This year’s IW Literary Festival will be supporting the Island’s own talented authors.

A new section of the festival, called Write on Wight, will shine a light on published authors from the Island.

Festival organisers are offering the chance for authors to promote and sell their books at this year’s festival through two new free features.

In conjunction with festival sponsors, Medina Bookshop, this year there will be a Local Authors’ Marketplace at the festival headquarters in Northwood House, where there will be a number of tables for local authors to sell their own books and chat with the festival’s visitors throughout the four days, from October 3-6. The Friday evening of the festival will be given over entirely to local authors.

The Naked Figleaf Collective will be hosting a free event, ‘Author! Author!’ for Island writers to deliver an entertaining two-minute elevator pitch of their book to the assembled audience. This will be followed by a break for networking before a ticketed session entitled ‘From Inspiration To Publication’ with four Island authors.

To apply for either a marketplace table or a chance to pitch your book at ‘Author!, Author!’, or both, complete the application form at iw.observer/iw-lit-fest before August 31. Every effort will be made to accommodate as many applicants as possible and all authors will be notified of confirmation and schedules by September 14.