Sheffield’s Indie Book Festival – SIBFest is launching for the first time this weekend on the 25th and 26th of April.

Located at bookshops across the city, as well as The Victoria and The Mowbray at Kelham Island, the festival will celebrate stories, the shops and their publishers who keep them alive.

It has been organised by some of the city’s loved independent booksellers, including La Biblioteka, Graphic Novel Reading Room, Hillsborough Bookshop, Juno Books and Novel.

Speakers representing both major publishers and independent presses will highlight the very best in contemporary fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, and graphic novels.

Novelist Sally O’Reilly, author of Hagtale, said: “I’m delighted to be part of SIBFest. I’m a passionate reader and book-browser, and love independent bookshops.”

She is published by an indie publisher, Scribe, who she said were “prepared to take a chance on a quirky, unusual book like Hagtale. Mainstream publishing tends to be focussed on books that can be sold in large numbers, often generic fiction, or on big name authors, and indie shops and publishers offer so much more.”

She added: “Sheffield is lucky to have several brilliant indie bookshops, and I’m keen to support them in any way I can.”

Sally will be joined by other confirmed speakers, such as Bethan Woollvin (These Are My Rocks) and Luke Barley (Ancient).

The event will start on Saturday at La Biblioteka in Leah’s Yard in the city centre, where Sheaf Poetry will host an evening of readings.

Saturday will serve as a fringe day, with individual bookshops running their own events, as well as a bookshop crawl, with crawlmaps available from any of the participating venues!

The main event will be on Sunday at The Mowbray, with a market-place for indie makers and local bookshops at 10am to 5pm. The Victoria will be hosting author talks, workshops and signings.

The Graphic Novel Reading Room is located upstairs at the Lodge at the Victoria, and will be a space for relaxing during the festival.

A variety of food, cocktails and coffee will be available at both venues throughout the day.

For more information about this weekend’s activities, visit their website here.