Born in England, Sarah Kate Hill’s dream was always to work with books, including writing her own. But somehow, she ended up in a career that wasn’t what she wanted. So, Sarah Kate returned to her dream and worked her way up: she edited translated manga as a hobby, worked in a British trade book publisher, moved to Japan where she worked as an English Content Specialist, then went freelance for writing and proofreading. Sarah Kate now works with Ocean Reeve Book Publishing in Australia, where she gets to live her dream of making books.

Sarah, tell us a little bit about you and what made you want to work in book publishing?

I was raised in a family that loved reading and decided at a young age that I wanted to write and make books. Then, I discovered that I was excited when other people told me of their writing, and the dream also became to help them achieve their book goals.

You spend a lot of time assisting others with their books and writing, do you love to write your own books and do you have a genre you prefer?

Absolutely! When I leave the publishing office, I switch on my author mode (as a writer, I’m Serren Kassa) and work towards my own writing dreams. I’m a fantasy writer for all ages: kids, young adults, and adults. I have a children’s picture book in the publishing process at the moment, which is awesome, and the first book in my adult fantasy novel series is nearly ready to go into appraisal.

You’ve travelled the world throughout your career, how did these opportunities come about?

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in a dojo for Okinawan karate. It gave me the dream to live and work in Japan. After a visit to family in Canada, I realised I was ready to leave England. So, I started with Japan, knowing I could join my family in Canada any time. I just left, planning to find a job when I got there. In Japan, I met my (now) partner—who is Japanese but lives and works in Australia. After a while of long-distance, we decided I’d join him in Australia.

Who are some of the most memorable people you’ve worked with on their books over the years and why?

In the UK trade publisher, there was a really memorable and impactful book I worked on about a man who wrote about his escape of the Rwandan genocide in the 1993 civil war, and his journey to find his family and regain his life. Now, at ORP, I get to work with so many incredible authors, including a South African anti-poaching park ranger, and a woman who never ceases to amaze me in her incredible determination in life. It’s such an eye-opening and humbling position to work in.

And what’s next on the agenda for Sarah Kate Hill?

More books! Of course, my own publishing journey is massive for me—living the childhood dream. And there are some exciting things happening in Ocean Reeve Publishing that I’m really looking forward to. So much is happening, and my goals list can barely keep up—I keep having to add more.

Favourite movie?

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

What do you do in your spare time?

Reading and writing (of course!), food gardening, walks in nature and national parks, spending lots of time with my partner, Gloomhaven with partner and our friends.

Who do you look up to and admire?

Elon Musk and his drive to push the boundaries of absolutely everyone and everything (and how half of it was inspired from his love of sci-fi books).

To find out more about Sarah Kate Hill head to:

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkatehill/

Website
https://www.oceanreevepublishing.com/publishing-team-gold-coast-brisbane/