For Publishers
Why choose The Edinburgh Bookshop or The Children’s Bookshop for your author event?
The Edinburgh Bookshop is Edinburgh’s best independent bookshop and is sister-shop to The Children’s Bookshop which was shortlisted in 2009 for both The Bookseller Retail Awards and in the Scottish Independent Bookshop of the Year category of The British Book Awards.
Opened in September 2009, The Edinburgh Bookshop is managed by Andrew Bentley-Steed who has over a decade’s experience in bookselling. Andrew was formerly manager of Methvens Booksellers in Worthing which in October 2007 was voted one of the top 100 bookshops in the UK by The Independent newspaper (two places higher than the top ranked Waterstone’s in Canterbury that year).
The Children’s Bookshop is now two years old. Set-up by Vanessa and Malcolm Robertson, founders of the publishing house, Fidra Books, the bookshop continues to develop young reader’s minds at the heart of Bruntsfield. Both shops have a growing legion of fans on Facebook and on Twitter.
We have the capacity to host both small, informal events in-store and large events in local venues. There was such demand for our first event in The Edinburgh Bookshop (Edward Hollis, The Secret Lives of Buildings) that Edward repeated the event a month later. The Children’s Bookshop sold out a capacity event for Neil Gaiman – 350 people – during the launch tour for The Graveyard Book.
We are currently putting together an exciting schedule of events for 2010, encouraging our guest authors to break with traditional formats for their events for an audience keen to hear much more about each author’s work. Our customers receive updates, advance notice of new titles and forthcoming events via our weekly email newsletter which you can sign up to on this website. The Edinburgh Bookshop is also host to not one but three different book groups of avid readers who form part of an active community helping.
Getting here
Edinburgh is less than 5 hours by train from London Kings Cross, or a 1 hour flight from Heathrow and Gatwick. British Airways and EasyJet both fly regularly from these airports.
Edinburgh Airport is just 20 minutes away by taxi or 45 minutes by bus shuttle service.
Waverley Railway Station is the main rail terminal in Edinburgh and is a mere 10 minutes by taxi from the bookshop.
Taxi services can be booked in advance from both Central Cabs (0131-229-2468) and City Cabs (0131-228-1211).
Further information on bus times and routes around Edinburgh can be found here.
Eating out
The Restaurant at The Rutland Hotel offers sumptuous dining in contemporary surroundings, with a menu of locally sourced produce, served simply but with style.
A recent discovery is Chop Chop. Serving authentic northern Chinese cuisine, it serves the most delicious dumplings and home-made noodles. A little further from the shop than other restaurants (below), it really is worth the trip…
…but if you’d really like to impress your author, then why not try The Kitchin, the restaurant founded by Michelin-starred Tom Kitchin? Tom was also a recent guest of The Edinburgh Bookshop.
For lunch and high-tea, you can eat in no finer place than Falko’s, a German cafe and bakery just two doors down from The Edinburgh Bookshop.
Lunch locations don’t get much closer than Howie’s which is across the road from The Edinburgh Bookshop.
Where to stay
The Rutland Hotel is Edinburgh’s newest boutique hotel with elegant guestrooms, stylish bars and a wonderful restaurant. The Rutland is a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi from The Edinburgh Bookshop.
Tel: 0131 229 3402
The Bruntsfield Hotel is a 4-star hotel with a good quality bistro 5 minutes walk from The Edinburgh Bookshop.
Tel: 0131 229 1393
Ellesmere Guest House is a 4-star Bed-and-Breakfast 15 minutes walk or 2 minute taxi from The Edinburgh Bookshop.
Tel: 0131 229 4823
The Scotsman is a 5-star historical boutique hotel which is a 10 minute taxi ride from the bookshop and a 2 minute walk from the station.
Tel: 0131 556 5565
The Herald House Hotel is a more reasonably priced 2-star hotel with basic facilities just 3minutes by taxi to The Edinburgh Bookshop.
