I’m Katherine… and this is my story.
Reader
From a very young age, reading has always been my most favourite thing. As far back as I can remember, my nose has been firmly wedged between the pages of a book.
Stories gave me permission to dream, to question, to wonder and to seek.
Books provided me with a powerful escape from the constraints of reality; reading made anything possible.
Bookseller
From the day I was of the legal working age, I started knocking on the doors of our local bookstores begging for a job. It took until I was 19 to finally work at Dymocks. And then, it took until my final semester at university for someone to say, “you can make a career of books, you know.” Up until this moment, I had been repeatedly told that books were ‘just a hobby’.
I have been lucky to work as a bookseller abroad, too. Friends, there are booklovers everywhere!
Publishing
I finished my degree, travelled, and returned to Australia spending 9 long months trying to get my foot in the proverbial publishing front door. There was so much competition; the Australian industry is notably smaller than our international counterparts.
Penguin Random House finally said yes.
(After three separate interviews, the person in HR said something along the lines of ‘please give the girl a damn job’!).
From the moment I walked through those doors, I was home.
I started in an entry level position that gave me the most incredible perspective on how a publishing company works. My role touched every department in the business; the larger a business gets, the more siloed departments become. I was so fortunate to start where I did because I gained knowledge of the parts, and the whole. It was an incredible foundation upon which to grow a thriving career in publishing.
However, the more I was awakening to the needs for diversity, equity, and inclusion, the more I realised that ‘the way it has always been done’ was no longer acceptable.
I couldn’t un-hear ‘no one want to read queer stories’ (with queer people sitting in the room).
I couldn’t un-see the stark Whiteness at every table.
I couldn’t ignore this growing awareness inside of me that the industry I adore so much was not all good.
After a brief stint away from publishing, I wanted to do things differently.
And Debut Books was born.
From mid-2020 to the end of 2021, I published 6 books with humans whose knowledge and lived experience challenge the status quo. They stare down the dominant narratives of this world and say, ‘I deserve to be here.’
Friends, publishing The Mini Collection changed me. And I know they have made a difference in reader’s lives too. For good.
Literary Agent.
2023 was a year of upheaval and great change. It was uncomfortable and challenging and yet by the end of the year, I had the most clarity about my future and the future of Debut Books than ever before.
The highlight of 2023 was working with my 1:1 clients. I am constantly inspired and awed by their passion, their willingness to learn and grow, and their sheer determination to make their writing and publishing dreams come true.
To be a part of their journey… well, it is truly the greatest privilege and joy.
So great, in fact, that it sparked the transition from Debut Books being a publisher to a literary agency in 2024.
It was a part of my 10-year plan but friends, it must happen now. Moving forward, I will be supporting emerging writers from story concept through to publication and beyond.