Kia ora koutou. Greetings to you all. 

We’re so close to unveiling the programme for the 2025 Marlborough Book Festival, to be held Friday 18 July - Sunday 20 July. We can’t wait to share the line up of brilliant authors and thought-provoking sessions.

Tickets will be on sale very soon, keep an eye on your inbox for our next newsletter, or on our Facebook or Instagram pages for all the latest festival updates. 

Two more guest authors revealed...

Drum roll, please... publishing sensations Nalini Singh (romance and thrillers) and multi-award-winning children’s author Stacy Gregg are joining the Marlborough Book Festival lineup! They’ll appear alongside previously announced guests, Ockham Award-winning novelist Damien Wilkins and renowned historian Dr Monty Soutar — all heading to Blenheim this July.

Nalini has written more than three dozen novels, sold more than 8 million books (yes, you read that correctly!) and attracted a devoted global following. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages, including German, French, Japanese, and Turkish. 

Among her many awards, her novel Alpha Night won Favourite Paranormal Romance at the 2020 Australian Romance Readers Awards, and her 2021 thriller Quiet In Her Bones was a finalist for Best Crime Novel at the 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards.

Stacy Gregg (Ngāti Mahuta/Ngāti Pukeko/Ngāti Maru) is the author of Nine Girls, which won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award and the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2024. Nine Girls (Penguin Random House UK/NZ) is written for a readership of 10 –13 years, but holds just as much appeal for adult audiences.

We’re excited that Stacy’s newest book will be released just before the festival, providing a chance for audiences to hear about the book from the author. The Last Journey will be published by Simon & Schuster UK in July and is a beautiful and heart-achingly sad animal adventure with cats and a strong environmental message.

Stacy has previously published 32 middle-grade fiction novels with HarperCollins UK and remains HarperCollins New Zealand’s third best-selling children’s author of all-time, after David Walliams and Dr Seuss. Her Pony Club Secrets series has sold over 1.5 million copies globally in English alone and later became the CBBC TV series Mystic, which ran for three seasons. 

Ockham award congratulations

In case you missed it: massive congratulations to Damien Wilkins for winning the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Warm congratulations to all the winners and finalists, whom you can read about here.

Sponsor spotlight

Second generation winegrower Arabella Waghorn immerses herself in Marlborough's stunning autumn hues with a good book in the family vegetable garden. 

Winemaker Arabella, together with her sister Libby, general manager of Astrolabe Wines, is leading the family business established by their parents, Simon Waghorn and Jane Forrest Waghorn, into its next chapter.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Astrolabe Wines whānau, who’ve supported the festival since day one. As sustainable grape growers, they live gently on the land, helping ensure this time-honoured craft will thrive for generations to come.

Marlborough Book Festival Podcast

Can’t wait for this Marlborough Book Festival? Tune into our podcasts from previous year’s festivals and get a taste of what’s to come. We’ve recently added some recordings from last year’s festival including, Sue McCauley, Nici Wickes, and Anna Smaill. You can listen to our podcasts through our website, or subscribe and listen on Spotify, Amazon, and Podbean. Please share with your friends and help spread the word about our wonderful festival!