You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy.

My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds.

The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that.

With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to

helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put

together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life,

check out BBC Sounds. Hello, once upon a time critics were giants, the likes of Gore Vidal,

F.R. Levis and more recently Eileen Battersby and Machiko Kakutani were feared and fawned over in equal measure,

and their pronouncements breathlessly awaited by authors and publishers alike.

After all, a thumbs up or down from one of the A-list could make or break a writing career.

Nowadays, though, it sometimes feels as if there are more critics than writers and even readers.

Everyone's at it.

Blogs, online reviews, podcasts, social media, Instagram.

Anyone who sees themselves as a discerning reader and fancies ago

can make their opinions public on myriad forums and to an ever-increasing constituency.

What impact is that having on how we buy, read, and digest books?

In this special program from the Edinburgh International Book Festival,

we're exploring the role of the professional critic today

and the enduring value of critical skills for all of us who love reading.

Joining me on the panel are the novelist and academic Sarah Moss, veteran critic Alan Taylor,

founding editor of the Scottish Review of Books, Sarah Dillon from Cambridge University,

an open book regular, novelist and critic Kate Welsh, and our third Sarah, Sarah Ozoirbor,

...