Virgin Trains is set to launch the UK’s first ever on board ‘high speed’ book signings on its West Coast route in autumn this year.
For the ‘High Speed Book Signings’, a host of celebrated authors have confirmed participation, including Scandi-crime writer, Jo Nesbo, the British writer, Joanna Trollope, who is launching The Austen Project with a reworking of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility, and comedian and author, Ruby Wax.
All of the participating authors have either recently launched or will soon be launching their new books and will offer Virgin Trains’ passengers an exclusive opportunity to own a signed copy. The book signings will take place in Coach G, the First Class carriage closest to Standard Class. Travellers will be informed over the on-board announcement system and invited to buy a book before meeting the author for a personalised copy.
Commenting on the launch of the Book Singings programme, Jim Rowe, senior communications manager for Virgin Trains said, ‘Authors routinely travel the country to book signing sessions so we thought why not use the time travelling to sign some more. It is a fact: nowhere else will our authors sign books faster than on our Virgin high speed trains.’
Virgin Trains runs at a speed of up to 125mph between 45 West Coast stations from London Euston to Glasgow including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. The authors will be travelling on various routes over the autumn months.
Effective from September 1, Virgin Trains Facebook page will provide passengers with details of when their favourite authors will be on board.
Virgin Trains is part of the Virgin Rail Group, which is owned jointly by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Management and Stagecoach Group plc, an international public transport group with operations in the UK, USA and Canada. The partnership claims to have transformed a struggling rail artery into the UK’s most used long-distance route. Running from London to major cities in England and through to Scotland, Virgin Trains now claims to provide a genuine alternative to the plane and the car.
