice guitarist James Kirk will be performing with the band and The Cords will be appearing as special guests. The Secret Goldfish BBC presenter Nicola Meighan will be interviewing Katy about 30 years of The Secret Goldfish, her early music career with the Fizzbombs, and her memoir of music and family, Matilda in the Middle. Nicola will also be interviewing Katy's husband, the musician and songwriter Douglas MacIntyre, about three decades of running The Creeping Bent Organisation record label, which is closing down at the end of the year. Katy Lironi and her husband Douglas MacIntyre (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest) Empty Holster has been many years in the gestation, explains Katy, who has been collating songs by her favourite songwriters since 1996. The album tracks have been recorded sporadically over recent decades and were finally completed at Green Door studio in Glasgow and mastered by Samuel Joseph Smith. 'Why now? Well, this is the final year of operation for CBO and I am someone who needs a deadline,' she laughs. 'I guess the planets have just aligned and this is its moment.' It is a record of covers – Holiday Hymn by Subway Sect's Vic Godard, Get on Board by James Kirk and tracks by The Shop Assistants and The Beach Boys – and collaborations, including Adventures in Stereo's Jim Beattie and Davy Henderson of Fire Engines and The Sexual Objects fame. It includes an impressive array of musical guest appearances, including Mick Slaven of The Bluebells, Campbell Owens of Aztec Camera, Francis Macdonald of Teenage Fanclub and Katy and Douglas's daughter Amelia Lironi, of up-and-coming funk-popsters QUAD90. QUAD90 (Image: Chris Hogge) There is also a new song on the album, says Katy. 'Louche Life is a song we wrote with James Kirk and it seemed to fit with the overall spirit of collaboration of the album,' she explains. 'I love working with James because you never quite know what direction he'll take or what lyrics he'll sing. 'We appeared on Marc Riley's 6 Music show a few years ago and James rewrote a whole load of lyrics in the car on the way down to Manchester for the session.' Katy adds: 'Collaboration is the root of all the very best creativity and it also brings out the best in us. 'To have my absolutely favourite songwriters and artists on this album is magical - perfectly topped off by singing in tandem with my daughter Amelia, who was still space-dust when the earliest songs on the album were initially recorded. 'It's fairly surreal.' Katy's book, Matilda in the Middle, is a memoir of music and family. Choir 21 (Image: Ginger Horticulture) 'It's largely about how important music is the lives of many in the Downs syndrome community, my own daughter Matilda included,' she says. 'Bringing out the book has been a highlight of the last year for me and being able to take it to so many festivals has been an amazing experience. 'I've really enjoyed introducing the audiences to Choir 21, the Makaton choir of teens and adults with Ds that I run in my role with Downs syndrome Scotland. 'We took a small contingent from Choir 21 down to the DSS garden at the Chelsea flower show last month. 'We performed an original song, Our Chelsea Anthem, co-written with Douglas and Ken McCluskey of The Bluebells, who are our patrons.' She adds, smiling: 'It was an amazing experience for our young people and Chelsea didn't know what had hit it.' The release of the Empty Holster does not mark the end of The Secret Goldfish – far from it, says Katy. 'There's always another album in the making,' she says. 'And we are always open to touring. When CBO finally comes to a close, we expect to have loads of time between work and family, to fill with more musical adventures.' The Secret Goldfish are at the Glad Café on June 21.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Shameless star and Everton manager to be honoured at Windsor Castle
The pair will both be formally made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama and Association Football respectively. They were named in the New Year Honours list. In 2024, Ms Duff, 54, won a best supporting actress Bafta for her lead role as Grace Williams in Apple TV's comedy series Bad Sisters. Former footballer David Moyes has managed Manchester United and West Ham (Martin Rickett/PA) She also secured awards for playing eldest daughter Fiona Gallagher in Channel 4's Bafta-winning show Shameless. The comedy drama followed a dysfunctional working-class family living on the fictional Chatsworth council estate in Manchester with an alcoholic father. Former Celtic and Preston centre-back player Mr Moyes, 62, went on to manage Manchester United and West Ham. The Glaswegian managed Everton from 2002 to 2013 and returned to the job this year. Chief executive of fashion giant Chanel, Leena Nair, centre left, will be made a CBE (Yui Mok/PA) Chief executive of fashion giant Chanel, Leena Nair, 55, will also be made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). The British-Indian national became the first female, first Asian, and youngest ever chief human resources officer at consumer goods multinational Unilever. A museum manager on the remote South Atlantic island of South Georgia will be awarded the Polar Medal for her work. Sarah Lurcock is the director of the heritage trust on the subantarctic British overseas territory. England national team footballer Millie Bright, centre, was made an OBE but would not be attending Wednesday's ceremony (John Walton/PA) It is around 800 miles (1,287km) south-east of the Falkland Islands and has no permanent residents. An artist from St Lucia, Sir Llewellyn Xavier, is to be formally knighted for services to community infrastructure and development on the island. England national team footballer Millie Bright was made an OBE for services to Association Football but will not now be attending Wednesday's ceremony. The Chelsea defender underwent minor knee surgery last week, the day after she withdrew from the European Championship selection.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Shameless star and Everton manager to be honoured at Windsor Castle
The pair will both be formally made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama and Association Football respectively. They were named in the New Year Honours list. In 2024, Ms Duff, 54, won a best supporting actress Bafta for her lead role as Grace Williams in Apple TV's comedy series Bad Sisters. She also secured awards for playing eldest daughter Fiona Gallagher in Channel 4's Bafta-winning show Shameless. The comedy drama followed a dysfunctional working-class family living on the fictional Chatsworth council estate in Manchester with an alcoholic father. Former Celtic and Preston centre-back player Mr Moyes, 62, went on to manage Manchester United and West Ham. The Glaswegian managed Everton from 2002 to 2013 and returned to the job this year. Chief executive of fashion giant Chanel, Leena Nair, 55, will also be made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). The British-Indian national became the first female, first Asian, and youngest ever chief human resources officer at consumer goods multinational Unilever. A museum manager on the remote South Atlantic island of South Georgia will be awarded the Polar Medal for her work. Sarah Lurcock is the director of the heritage trust on the subantarctic British overseas territory. It is around 800 miles (1,287km) south-east of the Falkland Islands and has no permanent residents. An artist from St Lucia, Sir Llewellyn Xavier, is to be formally knighted for services to community infrastructure and development on the island. England national team footballer Millie Bright was made an OBE for services to Association Football but will not now be attending Wednesday's ceremony. The Chelsea defender underwent minor knee surgery last week, the day after she withdrew from the European Championship selection.
