Deborah Callaghan grew up in Sydney where she attended Cheltenham Girls and Carlingford High schools. After travelling in Europe, Callaghan studied for a Bachelor of Arts while working in various libraries. She then turned to freelance writing and jobs in the publishing industry.
With Larry Writer and Ian Heads she established Ironbark Press (later sold to Pan Macmillan). She also worked at Reed Books (with Jennifer Byrne) and Random House Australia before spending fifteen years as a literary agent.
Source: 'The Secrets of a Literary Agent' by Helen Pitt, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 2024, p.24.
