Kathy Silverman bio

Kathleen Myra Silverman was born June 7, 1978, to Myron and Sylvia Silverman. Myron, a tailor, taught his only daughter to pay close attention to details. She had a natural eye for the line of clothing and the flow of fabric. Myron hoped she would follow in his footsteps and someday take over the family business, but Kathy had other ideas.

A highly social individual, Kathy excelled at negotiating from a young age. Throughout her school years, she brokered deals between fellow students to swap lunch items, help with homework, and even type term papers.

She was an exceptional student, always scoring highly on her exams and making good grades. She considered going into law, but a summer job changed her whole direction.

Between her junior and senior years in high school, she got a job as a "gofer" in a small publishing house owned by Saul Abrams, a friend of her father's. Within two weeks, she had updated the filing system, mediated a long-term feud between the chief editor and copy editor, and organized the whole place, from author submissions to coffee cups.

Saul was so impressed that he offered her the opportunity to read a few manuscripts and share her thoughts. True to his hunch, Kathy's observations were sharp, concise, and right on the money. Saul assured her she had a future in the publishing business. After graduating from high school, she opted to skip college, even though she had scholarship offers from several schools, and instead went back to work for Saul.

She worked for Saul Abrams for five years, learning all the ins and outs of the publishing business. When Saul decided to sell his publishing company to Little, Brown and Company, Kathy helped him negotiate a deal that set him up for life. Little, Brown took her on as a senior fiction editor, where she developed bestsellers for ten years.

When it became clear the publishing world was changing, Kathy decided to try something new. She had come to know writers and, more importantly, understand what made them tick. Her favorite part of her job was working with them, helping them to carve out their own brilliance and making it shine.

At the Scott Meredith Agency, she started as an apprentice agent with a considerable pay cut. Within 18 months, she had become a full-fledged agent. She stayed with Scott Meredith until, after negotiating a multi-million dollar deal for one of their first-time authors, she knew she had what it took to have her own business.

She opened the Silverman Agency and has been a formidable force for authors ever since. She discovered Zoe Chase and stands to make a lot of money from the pending deal for Zoe's first novel.

Kathy has never married and has two cats, Pookie and Snookums. She is involved with the 35th Street Mission and usually spends holidays in the serving line, feeding the unhoused and displaced.