Hove might soon be the next Hay-on-Wye. Author Dorothy Koomson has put together its first book festival to “celebrate great storytelling for all ages”.

That a book festival for the area has arrived is no surprise. That it’s taken so long is the shock.

“There are so many great writers down here,” explains Koomson, who has sold more than 1.5 million books in the UK and since moving to the area set all her work in and around Brighton and Hove.

“Obviously there is Brighton Festival but I wanted something separate, focused entirely on books.”

Hove not only has legions of writers – many of whom will appear at the festival – it also has streets named after the nation’s favourite poets. The Poets’ Corner area has roads named after Coleridge, Montgomery, Byron and Wordsworth.

Koomson reveals she had little difficulty getting writers from the area, such as Lynne Truss, Araminta Hall and Bethan Roberts, involved in the three-day festival.

“I’m quite shocked at how many great writers have got on board and are going to do stuff,” she says.

“They are all very different, which is great and makes it special because there are writers at every event who appeal to different readers.”

After doing events at book festivals all over the country – with readers and writers wanting to know how she got published, where she gets ideas from, what life is like for writers – she resolved to make a festival for book lovers by book lovers (who are also writers) with answers to those questions.

“I’ve been to so many festivals across the country over the past seven or eight years,” she says.

“What I have found is they all have a personality which reflects the place where they are held. They emulate their surroundings and the people who come along. They are shaped by the personality of the people and places where they live.”

Hove Book Festival will thus “be very eclectic, because the people of Brighton and Hove are different and varied”.

Koomson, who wrote her first novel when she was 13, moved to Hove in 2007.

Her third novel, My Best Friend’s Girl, was chosen for the Richard and Judy’s Summer Reads shortlist and she recognises the value of a recommendation – as well as encouragement.

She says word-of-mouth is still the best way to hear about new books but meeting authors at events gives a chance to get those burning plot questions over in person.

The National Literary Trust, the charity dedicated to raising literacy levels, is supporting Hove Book Festival.

“I’m passionate about literacy encouraging people to read. With young people, it’s particularly about fostering a love of reading at an early age because they will come back if they have developed a love of reading.”

  • Hove Book Festival takes place at venues across Hove, Thursday, April 3, to Saturday, April 5. For more information, visit hovebookfestival.co.uk