Audience figures for one of the country’s biggest literature festivals look set to exceed previous records, the event’s main organiser has said.

Rachel Feldberg, director of the Ilkley Literature Festival, said numbers are still being added up from this year’s event which finished on Sunday. But she said the signs are the 2011 festival, which boasted more than 215 events around the town, would be the best-attended.

“It was an absolutely fantastic festival,” she said. “It was fantastic because the audience clearly enjoyed it so much and were so responsive and so positive and supportive, as were all the businesses in town.

“I think it gives a real injection of energy and buzz and people taking the opportunity for friends to come and stay and come and visit.

“We’re still putting all the final sales from the last week, so we won’t know the final numbers for about ten days, but all the signs are that the audience will have exceeded last year’s total and be the highest ever.”

The likes of Jeremy Paxman, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Alan Hollinghurst, Janet Street-Porter and Simon Callow all performed at the festival and Mrs Feldberg said the feedback from the authors and audiences had been excellent.

“We’ve had fantastic notes of appreciation from the authors and what’s lovely is they often say it’s one of the nicest events they’ve done and people are so friendly and helpful, the staff are fantastic and what a lovely town.”