Unabridged: Behind the Booker Prize with Kiley Reid

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: The Stacks
Host: Traci Thomas
Guest: Kiley Reid (Booker Prize Judge, Author)
Episode Title: Unabridged: Behind the Booker Prize with Kiley Reid
Date: October 24, 2025

In this episode, Traci Thomas sits down with acclaimed novelist Kiley Reid to take listeners behind the scenes of literary prize judging—specifically, the 2025 Booker Prize. Reid, one of five judges for this year’s prestigious prize, reveals the logistics, pressures, and (often nerdy) joys of narrowing down 153 submitted novels to a single winner.

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Main Theme

Unveiling the Booker Prize Judging Experience:
Kiley Reid shares her candid, often amusing account of what it’s like to be tapped as a judge for one of the literary world’s most prominent awards. She brings listeners inside the secretive and intensive process—discussing everything from the logistics of the call, to reading strategies, to the odd demands of literary marathoning.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Moment of the Offer (02:54–04:01)

• Recruitment Surprise: Kiley heard from her friend Sarah Collins (a Booker judge the previous year) that the Booker Prize president was interested in contacting her. Despite clues in emails, Kiley assumed it was a more routine request—“maybe to write something,” she jokes.
• Emotional Impact: On receiving the invite, Kiley is overwhelmed:

  “I laid on the floor in my daughter’s room. I was, like, bowled over. … It is the biggest privilege to be put in a situation where you’re forced to read so much and kind of remember why you started.” (03:19–03:35)

• Comparison to Ballet:

  “It’s like if you’re a ballerina and someone’s like, ‘I want you to take a barre class every day, all day, and remember why you started this.’” (03:46–03:54)

2. The Reality Check: Excitement vs. Practicality (04:13–05:32)

• Initial Reactions: Traci admits her reaction would be: “This sounds like a lot of work. Can I? Will I? Should I?” (04:13–04:24)
• Overwhelmed but Eager: Despite a planned move to the Netherlands and a two-year-old daughter, Kiley says, “I was too excited to be smart and ask those questions. … I thought, I’ll make it work. I’m never going to have this opportunity again.” (04:36–05:05)
• Admits Sacrifice:

  “Did it kick me in the head so hard and make me understand that I could not write my own stuff immediately? Yeah.” (05:19–05:23) She prioritized the move and Booker commitment over her own writing.

3. Explaining the Booker Prize (06:00–07:17)

• What Sets Booker Apart: It’s a fiction prize for all English-speaking books published in the UK and/or Ireland. Since opening to American authors a decade or two ago, submissions span global Anglophone literature.
• Full Immersion:

  “What I think is special about the Booker Prize is that all of the judges are reading all of the books.” (06:47–06:51)

• Comparison with Other Prizes: Reid highlights that, unlike some juries which split reading assignments, every Booker judge reads every single submission.

4. The Logistics of Reading 153 Books (08:54–10:46)

• Volume of Work:

  “That’s what we had. … 153 books.” (08:54–08:56)

• Reading Strategies:
  • “I would pick two books that were kind of the same size and I would, like, make them compete, basically.” (09:00–09:06)
  • Running “matchups” of one hour with each book, with breaks in between.
  • She learned to “walk and read at the same time” to keep moving and get through material. (09:17–09:27)
• On Skimming Books: While you can skim, Reid stresses: “There are books that are from really heavy hitters and even if you don’t like them, you want to come in with a strong argument. So you want to read every book.” (07:46–07:57)

Notable Moment

“Another thing I really had to do was learn how to walk and read at the same time. … I found this stretch of woods so I could just walk back and forth.” (09:17–09:27)

5. Neurofeedback for Focus (09:36–10:37)

• High-Tech Help: Kiley did neurofeedback training—often used by athletes or people recovering from brain injuries—to improve her focus and stamina for reading.
• How It Works:

  “They basically put electrodes to your brain and you watch screens … when your brain is moving in the way that it’s supposed to, the screen stays lit up. … So it’s training your brain to redo those pathways.” (09:51–10:18)

• Traci Jokes About Sponsorship:

  “I need a brand deal for Neuro, whatever the fuck. I will be your influencer of choice.” (10:38–10:41)

6. Prize Submission Structure & Panel Dynamics (07:57–08:49)

• Automatic Entries and Publisher Limits: Previously shortlisted authors’ new books are automatically submitted. Publishers choose a certain number of titles to put forward.
• Judge’s Power of Recommendation: Panelists can flag omitted titles for consideration, but it’s rare and the suggested book must really stand out.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Opportunity:

  “[Being a judge is] the biggest privilege to be put in a situation where you’re forced to read so much and kind of remember why you started.”—Kiley Reid (03:22–03:30)

• On Judging:

  “We’re all reading every single book and, and making each other change their minds and making people read.”—Kiley Reid (07:02–07:11)

• On Life Balance:

  “Did it kick me in the head so hard and make me understand that I could not write my own stuff immediately? Yeah. I mean, between my move and reading I just had to only do the move and the book. The Booker. That was all I had time for.” —Kiley Reid (05:18–05:32)

• On Strategy:

  “I would pick two books that were kind of the same size and I would, like, make them compete, basically. … I had to learn to walk and read at the same time. … I found this stretch of woods so I could just walk back and forth.”—Kiley Reid (09:03–09:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:54] — Kiley describes her surprise invitation and emotional reaction
• [04:36] — Accepting the offer despite personal upheaval
• [06:09] — Explanation of the Booker Prize's scope and uniqueness
• [07:57] — Details about how books get on the list and judge responsibilities
• [08:54] — The daunting task: “153 books”
• [09:00] — Head-to-head book reading strategy
• [09:36] — Neurofeedback as a focus tool
• [10:38] — Traci’s quip about becoming a neurofeedback influencer

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode is informal, honest, and often humorous—Traci and Kiley share real talk about high-pressure reading and literary prize logistics. There’s a real mutual enthusiasm for books and the behind-the-scenes world of judging, plus a willingness to spotlight both the nerdy pleasures and daunting challenges of the process.

Transcript

[A]

Hey everybody, it's me, Tracy Thomas, host of the Stacks. And I'm here with another bonus episode of the Stacks Unabridged. That is our podcast exclusively for members of the Stacks Pack on Patreon and subscribers to my newsletter on Substack called Unstacked. If you have ever wondered how a book prize is decided, today's episode is for you. I am joined by Kylie Reed who is one of five judges for this year's Booker Prize, which is a UK based literary prize which honors books from English speaking countries. This year's prize will be awarded on November 5th and the Booker list is down to a six book short list. Today, Kylie and I talk all about the nerdy process of getting 153 books down to one. I ask her about the logistics of fighting between the judges, how she's reading 153 books in about six months, and why the Booker Prize asks their judges to read each of the shortlisted books that three times. If you're listening to this episode and it cuts out after about 10 to 15 minutes, that means you are not a paid subscriber on Patreon or Substack. If you want to hear the whole episode, you should definitely do that. What do you get besides this episode? You get all of our bonus episodes. You get access to our virtual book club, to our Discord channel, to all of my hot takes on pop culture. Plus you get to know that by becoming a paid subscriber, you make it possible for me to make the Stacks and everything else I do from free to all. Head to patreon.com thestacks to join the Stacks pack and go to Tracy Thomas substack.com to subscribe to my newsletter. All right, now it is time for my conversation with Kylie Reed.

[B]

All right, everybody, I'm so excited for.

[A]

This episode of the Stacks Unabridged.

[B]

We are talking book prize, not just any book prize, we are talking Booker Prize with a Booker Prize judge from.

[A]

This year's prize, Kylie Reed.

[B]

Kylie, welcome back.

[C]

It's really great to be here. Thanks for having me.

[B]

I'm so excited when, when this started to fall into place, I was like, this is my dream. Because I love talking about book prizes.

[A]

I care deeply about them and I feel like nobody really understands how they work or what happens when you're a judge. I have had the pleasure slash horror.

[B]

Of being a judge, so I know all about it, but I want to hear about it from you.

[A]

So we're going to start here. Who called you? What happens?

[B]

How do you even get called up? Because this is big league prize shit.

[C]

So my friend Sarah Collins, who was a judge the year prior, she had said to me, hey, the president of the booker wants your email. They have like an opportunity for you. So I was convinced that it was like, they want me to write something. They want me to interview someone. I was like, that's great. And she pretty much spelled it out in the email back to me, but I was like, that cannot be correct. So I'll just talk to her in person and see what this is all about. And then they made the offer and I laid on the floor in my daughter's room. I was pulled over. I just. It is the biggest privilege to be put in a situation where you're forced to read so much and kind of remember why you started. It is such a gift to be forced to say, okay, how are people starting novels? How are people ending novels? How are people doing this right now? The thing I compare it to, it's like if you're like a ballerina or something and someone's like, I want you to take a barre class every day, all day, and like, remember why you started this. Yeah, it was. It was an amazing offer.

[A]

Have you seen the movie Center Stage?

[C]

Am I a lot? Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Well, you know what? Some people have not. It's giving Donna Murphy, like, go back to the bar.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Incredible.

[B]

I love that that was your reaction. Because my reaction, though, I'm not a writer, was, this sounds like a lot of work.

[A]

Can I.

[B]

Will I.

[A]

Should I. Did you have any feelings of like, can I actually handle this? Did you ask any follow up questions, like, I'm honored.

[B]

What does this literally mean for my life?

[C]

You know, I was too excited to be smart and ask those questions. Didn't. And here's the thing. They make the call in December of the year before. And at the time, I was in Michigan and my family had been planning a move to the Netherlands, where I am right now, for two years. And so I was planning a transcontinental move with a then 2 year old when this offer came in and I was like, I'm gonna work. It's fine. So, I mean, I was just so excited. I thought, I'll make it work. I'm never going to have this opportunity again. I want to have more children. I should do it now. Well, I'm not pregnant. This is going to be so great. But I mean, did it kick me in the head so hard and make me understand that I could not write my own stuff immediately? Yeah. I mean, between my move and reading I just had to only do the move and the book. The booker. That was all I had time for.

[A]

Were you already working on a writing project before you said yes?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So you basically like, I have to pop. Oh, you have a deal.

[B]

So your team was like, kylie, it's a no from us. And you were like, too bad, already got the advance. We'll deal with the later. Great. I love that.

[C]

I mean, my team is like huge booker fans too. So they were like, this is great. But I was like, I know, we'll deal with it later.

[B]

So that's you in 2020.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

See you in November.

[A]

Can you just tell us, for people who don't know broad strokes, what is the Booker Prize? What makes it the Booker Prize?

[C]

So the Booker Prize is a fiction book contest for all English speaking books that are published in either the UK and or Ireland. And so that means that you are getting books in from the United States, which is really contentious. We can get into that from Ireland, from Australia, from India. So all over it's English speaking fiction. So I do not know the year, but I think it was 10 or 20 years ago that American authors were allowed to participate, which some people think is great, some people think it is awful. But now I can say that what I think is special about the Booker Prize is that all of the judges are reading all of the books.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Like every single one. And, you know, authors and booksellers talk. So I do know a little bit about other prizes where it's like every panelist is given like 30 books and they're in charge of those 30 books. And then later it might become clear that, like, they didn't really read those 30 books. That is not happening here. We're all reading every single book and, and making each other change their minds and making people read.

[B]

Oh, I want to get into this. Let's pause because I have a lot of questions.

[A]

Of course, you're all reading every book. Every. You don't have to finish every book.

[C]

You can skim. And I think Roddy said it well. He was like, we want to focus on the books that are great. So for me personally, if I started reading a book and it was knocking me out like so good, I put it to the side so that I could read it properly later. I think to be a good reader and writer, you have to be able to skim a little bit. But there are books that are from really heavy hitters and even if you don't like them, you want to come in with a strong argument. So you want to read every book?

[A]

Yeah. Do you know, is there a limit of, like, how many books a publisher can submit? Like, do you know if there's any curation of the list that you get before you get it?

[C]

I know that if you have been shortlisted in the past, your next books are automatically entered. And I also know that publishers have a certain number of books that they can put forward.

[A]

So I know with some prizes the judges can say, this book wasn't submitted, but I think we should consider it. Do you all have any sway in that way?

[C]

There are colins that people can say, I cannot believe this wasn't here. This should be here. We. We should consider it. And so, I mean, a book has to really stand out if you want your fellow judges to read from the.

[B]

How many books?

[A]

It's 153 that you get submitted or you got submitted.

[C]

That's what we had. Y.

[B]

That's a lot of books.

[C]

It's a lot of books. I will tell you, there were two ways I got through it. And I want to hear. Yeah, one of them is a little strange. So one, the only way I got through it was putting two books against each other in one day. So I would pick two books that were kind of the same size and I would, like, make them compete, basically. So I would read an hour of one and then take a little break, go for a walk, and then read an hour of another one. Another thing I really had to do was learn how to walk and read at the same time. Cause, like, you need your steps. I had to make sure. So I found this, like, I was like, living kind of in a rural area and I found this stretch of wood so I could just walk back and forth. So. So also.

[B]

And you didn't get, like, motion sickness?

[C]

I got pretty good at it. I was okay, okay, that leads into this, which is strange, but it really helped. I was having some other health situations and I had started doing something called neurofeedback. Do you know what that is?

[A]

No.

[C]

Okay. So it's like football players do it. People who've had concussions or traumatic brain injuries do it. And they basically put, like, electrodes to your brain and you watch screens and either you're playing a game or a movie, and when your brain is moving in the way that it's supposed to, the screen stays lit up. But when your brain is moving in pathways that aren't healthy, the screen goes dark. So it's training your brain to, like, redo those pathways. So I was doing that and I told my engineer that I was doing this prize and she was like, we can help you focus. We can help you do that through neurofeedback. And it really helped.

[B]

I need this. I need this. Oh, my gosh. That's so cool.

[C]

It was very cool.

[B]

I need a brand deal for Neuro. Whatever the fuck. I will be your influencer of choice. That's incredible.

[A]

Do you know of any of your fellow judges, if they had other weird.

[B]

Things that they were doing, like, like.

[A]

The head to head or, like, do you guys talk about any of that? Like, strategies to get through it all? All right, that is the end of this bonus teaser. If you were liking what you were hearing, you can listen to the entire episode by going to either patreon.com the stacks and joining the stacks pack, getting access to the discord, being able to participate in our virtual book club and or you can go to tracythomas substack.com and subscribe to Unstacked, where you're going to get my writing about books, pop culture, you're going to get other exclusive author interviews and of course, these bonus episodes. So go to one of those two places, join us, get to hear the rest of this episode, and support the work that I do by being a part of, part of these wonderful communities. Thank you so much and I'll see you in the stacks.