AN AUTHOR has found a novel way of promoting the release of his latest book.

Matt Haig placed 30 signed copies of The Midnight Library around Brighton on Saturday to mark its release on paperback.

He has shared several photographs of his award-winning book hidden in various locations across the city to give fans a head start in their search.

Some lucky bookworms have already managed to locate a copy, with one fan writing to Matt to say that she “teared up” when she found one.

The Midnight Library was released on paperback in February and became a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

It is currently Amazon’s number one bestseller.

It tells the story of Noras Seeds, a disillusioned young woman who feels “alienated and unneeded” until she finds a library, in which each volume represents a version of her life where she made different choices.

As she reads the volumes, they allow her access different versions of her life - relationships she could have stuck with, careers she could have pursued and so on.

Critics have described it as a tale of “mental health and self-reflection.”

Matt, who lives in Brighton, has spoken openly about suffering from major depressive disorder when he was 24 and coming close to suicide.

He has previously spoken to The Argus about the impact social media can have on mental health.

He said: “Very recently I started to notice how my mental health is affected by how I was living.

“We’re probably more overloaded than ever thanks to social media and constant breaking news stories.

“I was constantly getting in pointless arguments on Twitter and feeling paralysed by all this information about politics.”