The Summer festivals have drawn to a close as we turn the page into Autumn. And what a successful year it has been.

A huge thank you to all of the festival directors, programmers, runners, tech teams, green-room teams and booksellers. And of course to the authors, conversation partners and audiences who together have made this such a rich summer feast of festival activity.

The atmosphere at each of the summer festivals has been terrific, attendance at every event pretty much full regardless of time of day or night, and each event a joyful or tearful, or knowledge-enriching experience.

At Edinburgh International Book Festival in its new home at the Futures Institute, we have seen a stunning mix of our own authors but also a good variety of discussion groups and authors from far afield. Personal highlights were Jen Stout, Jim Swire and Peter Bidulph, Alexander McCall Smith, Alistair Moffat, Alan Taylor, Rosemary Goring , Neil Ansell, Chris Barkley, Alessandra Thom, Douglas Skelton, Andy Wightman and so many more. What a delight to get to spend time with each of them.

A special mention here to photographer Chris Close whose stunning author portraits have been a much loved feature of the Edinburgh International Book Festival for many years. His work this year was extraordinary.

At Meet the Author – a new fringe programme at Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh – up close and personal events with Alan Taylor and Steven Veerapen and Rosemary Goring  and Liz Lochhead sat alongside events with Mark Douglas Home, Magnus Linklater, Helen Douglas, Devi Shrider, James Robertson, Bill Coles and more. A welcome addition to the festival scene.

And of course the free Book Fringe events programmed by Lighthouse, Argonaut and Typewronger bookshops –  our authors Natalie Clark and Chris Barkley featured alongside Eloghosa Osunde,  Pierre Novellie, Ruby Free, Katie Goh, Matthew Teller and Mahmoud Muna, Daneil Harding, Rosie Day, Matt Broomfield, Joel White and more still to come before the end of the weekend (which brings the much anticipated Queer Riot: A Literary Cabaret).

Not far from home, we wondered to North Berwick’s Fringe by the Sea where our Mollie Hughes starred in their literature programme alongside events with Irvine Welsh, Philip Paris, Bookbug, Steph McGovern, James Morton, Kate Foster, and a wonderful sounding Wine Tasting.

And at the end of the month of August, we enjoyed Beyond Borders International Festival at Traquair in the Scottish Borders. A festival of music, nature, political thought and conversation about the biggest matters on the world stage.

The world class speakers who’s company we have enjoyed in August, give us energy for the months ahead.