Kate Johnson has over 20 years experience in children’s publishing, giving her invaluable insight into what makes a best-selling children’s book.
After graduating with a first in illustration from Brighton University, Kate joined Advocate, one of the world’s leading illustration agencies. Now a senior sales agent at both Advocate Art and Collaborate Design Agency, Kate has worked on over 5,000 children’s books during her career, and worked with over 300 illustrators including Tom Percival, Sarah Horne, Simon Mendez, Nikki Dyson and Katie Abey. As well as curating and developing illustrator portfolios, Kate also uses her skills to work with major international publishers as an Art Buyer – assisting and directing on commercial style choices and helping publishers make their illustration selections.

Kate works with a diverse range of formats, from baby books to YA . She has also worked with notable brands and projects – including art directing adverts for Ariana Grande’s perfume, a Pringles’ World Cup promotion, and animation projects for clients such as Scholastic, Pearson, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, to name just a few!

By day you can find her on zoom sharing her insights and landing the next project, by night you will find her wrangling through an obstaclecourse of Lego bricks, Key stage 2 Literature, and education apps, before settling down to the next animated series on Disney+.