The Good Book Life

In this episode of The Good Book Life, host Donna Scott brings together a brilliant panel of writers, creators, and convention organisers to explore why authors adore conventions, and how these events can transform a writing life. From first‑time nerves to unexpected career breakthroughs, the conversation dives into the friendships, opportunities, community support, and sheer joy that conventions...

A lively, candid round table on Trad vs Indie Publishing with writers who’ve been traditionally published, self published, small press published, and everything in between. In this 40 minute conversation, we dig into the real differences between traditional and independent publishing: Strengths & trade offs; Money & earning potential; • Creative control; Industry shifts: orphaned books, sm...

A warm, bookish chat hosted by Donna Scott, joined by three brilliant authors — Melanie Bell, Shona Kinsella, and Helen Cooper — as they dive into summer reading habits, holiday book choices, airport fiction, fantasy favourites, and the strange modern trend of “raw‑dogging” flights. This episode is cosy, funny, and full of great recommendations across fantasy, horror, crime, poetry, and literary f...

In this week’s episode of The Good Book Life, host Donna Scott sits down with three brilliant authors - Allen Stroud, Valeriya Salt, and Helen Cooper - for a frank and insightful conversation about book piracy: what it is, how it happens, and why it matters. We explore: How authors discover their books on pirate sites; the rise of spoof piracy sites; the myth of “victimless” piracy; accessibility...

In this lively round‑table episode, Donna Scott sits down with four writers deeply embedded in the UK SFF and horror communities to unpack the messy, brilliant, contentious world of literary award shortlists: who they help, who they overlook, and why they spark so much debate. Featuring: Allen Stroud: university researcher, SF author, former BSFA Chair https://www.allenstroud.com/ E.M. (Beth) Faul...

In this episode of The Good Book Life, host Donna Scott is joined by poet Paul Giffney, journalist Peter Ray Allison, and authors Melanie Bell and Laura Jane Round for a powerful, wide‑ranging conversation about the growing trend of removing Pride and LGBTQI+ displays from UK libraries. Sparked by recent actions from Reform-led councils in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Kent, the panel explores...

In this episode of The Good Book Life, Donna Scott chats with writers James Kinsley and Andrew Knighton about one of the most honest shelves on Goodreads — the DNF (Did Not Finish) shelf. They dig into why readers stop reading, how authors feel when their books land on that shelf, and whether DNF is a useful tool or an unfair label. Expect humour, honesty, and a refreshing take on reading without...

Donna Scott, a confirmed owner of many teetering piles of books talks to fellow bibliophiles about their shared hobby/problem - actually it's not a problem! Guests this week include writer and performer CJ Hooper, fantasy author and Chair of the British Fantasy Society, Shona Kinsella, and writer and BFS Deputy, Sian O' Hara. Links form the show: https://britishfantasysociety.org/ https://www.shon...

In this episode of The Good Book Life, host Donna Scott sits down with authors David Cartwright and Andrew Knighton, along with journalist and RPG writer Peter Ray Allison, to dig into one of the biggest creative dilemmas of our time: how AI is reshaping the craft, business, and ethics of storytelling. Together, they explore AI tools in publishing and beyond, the threats they pose to originality a...

For the first of our Friday Bookish Chats, I am joined by authors Lisa Fransson and Maggy Whitehouse to discuss the National Year of Reading Campaign. The 2026 theme, 'Go All In', encourages people to explore reading through their passions, and emphasizes that reading is not limited to books. The goal is to make reading relevant, fun, and accessible to everyone. We discuss the decline in reading e...