Rebecca Slater
Rebecca (she/they) has over 12 years’ experience in the books and publishing industry across Australia and the UK. Through her roles at organisations such as Allen & Unwin, Left Bank Literary and the Stella Prize, she has worked with many of Australia’s leading authors.
Rebecca is an experienced rights-seller, with international scouting experience in the UK, and holds a Masters in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Oxford.
In 2021, she co-founded the Open Book: Australian Publishing Internship, which seeks to foster cultural diversity in the publishing industry. She also works with Australia Reads building recreational reading rates in Australia, and was recently selected as one of Creative Australia’s Creative Leaders for the literature sector.
She is an active member of the emerging writers community, and has volunteered with the National Young Writers Festival, Sydney Story Factory and Overland Literary Journal, among others.
Rebecca is passionate about championing work by women and non-binary writers, First Nations storytellers and the LGBTQI+ community.
She lives and works in Naarm on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Peoples of the Kulin Nation.
Books I love…
I’m drawn to weird, spooky, feminist and dystopian fiction in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado, Han Kang and Shirley Jackson, alongside gorgeously written and deeply atmospheric works from authors like Claire Keegan, Anne Enright and Donna Tartt.
I love queer, quirky and offbeat novels – books and characters that celebrate difference, and engage with the present moment in all its complexity and absurdity.
I am excited and awed by the work First Nations storytellers like Evelyn Araluen, John Morrissey and S.J. Norman and am interested in writing that engages with the rich and contested histories and landscapes of Australia.
In non-fiction, I’m interested in writing that looks at the natural environment in all its glorious and endangered forms; explores ideas of sex and gender; or grapples with complex political subjects and experiences.
Above all, though, I want a good story! Whether it’s a superbly plotted crime novel, a heart-warming rom-com or a deeply researched non-fiction work – I’m looking for writing that entertains, inspires, and connects with readers in meaningful ways.