About Thirsty Books

Originating from Edinburgh's Old Town in 1998, Thirsty Books is an independent publisher based in the East Neuk of Fife.

Since 1998 Thirsty has published poetry and fiction from Orkney (Alison Flett’s stinging, hilarious collection of poems Whit Lassyz ur Inty and John Aberdein’s haunting novel of Aberdeen and fish,Amande’s Bed), Shetland (The Roost by Neil Butler - a wry meditation on social networks, drugs and selkies), Ardnamurchan (new editions of Dominic Cooper’s intensely lyrical novels The Dead of Winterand Sunrise), and Liverpool (Eddie Gibbons, author of the stark elegy The Republic of Ted, is a long-time resident of Aberdeenshire). Not forgetting Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, which actor and playwright Owen O’Neill (the wild Volcano Dancing) still calls home.

Peter Burnett's debut novel The Machine Doctor, a deft satire of cyber Aberdeen, was shortlisted for Scottish Book of the Year 2001. And Thirsty authors made up two of the six nominations in the 2006 Saltire First Book Award - Alison Flett and John Aberdein - the award going to Amande’s Bed.

More recent titles include David Tomassini’s poetry collection, Always Is, Owen O'Neill second collection Licking the Matchbox and the first two short novels in Peter Burnett's 'Alan Stewart' trilogy, #freetopiary: An Occupy Romance and Scotland or No.

The first Thirsty Noir appeared in 2013, Joseph Glackin's gritty police procedural in post-war Liberia, A Lone Star Weeps: An Inspector Gloria Mystery. The second in the series is In Freedom's Shadow and is out now.

Thirsty has also provided editorial development and management for many other publications and a good number of these can also be purchased from this website..