The Edinburgh International Book Festival is usually where writers arrive after the long and often painful process of finding a publisher for their master work, writes Edd McCracken.

But the festival has taken the unusual step of becoming a publisher itself, commissioning a book of new work for the first time in its 25-year history.

Lights Off The Quay, a compilation of commissioned work from Scottish writers Don Paterson, Janice Galloway, AL Kennedy, pictured below, and John Burnside, was launched at Charlotte Square yesterday.

The collection is the product of the festival's successful bid for more than £30,000 from the Scottish government's Edinburgh Festival Expo Fund. As well as funding the work, the money will go towards the writers promoting the book abroad. An event has already been confirmed in Stavanger in Norway, which is sharing the 2008 European Capital of Culture title with Liverpool.

Festival director Catherine Lockerbie said the project was an "incredibly exciting development" for the annual gathering of writers, publishers and book lovers.

"I was overjoyed to be able to commission these four writers, who represent the very best of contemporary writing, and even more overjoyed when they all instantly agreed," she said. "The work they have produced is quite breathtaking - testimony to the extraordinary literary talent present in Scotland."

Culture minister Linda Fabiani said: "Such talent is what our Expo fund is all about - showcasing great Scottish-based work at the festivals and supporting touring opportunities to reach new audiences."

Last week Fabiani announced that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will receive £200,000 from the Expo fund to create Made In Scotland, a programme to encourage Scottish productions at the fringe festival in 2009. More than £850,000 has already been allocated for Edinburgh's festivals to develop Scottish-based work.

Meanwhile, Glasgow looks set to become a Unesco World City of Music. Invitations have been hastily sent out for a reception at the City Chambers on Wednesday which will be attended by Koichiro Matsuura, director general of Unesco.