DR WILL SMITH

Dr Will Smith lives in the Lake District where he co-owns Sam Read Bookseller. He has spent over two decades in the book trade, including previous roles at Ottakar’s and Blackwell’s. Each month, he writes the paperback preview for The Bookseller, book reviews for Cumbria Life magazine and appears on BBC Radio Cumbria. He has previously judged the Costa Book Awards, the Books Are My Bag Indie Book Awards and the Nature Chronicles prize. He has a PhD in Canadian Literature and has published academic research on literary prizes.