It's barely two months away, and we can't wait for the Edinburgh International Book Festival, sponsored by the Guardian, to kick off with a joyous combination of unmissable literary events, food, drink, sun (hopefully) and all-round magic. While we wait for authors and artists from around the world to gather in the Scottish capital from the 9th of August, we want your help in getting everyone in full festival mood.
When the festival begins there'll be live blogs, articles, videos, podcasts and more – and you will be able to take part in our coverage in many ways. But in the meantime, we want your help to get the enthusiasm flowing. In previous years, the Guardian supplied deckchairs to the festival attendees, decorated with quotations from great works of literature. This year, we are looking for your suggestions for the the most inspiring quotes to decorate our official festival tote bags.
The only stipulations are that the quotations should be taken from the work of an author appearing at the festival (we've pulled out some of the major names below, but check the programme for a full list of attendees), and that they should be between five and 15 words long. For a sense of what we're after, here are some that have made it in previous years:
A life without stories would be no life at all. (Alexander McCall, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies)
Empathise with stupidity and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot. (Iain M Banks, Consider Phlebas)
Take no heed of her... She reads a lot of books. (Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair)
The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read. (Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin)
There's nothing in this breathing world so gratifying as an artfully placed semicolon. (Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety)
Post your suggestions below the line and we'll pick our favourites. We are looking for a total of four quotes – if yours is chosen, not only will it decorate the festival bags but you will also win a pair of tickets to an event of your choice.
So get cracking!
Appearing at this year's festival
Lydia Davis
Jung Chang
Raja Shehadeh
See the Terms and Conditions for this competition here.
