OR Enterprise Circle

Kate Nash (née Allan) (G’92)

Kate Nash Literary Agency Ltd

Iwas aware of the business world from an early age. I would go into the office with my Dad who was the marketing director of a supermarket chain, and play space invaders on the only computer while he chatted to his colleagues about whether they could steal a march on their rivals with a ‘1p off butter’ promotion. Meanwhile my mother ran her own business, a children’s publishing company. At the weekends we might go to see the ribbon being cut at a superstore or go to bookshops.

I wanted to go into marketing after University and became a graduate trainee in the UK’s leading shopping survey company and got to work with many famous brands. After a couple of years there I moved into the trade, marketing at a global drinks company Pernod Ricard, then I went back into market research and then into marketing and comms at a top shopping dot com.

I always knew I’d jump away from PAYE at some point. Having entrepreneurs in the family gives you the confidence or perhaps it’s in the genes. In 2006 I thought I’d go for it and I set up a PR and comms agency with an ex-journalist friend. We did quite well until the 2008 downturn and so I took another leap and set up truly on my own: as a literary agent.

Time to mention my love of writing! I’d had several novels published in my 20s and loved the glimpse into the business of books. I did some publicity work with publishers, book awards and festivals. I discovered what literary agents did. Agents had the best job. My own novels were too niche to be bestsellers but was there anything stopping me discovering tomorrow’s bestsellers?

I launched my literary agency in January 2009 and in February found out I was pregnant. I had to rework my original business plan.

I became full time in 2015 when my younger son started pre-school and it wasn’t until 2017 that I was earning a full time living. We now employ six members of staff and have a freelance reader.

The History degree does have its relevance. I’m lucky to count both Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling authors of historical fiction among my author clients.

In 2022 I was nominated for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards, publishing’s equivalent of the BAFTAs. There’s not too many awards going for agents but in 2018 I collected a Rising Star from The Bookseller and in 2019 Agent of the Year by Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Today’s agents don’t just sell a manuscript to a publisher and then sit back. We are super busy representing our authors’ work around the world and in every format possible, including television and film.

My mother reminds me that she always thought I should go into television and now I’m selling stories to television production companies. I guess I’ve not landed too far away.

The important thing is to do something you can really add your own talents into and you know you can enjoy. It’s too much hard work to build a business otherwise.

Kate Nash is founder and director of Kate Nash Literary Agency Ltd.

www.katenashlit.co.uk www.twitter.com/katenashagent