She has written four novels: My Last Duchess or The American Heiress, The Fortune Hunter, Victoria, and “Diva”; all of which have been New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than ten languages.

[6] In a 2019 interview by Rachel Ward of The Daily Telegraph she said: "I grew up surrounded by creative people" - she would return home "to find Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman sat on the sofa having tea".

[9] Goodwin has also compiled multiple poetry anthologies, the first being The Nation's Favourite Love Poems in 1997,[10] and written a memoir entitled Silver River (2007).

[1][19] She appeared in the BBC television documentary Public School about Westminster directed by Jonathan Gili, and as part of the winning Trinity College, Cambridge, team on the Christmas University Challenge BBC2, 27 December 2011.

In June 2023 Goodwin told The Times that in 2013 Daniel Korski, then a special adviser to David Cameron, had assaulted her by putting his hand on her breast during a meeting at Downing Street.

Trustee of the Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival founded by the cellist Natalie Clein 2022 Joined the board of the Women's Prize for Playwriting in 2022.