Though Sarah Jessica Parker might seem an unexpected choice to judge the UK's most prestigious literary award, her recent foray into the publishing world has earned her a credible place on the 2025 Booker Prize panel. 

The "Sex and the City" star, known globally for her acting career, has also made significant strides in the literary industry. In 2016, she took on the role of editorial director at SJP for Hogarth, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Last year, she launched her own imprint, SJP Lit, in collaboration with the independent publisher Zando. Beyond this, she regularly shares her literary recommendations with millions of followers on Instagram, cementing her position as a notable figure in the book community.

Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, welcomed Parker to the judging panel, stating that she had "enjoyed sharing book recommendations with Sarah Jessica, who has passionately supported contemporary fiction for many years." Parker now joins the ranks of other actors who have sat on the Booker panel, including Adjoa Andoh and Robert Webb. Webb, reflecting on the arduous reading task required of judges, once remarked that reading more than 150 books in seven months is "impossible."

Parker, however, is up for the challenge. Speaking to The New York Times, she said the appointment couldn't have come at a better time, as she's not currently filming. "I will carve out every moment I can," she said, adding that she is "pretty optimistic" about handling the sheer volume of reading.

Nevertheless, she admitted the request to join the panel was initially intimidating. "It felt very daunting," Parker confessed. "I think of judges as academics, learned, experienced in ways I'm just not. I didn't pursue higher education. I don't have any degrees." This sense of being an outsider has lingered since she first entered the publishing world, where she often felt like an "interloper," constantly proving herself.

The 2025 judging panel will be chaired by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, a Booker Prize veteran who won in 1993 for his novel "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha". Joining Doyle and Parker are two authors with past Booker recognition: Nigerian writer Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, whose novel "A Spell of Good Things" was longlisted in 2023, and Kiley Reid, whose debut "Such a Fun Age" was longlisted in 2020. Rounding out the panel is critic and writer Chris Power, a regular contributor to The Guardian.

Gaby Wood praised Doyle's leadership, noting that the former Booker winner "has already brought generosity, wit, and calm to the process," and expressed confidence in his ability to guide the "stellar" group of judges. She also highlighted the diverse perspectives brought by Adébáyọ̀ and Reid, both "past longlistees and very different writers," describing them as ideally suited to help identify the next wave of literary talent. Power's "acuity and taste" were also singled out for admiration.

For his part, Doyle expressed excitement about the upcoming task, saying he is eager "to have licence to do little else but read the year's best novels, to find the familiar in the unfamiliar, to examine the remarkable, unique things that great writers can do" with the English language. Although he's never been in a book club before, he mused that "I think I'm probably joining a good one."

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The 2025 Booker Prize is now open for submissions from publishers. Eligible works must be long-form fiction, written in English by authors of any nationality, and published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. A longlist of 12 or 13 titles, dubbed the "Booker dozen," will be announced in July, followed by a shortlist in September. The winner, who will receive £50,000, will be revealed in November.