Biggest rush ever to book early

Published on Tuesday 23 June 2009 22:52

THE Edinburgh International Book Festival reported a staggering 40 per cent jump yesterday in the number of tickets sold on the first day of business.

In the first 24 hours after the box office opened, 112 events sold out for the August festival – vastly more than last year.

They ranged from the launch of Margaret Atwood's new book, The Year of the Flood, to a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's children's classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Other sell-outs included poet Ruth Padel, apparently bouncing back after her resignation from the position of Oxford professor of poetry in a row over leaks about a rival for the post.

Crime writer Henning Mankell, historian Antony Beevor, and The Wire creator David Simon were also among the first tickets to go.

The book festival never releases details of ticket sales. But while last year's festival saw a massive crush for a few A-list guests – Sir Sean Connery and Prime Minister Gordon Brown among them – this year's spread was wider.

"What's really nice is we are selling events in smaller theatres for fairly unknown foreign writers," said a spokeswoman.

"We love bringing unknown writers to the audience's attention – and they are buying them."

There were about 20,000 phone calls in the first hour and some 600 people came through the doors of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre where the first day box office was set up.

It has now moved to the Hub on the Royal Mile. Hundreds of thousands of ticket requests via the web appeared to process more quickly than 2008.

"For us its self-perpetuating," the spokeswoman said. "We know the first morning is going to be incredibly busy because people disappointed last year will try earlier next year. "