Just days to go until readers and authors will travel the country for this Northampton book festival

There are just days to go until readers, authors and independent bookish businesses will travel across the country for a newly introduced Northampton book festival returning this weekend.

Tamsin Shawe from West Hunsbury launched Scribe & Sign in August 2024, having lost the love for her long-standing career in the construction industry. With a passion for reading, books and authors, she launched this as a side hustle and it really took off.

She describes herself as a “book buying enabler” and explains that her job is to find “your next best book”, which includes sourcing special editions, lightly read and new books with a focus on independent authors.

Scribe & Sign is an online business with a website, Etsy shop and presence on TikTok, with Tamsin hosting a livestream every Wednesday evening to a national audience who have become known as the ‘scribe tribe’.

Tamsin is praised for her reasonable prices and that orders are hand-wrapped. Lightly read books have a lower price point, and the offering builds up to bookish bundles with items like candles, book lights and bookmarks included.

A new aspect to Tamsin’s offering is ScribeFest, with the first event of its kind having been hosted in June. The positive response resulted in a larger Christmas edition coming to Sedgebook Hall this Sunday (November 8).

There were 35 authors and 10 vendors at the first festival, with an increased number of 80 authors and 20 vendors at the event this weekend. They will be joined by independent bookish businesses and attendees can look forward to exclusive interviews and author panels.

ScribeFest has already grown far beyond what Tamsin expected, after following her dream of creating an affordable and welcoming event where readers can meet authors, discover books they may never otherwise come across, and support independent writers and businesses.

VIP tickets are priced at £55 and attendees are welcome to attend from 9am, with general admission kickstarting from 10.30am. VIP tickets include an upgraded goodie bag with a free independent author book, free tea and coffee all day, allocated seating in the panel talks, and a ‘book butler’ where they can drop their bags off to be looked after for the day.

General admission is priced at £30 per person, tickets for four-to-16-year-olds are £20, and children under the age of four can enter the event for free.

The founder’s aim is for ScribeFest to be the most well-known independent author festival in the UK, describing it as the “Glastonbury of the book world”. Tamsin wants to grow the community and stock hundreds more independent authors for customers to discover.

For more information on Scribe & Sign, and to book your tickets for the upcoming ScribeFest, visit the business’ website here.