Graeme Macrae Burnet is joining RNIB Scotland at the Edinburgh Book Festival to call for more books to be made available for people with sight loss

Acclaimed Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet is calling for more books to be made available for blind and partially sighted people.

The author of the 2016 Man Booker Prize nominated The Bloody Project will be at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Monday 21st August. In an event organised by RNIB Scotland, he will be reading and discussing extracts from his novel.

Graeme said: "I'm delighted that His Bloody Project is to be available in braille as well audio book. It's so important that visually impaired people have access to as wide a variety of reading material as possible, and the RNIB's drive to make this possible is one that I fully support."

Robert Kirkwood, presenter of RNIB Connect Radio’s Read On programme, will interview the author and chair a panel discussion with blind and partially sighted reading enthusiasts.

He said: “The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the biggest literary gathering in the world to celebrate the sheer joy of reading, but for people with sight loss their choices are much more limited.

“We want our event to show there is a demand for more books for people with sight loss, and that the authors like Graeme want their work to be available to all. For so many people with sight loss, reading is an absolute lifeline, a way of combating isolation and keeping in touch with the outside world."

RNIB runs a free Talking Books library service with over 21,000 books. Later this year it will celebrate its 80th anniversary and attracts over 40,000 readers across the UK, issuing 1.53 million books in the last year.

Each Talking Book costs around £2,500 and takes two to three months to record, but the service is invaluable for thousands of blind and partially sighted people in the UK.