On a chilly Tuesday evening in September, just off Broughton Street, down a cobbled lane and in a cosy loft space up the steep ramshackle stairs above an unassuming and quiet bar, the Edinburgh literary scene gathered for last month’s iteration of the Edinburgh Literary Salon. (One can find tickets – online or inperson – for this month’s “Spooky Horror Salon” here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/octobers-spooky-horror-salon-tickets-2003137010722)
Organisers, booksellers, publishers, authors, budding writers, and a sizeable cohort of Edinburgh Napier University Publishing students all gathered in this dimly lit room to hear the organisers present on independent bookshops and (in the shadow of the behemoth Edinburgh Fringe and Book Festival) shine a light on smaller community focused festivals. Also, most importantly of all, to network.
The event organisers warmly welcomed all attendees and expressed a surprise at the number which must have been vastly bolstered by us students who took up one half of the room as well as sprinkling the edges and back of the room, some even resorted to standing.
An elusive recent article from The Guardian was cited to begin the presentation on independent bookshops. In my subsequent research Loffhagen’s article emerged, reporting on calls from bestselling authors Maggie O’Farrell and Phillip Pullman to cut business rates on bookshops, citing struggles today for independents, but also of their merit in their communities and on highstreets.
The presentation focussed on the link between smaller literary festivals and independent bookshops, such as the upcoming Lighthouse Bookshop’s Edinburgh’s Radical Book Fair, and the recently passed Portobello Bookshop’s Portobello Book Festival. Mairi Oliver, the owner of Lighthouse Bookshop, and Annie Rutherford from the poetry festival Push the Boat Out (PTBO).
It was refreshing to hear from Mairi, that despite all the news that presents independents as constantly struggling, that their community in Edinburgh is strong and thriving, so much so that they were inundated with eager volunteers for the Radical Book Fair.
What is clear from both Mairi and Annie’s experiences with bookshops and festivals is the sense of community value that the spaces and events foster and celebrate – a force that remains strong today – yet a sense that is all too often overlooked and unsupported by local or national government (Laing 596). Further, this year PTBO is focussing on “The Space Between” where creatives, people, and ideas meet and emerge with new possibilities to create change (PTBO).
These talks were followed by what seemed to be the actual main event – the networking. It was a golden opportunity for budding students to begin to cast their net into the industry and make connections, and in turn support and pick the brains of authors, booksellers, and professionals alike.
This community support, or “The Space Between” we were hearing about in these festivals was emulated right before our eyes inside the Literary Salon. Platforms were freely given to representatives of these independent events and bookshops to bolster, support, and illuminate their work and efforts, inspiring and reassuring those watching that the literary community is alive and thriving in Edinburgh, a UNESCO City of Literature.
Sources Consulted
Edinburgh Literary Salon. “NEXT EVENT: September’s ‘Festival’ Salon”. edinburghliterarysalon.org. Web 18 Oct. 2026.
Lighthouse Bookshop. “Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop Fair 2026”. LighthouseBookshop.com, 2026. Web. 18 Oct. 2026.
Laing, Audrey. “Indies in Scotland: Exploring the Unique Role of Independent Bookshops in Scotland’s Towns and Villages.” Publishing Research Quarterly 36. (2020): 585-600. Web.
Loffhagen, Emma. “Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell among authors urging Burnham to cut business rates on bookshops”, The Guardian. 18 Aug. 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/philip-pullman-and-maggie-ofarrell-among-authors-urging-burnham-to-cut-business-rates-on-bookshops
Push The Boat Out. “Festival 2026”. Pushtheboatout.org, 2026. Web. 18 Oct. 2026.
