Wise Women, Writing
Rebeca Books publishes business and romance
written by and featuring women 40 and over.
We are a traditional, royalty-paying publishing house that elevates diverse voices of mature women and seeks to institute fair and just compensation for writers by providing them with - in addition to their generous royalties - a seat at the profit table.
Our writers pay for no portion of their book's publishing, promotion, or distribution journey.
Rebeca Books is distributed to the trade by APG Sales and Distribution.
We Believe in Women
This tendency in the U.S. to ignore women in both professional and personal life just as we enter our time of wisdom and maturity harms everyone.
In our professional life...
We see a world robbed of the powerful voices that accomplished businesswomen bring to elevate, heal, inspire, and lead. Over 12 million small businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, and they employ more than 10 million people. We need access to the collective wisdom borne of charting our own courses in a nation whose workplace only opened to us a generation(ish) ago.
In our personal life...
We see bookshelves overflowing with heroines who are finding themselves and their first loves, but only a scant few telling the tales of romance that happen later in life. You know the ones - they include previous relationships, existing children, women already strong in their careers, changed experiences in the bedroom, and a relationship dynamic impacted by the maturity gained in those years.
We see a lack.
So, like any good woman, we're fixing it.
We Believe in Writers
Writers are the backbone of cultural communication and change. With our words, we state what was, reveal what is, and inspire toward what can be. Women are keen observers and participants in all of these phases - especially women who have been on this planet for a hot minute.
We elevate the voices of those mature women and we don't mean "mature" as a euphemism for old. A woman can be 70 and immature (mm hmm, you probably just thought of one!). Here, we come alongside women who possess a wisdom that can help, heal, inspire, grow, educate, and lead the rest of us. We give those words the power of platform, quality packaging, and extensive distribution.
Because wise women writers are what this world needs.
What We're Looking for in Romance
Written by a woman who is at least 40 years of age who reads and loves romance books in addition to her own and isn't satisfied until the HEA.
Shares the stories of heroines who are at least 40 years old - and all the life elements that brings, which are typically absent in the stories of younger heroines (blended families, changing bodies, different career phase, evolved maturity/wisdom, etc.).
Clearly falls into one of our three spice categories, which helps readers choose stories that meet with their comfort level. The categories are:
One chili pepper indicates that the characters do not go beyond kissing.
Two chili peppers indicates that the characters go beyond kissing, but no sex scenes are included.
The fire pepper indicates that the story includes at least one sex scene.
What We're Looking for in Business Books
Written by a woman who is at least 40 years of age whose walk and talk are tried and true.
Shares unique insights that enable readers to learn and adopt excellent business practices, behaviors, philosophies, and policies.
Incorporates the internal journey as much as the external. These books aren't a mere recitation of events. They bring readers into the heart, mind, and soul of the businesswoman.
How to Submit
We accept submissions from both authors and agents. To submit your work for acquisition, please email us a book proposal containing five sections:
1. Book Summary
(1 page or less)
2. Author Bio
(1 page or less, you're welcome to include a photo)
3. Similar Works
(name 3-5 other books/authors that are like yours/you, and tell us how yours/you are different)
4. Reach Analysis
(give us an overview of your relationships and presence in the world, which enables us to see how we can alert others to your book's launch)
5. Sample Writing
(1-3 chapters of the work you're pitching)
Submissions that do not contain these five elements will not be considered. (Sorry! We love ya, but we really need you to follow directions for this relationship to start off on the right foot.)
Please use the subject line:
For Acquisition Consideration - WRITER LAST NAME
Email address:
submissions - at - rebecabooks - dot - com
The "Why" Behind Our Name
It Started with a Google Search...
Search "words for wise, older, beautiful woman" and you'll get results like "hag, nag, harlot, and shrew." Seriously. Our founder did it.
Rebeca Seitz thought there must be something wrong with her Googling skills, so she went to her TikTok community (she's @1CProductions) and asked, "What one word would you use to describe a wise, older, beautiful woman?"
Responses included "auntie, queen, matriarch, mystic, crone, dame, stately, grandma, mum, matron" and - her favorite - "golden girl."
It seemed the language we use has a dearth of words for older women outside of their role in relation to others (wife, mom, grandma). It was as if the only way an older woman had enough value to be named was in relation to how she served everyone else. Words outside those relationships came with negative connotations about her appearance, behavior, or ability to contribute.
This led Rebeca to research how other companies communicate "wise, older, beautiful woman." Her efforts yielded several goddess names or folkloric results. Athena. Minerva. Sibyl. Oshun. Asherah. Sophia.
Then she reviewed the names of leading publishing houses. Simon & Schuster. Putnam. Macmillan. HarperCollins. Hachette. Disney.
They're all the last names of the men who founded them.
As she bemoaned the situation to her family, her 18-year-old son piped up with, "Why don't you just name it after you? The men do."
But this ran her right back into the problems stemming from a male-dominated language, society, and culture. (Which isn't to say men aren't great. Many are!) Unlike Simon, Schuster, Putnam, and the rest, a woman's last name isn't hers for life. She has one when she's born (often her father's, not her mother's) and then, more often than not, assumes the last name of her husband when she marries. This means neither of her last names ever fully feels like "her."
But then an idea sparked. "What about..." She hesitated. It felt bold. Easily interpreted wrongly. A little scary. "What about...Rebeca Books? That's who I am. But wait," she rushed to say, "that's going to be seen as arrogant, isn't it?"
Her son smiled. "Do you think Mr. Simon or Mr. Schuster was arrogant?"
And, with that, Rebeca Books was born.
Listen to the story of Rebeca Books as it unfolds!
"Raising Rebeca Books, the birth of a publishing house" is available on all major podcast platforms.
Rebeca Books is the publishing division of The 1C Story Network.