Editor
Rights director at Greene & HeatonKate Rizzo
Kate Rizzo works as a Rights Director at a London literary agency, and has worked at agencies her entire publishing career. Her role in selling an author’s work abroad gives her a keen eye for what a manuscript needs to find a publishing home and captivate readers.
She has sold translation rights for writers like Laura Barnett, Lucy Clarke, Kate Davies, Joseph Knox, Maria Realf, Holly Seddon, Clare Swatman, and Sarah Waters, and has worked for a number of bestselling writers in genres as broad as crime/thriller, women’s fiction, literary, memoir, narrative non-fiction and the sciences.
Find Kate on X here: @KateRizzz
If you’d like to work with Kate, get in touch with our Writer Support team; tell us about your book and what you’d like support with, and we’ll help you identify your next steps.
Solid advice and thoughtful ideas
- Sam C.
Spot on and incredibly helpful
- Katherine B.
Extremely insightful
- Ron R.
Very helpful
- Peter R
A light at the end of a long dark road
- Sagheer A
I can write on with confidence
- Jennifer A
Very helpful
- Adrienne T
Represents Michelle at Greene & Heaton
Published by Little Brown UK
Michelle Jungmin Bang is represented by Kate and Sun & Ssukgat was published by Harper Design NA, Piatkus / Little Brown UK, Luebbe Germany, and Grupo Planeta Spain.
Represents Lily at Greene & Heaton
Two book deal with Canelo
Lily Easton is represented by Kate. Summer of Love was published by Canelo in a two book deal.
Represents H. J. Garbett at Greene & Heaton
Published by Storm Publishing
H. J. Garbett is represented by Kate. My Wife, The Serial Killer was published by Storm Publishing.
Represents Meg at Greene & Heaton
Published by Palgrave, Macmillan
Meg is represented by Kate and has published widely on the complex relations between traumatic experience and storytelling in many forms, and using that research to support the health and well-being of marginalised people. Most recently, The Art and Science of Trauma and the Autobiographical: Negotiated Truths was published by Palgrave, Macmillan.
Represents Aaron at Greene & Heaton
Published by Shearsman Books
Kate represents Aaron, whose poetical collection Angels the Size of House was published by Shearsman Books.
Represents Laurence at Greene & Heaton
New York Times bestseller and adapted for FX's Feud: Capote vs the Swans
Kate represents New York Times bestselling author Laurence Leamer, who is a leading biographer of the rich and scandalous, including Capote’s Women, Madness Under the Royal Palms and The Kennedy Women, among many other books. Capote’s Women was adapted for TV in FX’s Feud: Capote vs the Swans.
Represents Sara-Ella at Greene & Heaton
Published by Simon & Schuster
Kate represents Sara-Ella, who is a screenwriter and novelist. With Working Title in co-production with Likely Story, she is developing her debut novel THE HIGH MOMENTS (published Simon & Schuster in 2020) as a TV series. Sara-Ella’s second novel, NOTHING I WOULDN’T DO (published by Simon & Schuster in 2021) is in development for TV at Five Acts under ITV Studios with Sara-Ella adapting.
Represents Olivia at Greene & Heaton
Bestselling author
Kate represents Olivia Spring, who is the bestselling author of more than nineteen romantic comedy, romance and women’s fiction books. She is a bestselling self-published author of contemporary women’s fiction and romantic comedies and now writes spicy romance for Boldwood. Her latest is Anyone But You with another 3 already scheduled for 2026.
Kate's specialties
Why we love Kate
Kate’s experience as an agent has given her a strong sense of a manuscript’s commercial viability. Her reports are incisive and detailed, using her knowledge of the market to inform authors of their positioning and how it could be improved.
What Kate says about editing
I’ve always loved being on the agency side of the business because of the opportunity it provides to be involved in all facets of an author’s career beginning with their initial idea for a manuscript, helping them to best formulate and craft that idea into a full-length work, and onwards through publication. I see my role in the editorial process as helping the writer to best realize their own vision of a work, and that may require detailed editing and structural changes, but it often starts with asking the right questions. I’m passionate about interrogating a work alongside a writer to tease out the various narrative threads, explore character arcs, plotting and reveals, and to help keep in mind what a reader should be experiencing and when.
My experience in publishing is often focused on “Is there a readership for this?” and “Will it sell?” and while that’s invaluable in many ways, it all relies on story and good storytelling. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time working on commercial women’s fiction of all kinds – rom-coms, feel good, moving stories, and novels with characters you love and don’t want to leave whether that’s literary or commercial, historical fiction, crime/thrillers, memoir, and narrative non-fiction particularly reportage and history. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I’m always excited to begin a new manuscript and see where a writer wants to take me.
What Kate works on
By purchasing any of these products, you'll have the opportunity to express your interest in working with Kate.
Manuscript Assessment
Agent Submission Pack assessment
Post-editorial guidance
Line-editing
