{"id":673,"date":"2018-10-02T11:14:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T10:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cool-banzai.185-132-38-6.plesk.page\/?p=673"},"modified":"2018-10-02T11:14:33","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T10:14:33","slug":"biggest-ever-book-festival-will-wigtown-the-movie-come-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cool-banzai.185-132-38-6.plesk.page\/?p=673","title":{"rendered":"Biggest Ever Book Festival \u2013 will \u2018Wigtown The Movie\u2019 come Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 20th<\/sup>annual Wigtown Book Festival was the biggest and most successful yet \u2013 with audiences of around 29,000.<\/p>\n

The provisional figures show a 20% increase compared to 2017 and will play a major role in raising awareness of Scotland\u2019s National Book Town.<\/p>\n

The south west Scottish town may soon become even better known after a Hollywood film company bought the rights to books by locally based authors with the idea of combining the two stories to create a movie.<\/p>\n

Shaun Bythell\u2019s Diary of a Bookseller, <\/em>which has just entered The Times<\/em>paperback bestsellers list at number six, is about life running Scotland\u2019s largest second-hand bookstore. Three Things You Need To Know About Rockets<\/em>is a comic memoir by Jessica Fox about leaving her job with NASA in LA and ending up working, and finding romance, in Shaun\u2019s bookshop.<\/p>\n

Together they paint a picture of life and love in a small town in one of Scotland\u2019s most beautiful and rural regions.<\/p>\n

Adrian Turpin, Artistic Director of The Wigtown Book Festival, said:<\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019ve been overwhelmed \u2013 this year\u2019s festival has been a huge success, the biggest yet. The level of support, enthusiasm and enjoyment has been just incredible.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point on Saturday afternoon there were 735 people attending festival events \u2013 in a town with a total population of under 1,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that this points to a great future for Scotland\u2019s Book Town, the festival and most importantly of all, for people\u2019s love of books and reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe festival seems to be attracting a growing number of international visitors. This year we\u2019ve had people from the USA, South Africa and all over Europe \u2013 I even made an 80-year-old Isreali lady who had read about it and decided to pop over for a holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with Hollywood buying options on two books by locally based authors which put a major focus on the town, its bookshops and all the people who live here or visit, we could even be looking forward to Wigtown the Movie<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three Things You Need To Know About Rockets <\/em>was published in 2012 but demand has been so high that it has just been reissued. Diary of a Bookseller<\/em>was launched at the festival a year ago and has now been translated into 18 languages.<\/p>\n

Shaun Bythell said:<\/strong>\u201cI was astonished that people were interested enough in the life of a second-hand bookseller from Wigtown to buy my book \u2013 so you can imagine my surprise when I was approached by a Hollywood film company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council, EventScotland part of VisitScotland\u2019s Events Directorate, Creative Scotland and The Holywood Trust.<\/p>\n

Councillor Adam Wilson, Dumfries and Galloway Council\u2019s Events Champion said:<\/strong>\u201cWigtown\u2019s picturesque townscape has again played host to a wonderful book festival and encouraged thousands of people to visit this beautiful and unspoiled part of Galloway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe book festival is a balm, it lifts the spirits and encourages curiosity, and it brings people together from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Council\u2019s investment in the Wigtown Book Festival through our Major Festivals and Events Strategy 2018-2021 and previous events strategies has aided its growth and celebrated its cultural significance to Dumfries and Galloway and I\u2019m thrilled it has had its best ever year on its 20th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland\u2019s Director of Events, said:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cScotland is the perfect stage for cultural events, and I\u2019d like to congratulate the team at Wigtown Book Festival in delivering an outstanding programme befitting of the festival\u2019s 20th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to see the popularity of this unique\u00a0<\/strong>literary festival continue to grow, with the 2018 event bringing a record audience to Wigtown and the local area.\u201d<\/p>\n

For full details of Wigtown Book Festival go to wigtownbookfestival.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n