Crime author Ian Rankin in Steyning as part of Independent Bookshop Week

The Steyning Centre, Fletcher's Croft, Steyning, Saturday, June 18

Tickets £12 including book, 7.30pm, call The Steyning Bookshop on 01903 812062 or visit steyningbookshop.co.uk. Brewery tickets are limited.

SMALL independent bookshops "live by their wits" and their ability to be creative, according to Ian Rankin.

The crime author, best known for his popular Inspector Rebus series, puts his love for literature and writing in part down to finding a local bookshop to call his own.

Growing up in Fife, Scotland, in the 1960s, Rankin started reading books from libraries and swapping them in the playground while other children were perhaps fixated with football stickers.

"It was a gradual process," the 56-year-old tells The Guide, "And finding a bookshop you liked was a big part of that.

"My bookshop in Edinburgh [where Rankin is now settled] will always have suggestions and recommendations for me.

"It depends on the person, too, though, as some of them will be more adventurous with suggestions than others."

His high regard for such outlets comes ahead of a talk at The Steyning Centre, which the independent Steyning Bookshop won after pitching ideas to Rankin's publisher.

Rankin says, "They pitched all kinds of great ideas. You get the feeling that here's a bookshop that isn't just about selling books - it's vital to the community.

"The thing about a small independent bookshop is they live by their wits.

"The one thing they cannot compete on is discount. That means they have to be creative, with book readings and doing all they can to make sure the next generation of readers come through."

Despite having friends in Worthing, Rankin admits he is not familiar with Steyning but is looking forward to a tour of the new Riverside Brewery in nearby Upper Beeding as well as the talk to mark his latest Inspector Rebus novel Even Dogs In The Wild.

He says, "Any involvement with a brewery is good for me and Inspector Rebus obviously likes his beer."

Beyond the inspector's leisure pursuits, Rankin reveals how Rebus as a character has allowed him to keep expanding his Edinburgh noir.

Rankin says, "A detective has access to the very top of society and the very bottom.

"If you want to explore society from top to bottom you have only really got two options: a detective and a journalist. People can avoid talking to journalists but you would be unwise not to talk to a detective."

Rankin did not set out to write crime but found his first efforts of the late 1980s pigeon-holed that way.

"I'm almost the only crime writer I know who wasn't reading crime fiction before writing it.

"As a kid, I loved stories in any form whether it was cartoons or comic books or short stories.

"I was a bit of a loner and would write stories, only for fun, I would never show them to anybody else.

"It was an extension of that imagination that every child has."

"Crime novels are a fairly broad church," he continues, "You have everything from Miss Marple to gory serial killers.

"It asks big questions about why the world is the way it is. Crime fiction does a lot in a small package - it gives you strong characterisation, a good theme and a sense of place. Edinburgh is my main place just as Brighton is Peter James's location."

Rankin has just finished a new book called Rather Be The Devil and is waiting on his editor's seal of approval. All being well, it should come out in time for next year's 30th anniversary of Inspector Rebus.

Rankin has recently used a retreat on the northern coast of Scotland as a way of getting away from the bustle of home-working.

He used it to write the first 100 pages of his pending book in just ten days.

Rankin says the pace of a crime novel comes down to its early drafts.

He says, "I think if you read and write the first draft quickly it reads quickly and has pace.

"At that stage I'm just working out if the plot makes sense - the second, third and fourth drafts are still rough and ready.

"But it's not a science - what works for me would not necessarily work for anyone else."

He takes the same "rough and ready" approach when it comes to public speaking, saying he has no preconceptions for his Steyning appearances.

"I gauge the mood of the audience," he says, "Every talk is different.

"You have to entertain them - you can't have them nodding off or walking out."

Independent Bookshop Week runs from June 18 to June 25.

Adrian Imms