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The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Line-up unveiled for crime writing festival with guest programmer Sir Ian Rankin
Authors Kate Atkinson, Kathy Reichs and Jo Nesbo will be among those appearing at an 'incredibly welcoming' crime writing festival guest programmed by Sir Ian Rankin. The Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival schedule unveiled on Thursday also features Horrible Histories author Terry Deary, doctor turned comedian Adam Kay and broadcasters Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine and the Rev Richard Coles. Sir Ian, creator of the detective John Rebus, is the first guest programmer for the festival, which takes place in Stirling in September. In a nod to the police officer, the programme also includes James McPherson who made his name in Taggart and narrates the Rebus audiobooks, and former Coronation Street star Gray O'Brien, who recently played Rebus on stage. Scottish writers on the line-up include Chris Brookmyre (with Marisa Haetzman as Ambrose Parry), Denise Mina, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Alex Gray, Lin Anderson and Judy Murray. Sir Ian said he has some experience of programming as he has been involved in a small festival in Cromarty, and he was thrilled everyone he asked to take part in Bloody Scotland agreed. He said: 'You get in touch with writers you admire, you say we've got a festival going on, would you fancy coming along? I'll be interviewing you on stage, and nobody said, no, which is a real thrill. 'So we've got everybody from Philippe Sands, who's a human rights lawyer, talking about human rights violations in South America, to Kate Atkinson talking about Edinburgh and other things as well, Kathy Reichs coming from North America. 'We've got a whisky and music night, which will be fantastic with two musicians who've turned their hands to writing books, and a bunch of other stuff besides.' Sir Ian said the festival includes a wide selection of authors ranging from the cosy to the 'hard-boiled', as well as non-fiction writers. He added: 'It's an incredibly welcoming festival. The fans, the readers, the authors all mingle. There's no differentiation between them because all the authors are also fans.' Festival director Bob McDevitt said: 'It has been an absolute joy working with the legendary Sir Ian Rankin on this year's programme and I think he has helped to deliver one of our strongest-ever line-ups. 'There are so many treats in store for our audiences this year, from established names writing at the very top of their game to brand new voices bringing a different perspective to the crime genre – roll on September.' Others appearing include actor Joey Batey who was in The Witcher on Netflix, Chris Chibnall, creator and writer of Broadchurch, and American crime writer Laura Lippman who will be on stage with Mark Billingham. Fringe events at the festival this year will include a 'Day of the Deid' procession led by Sir Ian and the winners of the two prizes, and Sir Ian's Whisky Night with songs from James Yorkston and Colin MacIntyre. Alan Bett, head of literature and publishing at Creative Scotland said: 'Bloody Scotland brings the big names of crime writing to Stirling each year, and 2025 offers an incredible list of authors, enhanced by Ian Rankin's role as guest programmer. 'Of huge importance is the platforming of emergent writers. Bloody Scotland provides new Scottish authors the opportunity to launch their careers and build readerships, and for Scotland's fans of crime fiction, the chance to find their next favourite book.' The festival takes place in various venues including the Albert Halls, Trinity Church, Central Library and The Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling from September 12-14. Sir Ian previously said: 'Bloody Scotland manages to remain the world's friendliest and most inclusive crime fiction festival while also attracting the biggest and brightest names in the business to the city of Stirling. It's epic.' The author has been involved in Bloody Scotland since its inception, has captained the Scotland crime writers' football team and has led the event's torchlight procession through the streets of Stirling.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
In A World Of Choice, Selection Can Be The Key To Success
For all the convenience of technology, physical books retain their aesthetic appeal. Next month an impressive crop of crime writers will emerge from the shadows for a long weekend of events at a London hotel at which they will meet each other and their readers. At a time when social media enables stars of any genre to connect with their fans at any time, a set-piece, in-person gathering like Capital Crime looks like something of a throwback. And yet it is hugely popular. Last year, it attracted about 2,000 people buying £17,000 (about $23,000) worth of books in two days and David Headley, the man behind it, expects this year's event — the fifth — to be the biggest yet. But it is just one aspect of a business that in the age of Amazon not many would have expected to succeed let alone flourish. For Headley is not just an event promoter. Admitting that he likes that 'there is nobody quite like me in the book industry,' he says he is also a podcaster and a literary agent as well as a bookseller. All this, along with running a prize for crime and thriller writing with the winners announced at Capital Crime, is designed to help build the core bookselling business, Goldsboro Books, which was started 25 years ago as an online enterprise. Headley, who had previously attended a seminary before deciding that the life of a Catholic priest was not for him, took the plunge because he had become an avid book collector and assumed there must be others like him. With the afore-mentioned online giant already on the scene, he realised that there was no point in just being a generalist bookstore. Instead, he concentrated on thrillers, crime, science fiction, fantasy and similar genres, with a special focus on signed first editions of hardback books. The concept duly repaid his faith, with the move to a bricks-and-mortar shop in London's Cecil Court, a renowned centre of the book trade within a year. Now, there is another shop in Brighton, on the U.K.'s south coast, and a warehouse that ships 11,000 to 15,000 books a month. All of which means he is able to claim to be the biggest independent bookseller in the country. Nor is he part of a dying trade. Despite what many might think, book sales have show some resilience, with the latest industry figures showing a 3% rise in the U.K. to a record £7.1bn ($9.4bn) in 2023. In the U.S., total sales were $9.1bn in 2022, with printed books remaining strong, while e-books have slipped back and audiobooks appear to be on the rise. Such is the demand that the operation now employs nearly 20 people, and Headley is adamant that everybody is paid at least the living wage. 'I don't want people to go home and worry about money,' he says. Oddly perhaps, Headley says social media has played a role in the growth of his business, with many customers posting attractive images of books. He also feels that the typical customer has changed since he started. Rather than book collecting just being the preserve of middle-aged men, there are now many more women involved. Headley is not alone in finding success in a business well known for its perils. Ryan Holiday, the marketing professional-turned author, has recently written of the lessons he has learned from running his own bookstore in a small town in Texas, while in my own town just outside London the long-established bookshop appears to go from strength to strength and wins awards. What appears to unite all these stories is a realization that it is not enough to sit behind the counter and hope to sell books. You have to work hard at getting people in the door by organizing events (like Capital Crime), holding book signings and having other uses for the space, such as a cafe or meeting place. Holiday writes that another bookstore owner advised him to 'have more than one way to win.' He explains: "Most bookstores only survive if they're multi-purpose spaces. The Painted Porch isn't just a bookstore—it's my office, my employees' office, the place where we record podcasts and film YouTube videos. So if nobody comes in and buys books, we're not necessarily losing money. At the same time, it probably also wouldn't have made sense to build out this level of podcast studio or even a writing office by itself either. So multi-use allows you to do more than you ordinarily would—across the board.' While my home-town store is an unashamedly generalist store, both Goldsboro Books and Holiday's Painted Porch have consciously decided to limit their offerings. For the former it is certain genres, while Holiday has gone for a personal selection. He and his wife only stock books that they love and can personally recommend to customers. As well as making it easier to manage, it helps the store stand out. Like Holiday, Headley believes in the power of curation, to the extent that a highly popular aspect of the business is the subscription clubs that allow customers to receive books in their favoured genres on a monthly basis. And the sense of community that this helps to build will, of course, be evident when those enthusiastic readers meet each other and some of their literary heroes next month.
