Meet Your Local Authors

If you would be interested in taking part in future library talks and book festival events, we’d love to hear from you! 

Local Author Talks 

Derby Book Festival has teamed up with the Society of Authors, Derby Libraries and Derbyshire Library Service to organise a series of talks by local authors in libraries across the city and county.

How to book?

To book tickets for the events, please email, call or pop into the library where the event is being held to book a place. Please do reserve ahead so that we can gauge numbers and ensure the events go ahead.

Any payment specified can be made to the author at the event on the day. Alternatively email or phone the local library for more information.

What can you expect at a local author talk?

The events are usually based upon a 45 minute talk from the author talking about their book followed by a Q&A session, with the opportunity to buy a book and get it signed at the end of the event.

Find a Local author talk near you

Below are details of our local author talks which will be regularly updated as and when new local talks are announced. More detailed information about each event can be found by clicking on the author name to the event poster

Allestree Library

Park Farm Centre, Park Farm Dr, Allestree, Derby DE22 2QN

Phone number: 01332 559761 

Upcoming events: 

• Simon Hobbs - Forgiveness - Wednesday 17th June - 1:30pm-2:30pm. FREE Tickets, please reserve your space

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Alvaston Library

1252 London Rd, Alvaston, Derby DE24 8QP

Phone Number: 01332 647920

Upcoming events:

• Sabrina Hopewell - Making Science Fun! - Friday 29th May - 11am-12pm. FREE Tickets, please reserve your space

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Belper Library

Derwent St, Belper DE56 1UQ

Phone Number: 01629 533192

Upcoming events:

• Jane Whitaker and Ashley Franklin - The Strutt Mills of Belper and Milford - Saturday 30th May - 11am-12pm. FREE Tickets, please reserve your space - THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT

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Blagreaves Library

Blagreaves Lane, Littleover, Derby DE23 1PT

Phone number: 01332 255403

Upcoming events:

• Sangita Dosanjh - The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Man - Saturday 6th June - 11am-12pm. FREE Tickets, please reserve your space

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Bolsover Library

Church Street, Bolsover, Derby S44 6HB

Phone number: 01629 537800  Email

Upcoming events:

• Steve Dunne - Meet the author of the 'Reaper Trilogy" - Saturday 6th June - 10:30am-11:30am. Tickets £3.00 to be taken off any book sales on the day

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Borrowash Library

Victoria Ave, Borrowash, Derby DE72 3HE

Phone number: 01629 533448  Email

Upcoming events:

• Martin Davies - The Many Lives of Sherlock Holmes - Wednesday 20th May - 4pm-5pm. Tickets £2.00 to be contributed to the reading charity The Book Trust

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Chesterfield Library

New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield, S40 1QN

Phone number: 01629 533400  Email

Upcoming events:

• Ben Macpherson - Ben Macpherson Does Poem at Adults - Thursday 18th June - 7pm-8:30pm. Tickets £3.00

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Etwall Library

Eggington Road, Etwall, Derby DE65 6NB

Phone number: 01629 532633  Email

Upcoming events:

• Jane Bettany - How winning a prize led to a new career writing crime fiction - Thursday 4th June - 2pm-3:30pm. Tickets £2.00 to be taken off any book sales on the day

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Ilkeston Library

Market Place, Ilkeston, Derby DE7 5RN

Phone number: 01629 533275  Email

Upcoming events:

• Mark Eklid - Fact to Fiction: From journalist to crime writer - Wednesday 17th June - 2pm-3:30pm. Tickets £2.00 to be taken off any book sales on the day

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Long Eaton Library - celebrating 120 years in 2026

Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Derby NG10 1JG

Phone number: 01629 531470  Email

Upcoming events:

• Simon Michael - My Life in Crime - Wednesday 3rd June - 1:30pm-3pm. Tickets are £5 (concessions £3), with £3 off the price of a signed book
• An afternoon with Simon Beckett - Author of the David Hunter series - Saturday 13th June - 2:00pm-3:30pm. Tickets £5.00 / £3.00 concessions
• Ben Macpherson - Serious Nonsense for Terribly Grown Up People - Saturday 4th July - 2pm-3pm. Tickets £5.00 / £3.00 concessions / £8.00 Family (2 adults) / FREE Under 12's
• Sabrina Hopewell Interactive Story Session celebrating 120 years of Long Eaton Library - Saturday 11th July - 10:30am-12:30pm. FREE event but spaces are limited so please book your place via the library

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Mickleover Library

Holly End Rd, Mickleover, Derby DE3 0EA

Phone number: 01332 647884

Upcoming events:

• Sheralyn Pattison - Couch to Kilimanjaro - Thursday 11th June - 5pm-6pm. Tickets £2.00 to be taken off any book sales on the day

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New Mills Library

Hall Street, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire SK22 4AR

Phone number: 01629 533195  Email

Upcoming events:

• Nicola Briggs - From Memory to Manuscript - Thursday 18th June - 2:00pm. Tickets are FREE but please book your place

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Newbold Library

Windermere Road, Newbold, Chesterfield S41 8DU

Phone number: 01629 537570  Email

Upcoming events:

• Jane Bettany - How winning a prize led to a new career writing crime fiction - Thursday 11th June - 2:30pm-4pm. Tickets £2.00 to be taken off any book sales on the day

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Ripley Library

21 Grosvenor Rd, Ripley DE5 3JE

Phone number: 01629 532982  Email

Upcoming events:

• Arya Walton - Contemporary romance full of heart, heat and happily ever afters - Saturday 6th June - 10:30am-11:30am. FREE Tickets, please reserve your space

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