Finding Your Path in Publishing with Literary Agent Kate Barker

In this episode of The Write and Wrong Podcast, host Jamie is joined by Kate Barker, an independent literary agent with decades of experience across the publishing industry. Kate shares her journey from starting as a junior assistant to working as an Editorial Director at Penguin, and eventually founding her own boutique literary agency. She also provides insight into the genres she represents, the evolving digital landscape, and why the classic "apprenticeship" model of publishing is still so relevant today.   

Key Takeaways:

• Kate’s publishing journey began with a marketing assistant role at the Folio Society, which gave her an invaluable, early education in data-driven direct mail marketing.   

• Before founding her own agency in 2016, Kate spent a decade at Penguin (ultimately becoming an Editorial Director at Viking) and worked part-time at Bookouture, witnessing the rise of digital-first publishing.   

• She represents adult fiction and non-fiction, completely avoiding children's literature, science fiction, and fantasy.   

• Her fiction list focuses on thrillers, psychological suspense, and police procedurals, though she is also on the hunt for accessible literary fiction and unique rom-coms.   

• Her non-fiction list—which makes up about 60% of her clients—features serious, well-researched topics, including a forthcoming history of sex work written by Frankie Myron.

  
  

A Data-Driven Start at the Folio Society

Kate’s career in publishing spans several decades and multiple facets of the industry. As a bookish child, she landed a work experience gig at Jonathan Cape, where she was thrilled to read The Virgin Suicides while it was still on submission.   

After graduating university, she secured her first official job as a marketing assistant at the Folio Society. While she only stayed for a year or two—eager to work with "real live authors rather than dead ones"—she credits the role with giving her a crucial early understanding of data-driven direct mail marketing. She noted that this data-centric approach was far ahead of its time, as traditional publishing wouldn't adopt similar digital tools and data tracking for another two decades.

Navigating the Publishing Ladder

From the Folio Society, Kate moved into her first agenting role as a junior assistant at Curtis Brown. She left to travel for a bit and found it incredibly difficult to re-enter the industry upon her return, noting that she was in the tricky position of being an overqualified assistant but not experienced enough for a senior role.   

Eventually, an introduction led her to a year-long stint working for Susan Lamb, a formidable paperback publisher at Orion. This experience paved the way for her to join Penguin as an editorial assistant at Viking, where she spent a decade slowly climbing the ranks to become an Editorial Director.

Founding a Boutique Literary Agency

After taking time off to raise her children, Kate worked outside the industry doing content marketing and freelance work. She briefly attempted to set up a literary agency for a speakers' bureau, but left after nine months due to a clash in "Brexity" culture and attitudes toward publishing.   

Realizing she now possessed both the technical knowledge to run an agency and the editorial experience from her time at Penguin, Kate decided to launch her own boutique literary agency in 2016. Simultaneously, she worked part-time at Bookouture during its early indie days. She described the Bookouture team as visionaries who had successfully cracked the code of digital publishing, providing her with invaluable, inspiring experience just as she was launching her own business.

What Kate is Looking For in the Query Trenches

Kate represents a roughly 60/40 split between non-fiction and fiction. Her non-fiction list features authors like Gina Rippon (author of The Gendered Brain) and Frankie Myron, whose upcoming book Halls of Babylon provides a scrupulously researched history of sex work through the ages.   

On the fiction side, Kate completely avoids children's literature, sci-fi, and fantasy (including romantasy). Instead, she is actively hunting for gripping thrillers, psychological suspense, and police procedurals. She also represents rom-coms—such as the work of author C.L. Thomas—but notes they are difficult to sell right now without a highly distinctive angle. Finally, she is searching for accessible literary fiction and reading group fiction (citing In Memoriam by Alice Winn as a recent favorite) that does something clever with narrative structure while maintaining a strong emotional heart.

A Creepy Christmas at the Cabin

When asked what book she would take if snowed in at a cosy woodland cabin, Kate initially pleaded to bring multiple books. She mentioned she'd love to explore classics she hasn't read, like Anna Karenina or more from the Brontë sisters.   

However, she ultimately settled on the fact that she loves reading scary books when it's dark and cold outside. She fondly recalled being terrified by Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects during a Christmas holiday, and suggested she might take Flynn's unread novel, a gothic historical like The Woman in White, or Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions.