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Roland Tye’s debut novel Weekender was doing the rounds at the Edinburgh fringe festival this weekend. Did you manage to catch a glimpse of it anywhere during that time?

Published by Comely Bank Publishing, Weekender is set in Edinburgh over the course of a weekend so it was appropriate that Roland chose a Saturday and Sunday to dispense free copies of the novel in the capital city, aided and abetted by Our Best Attention author Jane Tulloch.

The aim of the stunt was to get people reading Weekender and talking about it. Leaflets in the books left in fringe festival venues asked people to read the book, review and pass it on, and to follow its progress on Twitter using the hashtag #discoverweekender

​Weekender is officially published in September, although copies are available now directly from the author or from Blackwell's bookshop in Edinburgh. 

An organisation supporting female crime writers has found that self-publishing is more popular among writers of colour, according to a report in Publishers Weekly.

The US-based Sisters In Crime studied diversity, equity and inclusion in the crime-writing community. The research, Report for Change, found that white, non-Hispanic people make up 93 percent of the Sisters-In-Crime membership. This compares to 62 percent of the US population.

The research surveyed some 1,100 members. Only 3 percent of them identify as African-American, and another 1.5 percent as Native American, 1.5 percent Asian and 1 percent Hispanic or Latino.

The report also found that more writers of colour are self-publishing. Only 21 percent of the Sisters In Crime membership who reported having self-published their novel, but 63 percent of writers of colour had self-published.
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Sisters in Crime president Leslie Budewitz said: “We recognized that writers of color, LGBT writers, and writers with disabilities face additional obstacles to getting published and finding readers that had not been fully explored.” 

ROLAND Tye’s debut novel, Weekender, will officially be published by Comely Bank Publishing on 19 September. Advanced copies are currently available from selected bookshops.

Weekender follows various characters over a weekend set in Edinburgh’s recent past, the story moving from one character to the next as their paths cross. Over three days it explores a city of contrasts: sex, drugs, violence, love, family, betrayal, redemption and despair.

Roland, who was born in Edinburgh in 1979, originally thought of the idea back in 2000 and the journey to publication has been as compelling as the novel itself.

Roland said: “I never imagined it would take this long to get Weekender finished and published.

“They say writing a novel can be a long journey but I seem to have taken it to a new level! A huge thanks goes to the amazing people at Comely Bank Publishing who turned my dream into a wonderful reality.”

Comely Bank Publishing was set up by author, Gordon Lawrie, in 2012 to give Scottish writers additional options for self-publishing and for writers to share their experiences and expertise.

Gordon said: “I set up Comely Bank Publishing because I genuinely believe that too many authors are failing to have their works published.

“The future of literature can only be saved if bright new talent is nurtured as it used to be.

“Here at Comely Bank Publishing, we want to share our experiences so that others who want to self-publish can benefit from what we have learned along the way.”

THE CAMPAIGN

Being Festival time, and with Edinburgh chock full of artistic and literary talent, Roland is embarking on a promotional campaign over a weekend (obviously!) that will see limited edition copies pop-up around the city between 19th and 21st August.

The aim is get Weekender travelling around the world, with finders asked to read their copy and then leave it where someone else will pick it up.
People will be able to log and track the journey on social media:
#discoverweekender
#ifoundweekender
@weekendernovel
@comelybankpub

https://www.facebook.com/events/1282229931795190/

Remember – a lot can happen in a weekend…

Tomorrow sees the start of the Edinburgh International Book Festival – a two-week long public celebration of the written word.

This year’s festival takes place from 13-29 August, and brings together more than 800 writers and thinkers from all over the world.

This year’s highlight include:
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• Erica Jong talking about her coming-of-age novel, Fear of Dying
• Han Kang talking about the Man Booker prize-winning The Vegetarian, and writing fiction in translation with her translator Deborah Smith
• Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown talking about globalisation and the new populism
• Mark Thompson, formerly the Director General of the BBC, arguing why the internet and 24 hour news has failed to lead to better democracy
• Lebanese novelist Nada Awar Jarrar and Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan discussing their fictional accounts of encounters with refugees
• And the newly appointed Scottish Makar, Jackie Kay, being interviewed by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

 
Alongside the general programme is a children’s programme, which has grown to become a “leading showcase for children’s writers and illustrators”.
 
The book festival’s home is Charlotte Square Gardens, which is transformed into a tented village for the duration of the festival and will welcome some 220,000 visitors.
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The book festival also runs its own independent bookselling operation, with all the proceeds from the sale of books invested in the running of the festival. The book festival is a charitable organisation which annually raises more than 80 percent of its own funds.
 

Blackwell’s Writers At The Fringe has become an established event over recent years, running each Thursday night in August as a complement to the International Book Festival itself. The format is simple: five writers, usually but not invariably Scottish, each showcase their work for 15-20 minutes, after which the audience mingles with, and of course get their newly-purchased books signed by, the authors.

​Overall, the poetry sandwich worked for me, for which Ms Landemann deserves credit. I actually left with three signed volumes of poetry, and a smile on my face.

Gordon Lawrie

Did you know that Comely Bank Publishing currently has five titles - and there are more to come?

Our books include: Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie, by Gordon Lawrie. Set in Edinburgh, this comedy novel tells the story of four old men who decide to set themselves up as a band and achieve surprising success.

The Man from Outremer, by T.D Burke. For fans of historical fiction, the book tells the tale of Derwent, a Knights Templar sergeant in Crusader Palestine, who escapes from Acre when the city is sacked, but is suspicious about the part played in the city's downfall by a devious Englishman.

Katie and the Deelans, by Emma Baird, is the story of Katie Harper and her friends, ordinary teenagers who go to the worst school in the world. Life, however, takes a turn for the extraordinary when Katie and her friends take up magic lessons.

Our Best Attention, by Jane Tulloch, is about a fictional department store in Edinburgh. Through its staff and customers we view the everyday life of the shop, which features plenty of surprises. The book is set in the 1970s.

Weekender by Roland Tye. A lot can happen in one weekend, as Tye's debut novel ably demonstrates. Sex, drugs and violence are here, as well as love, redemption and a job that suddenly gets much better...

Weekender is published officially in September (although it is available for sale now, and two further Comely Bank Publishing titles are due out next year. Another two books are in the pipeline. Keep watching this space. 

Comely Bank Publishing is a writing co-operative. That means we are a group of authors who work together to help each other self-publish novels. We work to a set of standards - we use professional cover designers, and we ensure books are edited and proof-read. We typeset books professionally, and we ensure that our e-books are prepared to required standards. 

If you would like to buy any of our books, they are all available on Amazon, iTunes and Kobo, or you can get them directly from us at the bookstore. 

Roland Tye's debut novel Weekender will be officially launched on 12 October at Blackwell's Book Shop,  Edinburgh.

Published by Comely Bank Publishing, the novel tells the tale of Edinburgh over a weekend through the view points of different characters - a taxi driver, a personal trainer, students, a prostitute and more.

Blackwell's is located at Edinburgh South Bridge, 53-63 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1YS. The event takes place 6-8pm, and will take the form of a chat between Roland and Comely Bank Publishing founder, Gordon Lawrie, as well as readings from the book and a Q&A session with the author.

​You will be able to buy signed copies of the book on the night.
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A Fife farmer has landed a six-figure publishing deal following on from the success of his self-published crime novels.

James Oswald farms as 350-acre sheep and cow farm. He has written six books featuring an Edinburgh detective called Tony McLean. He published his debut novel online after it was rejected by agents and publishers. It went to Number 1 and stayed there for weeks.

His first three books sold more than 350,000 downloads, which brought him to the attention of publishers.

​He works on his farm during the day and writes at night.

Look out for free copies of Weekender in Edinburgh locations during the festival.

Author Roland Tye is giving away free copies of his debut novel. You'll find them in various Edinburgh locations over the course of - what else? - a weekend, 19-21st August.

Weekender, which will be published officially in September, tells the story of a city over a weekend. Through the points of view of various different characters, we see Edinburgh in various ways - student life, football supporters, those seeking relief through drink and drugs, and more. All life is there.

The aim of the initiative is to bring Weekender to public attention. Readers can read it and then pass it on - and hopefully leave a review somewhere to help get Weekender noticed.

Free copies will be available: 

• Friday 19th August 2016 – Leith
• Saturday 20th August 2016 – West End/Gorgie
• Sunday 21st August 2016 – Edinburgh City Centre.

You can also get involved in the campaign on Twitter #discoverweekender, @weekendernovel and @comelybankpub