Monday 23rd August

Writers' Retreat

TV presenter and author of Eat Well With Nell, Nell Nelson offers a fun and informative workshop on writing and publishing a cookbook, whether for your local school or for worldwide publication. This workshop covers sourcing, testing and writing recipes as well as approaching publishers and sustaining publicity.
In association with the Society of Authors.

Writers' Retreat

This masterclass event offers a fascinating discussion between two leading Scottish crime writers, Lin Anderson and Aline Templeton, who have themselves succeeded in making crime pay – one with books focused on the forensic aspect of crime, the other whose novels adopt a more psychological approach.
In association with the Society of Authors.

RBS Main Theatre

A leading commentator on contemporary India, East Lothian's prodigal son William Dalrymple returns to present his latest book, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India. Best known as a travel writer, Dalrymple has for twenty years made India his home, and Nine Lives is a biographical record of the spiritual lives of people living around him. This is not so much a travel book as a vital chronicle of life in modern India.

RBS Main Theatre

He's the UK's number one bestselling crime author and a perennial favourite of audiences at the Book Festival: this year, as Ian Rankin celebrates his 50th birthday, he is very much at the top of his game. We welcome the Diamond Dagger-winning author back to discuss his police procedural thriller The Complaints and to explain why, with or without Inspector Rebus, Edinburgh offers the perfect backdrop for his stories.

Peppers Theatre

With the publishing industry undergoing rapid change at the hands of technology, and the entrance of Apple, Google and others into the bookselling arena, how will books continue to be relevant to new audiences in the 21st century? Two young publishing entrepreneurs, Davy Nougarede from the realms of audiobooks and Peter Collingridge from that of ebooks, discuss how books are evolving in the age of the iPad.
In association with Publishing Scotland.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre

As Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday, Stuart Kelly sees plenty of fiction, and in a series of events over the past few days he has presented events with writers who are taking exciting new steps in its creation. In this, the last of Kelly's series, he debates the future of the novel with David Shields author of Reality Hunger.