Is January the worst month?

We know that we often don’t follow societies norms in lots of ways and this time of year highlights this more than ever.

Whilst many are bemoaning the first month of the year we love it.

January might not be everyone’s favourite month, but at Brighton Book Festival, January is the time for thinking big, dusting off those dreams that you put on hold and bringing them out into the open again. It’s a time for fresh ideas, bold dreams, and exciting possibilities. As we gear up for the festival, taking place from 18–22 June 2025, we’re embracing the season of renewal with open minds and ambitious plans.

The book festival team are a group that share big visions but have incredible skills in helping to make them realities. After all, if a book festival is not a place of dreams, imaginations and visions, then where is?

This month, we spend a lot of time talking to authors, publishers and celebrities and the programming volunteer team are working flat out to have the programme ready for the end of the month. (Full disclosure, it’s a target we have never hit!)  Making sure that we shape a festival that truly represents our mission of making the marginalised mainstream.

But, we also never stop asking “What if?”

Some of our January What if’s have been

• What if we could create even better platforms for marginalised authors and their audiences?
• What if we reached more areas in the city?
• What if we partnered with more community organisations?
• Who are the hidden communities we’re not reaching yet?

These questions don’t weigh us down—they inspire us to think bigger and do better.

One key focus this year is self-published authors. This group often includes a disproportionate number of marginalised voices who can’t break into mainstream publishing and, as a result, struggle to find spaces at bookshops and festivals. We want to change that. We want to make space for these authors.

Brighton Book Festival is all about collaboration, community, and tangible change. Whether it’s elevating underrepresented voices or finding new ways to engage our audiences, we believe in the power of collective effort to make a difference.

As we map out an exciting programme for 2025, we invite you to join us in this journey. Share your ideas for the festival—what you’d like to see, who you’d like us to feature, and how we can do more for you our authors and audiences.

Together, let’s start the year by solving problems, celebrating creativity, and building a brighter, more inclusive literary landscape. Stay tuned for updates as our plans unfold, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for June!