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 including Charlotte Wood, Christos Tsiolkas, Michelle de Kretser, Evelyn Araluen, Evie Wyld and Sarah Holland-Batt.
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…
In terms of fiction, I’m drawn to weird, spooky, feminist and dystopian fiction in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado, Daisy Johnson, Han Kang, Shirley Jackson and Evie Wyld.
I love deeply atmospheric and gorgeously written books like The Secret History and Small Things Like These, and work that blurs the line between the mythic and the real.
I’m eager to champion work by authors who shine a light on queer experiences and perspectives; books that celebrate difference, and challenge us to see the world in new and hopeful ways.
I’m excited and awed by the work of Australia’s First Nations writers and want to see more Indigenous storytellers empowered to tell their stories with dignity and strength.
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 considered non-fiction work – I’m looking for writing that entertains, inspires, and connects with readers in meaningful ways.