Redbud Writers Guild

What Redbud Writers Guild does

Redbud Writers Guild is a U.S.-based nonprofit community of women writers of faith founded in 2010, operating under the legal designation "Redbud Writers Guild NFP." The guild serves its members — women authors across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, devotionals, journalism, children's literature, and Bible studies — through a membership program, a Women of Color (WOC) Mentorship Program, a public Member Directory, a member Bookstore showcasing published works, and a calendar of Writing Webinars for professional development. Its core editorial surface, "The Redbud Hyphen," launched on Substack in February 2024 to distribute essays and cultural commentary by guild members, while the main site remains on WordPress.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally light: WordPress for the primary website, Substack for the editorial newsletter, and standard social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram) for community engagement. The guild is not a technology company and has no proprietary software, mobile applications, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; its "product" is the relational and reputational infrastructure that connects members to mentorship, publishing opportunities, and peer support. Distribution of member-authored books is handled via third-party channels including Amazon, Penguin Random House, and bookshop.org.

The guild's business model is consistent with a member-supported nonprofit: revenue (amount undisclosed) is generated through donations via a prominent "Donate Here" page and any membership fees, with no publicly disclosed pricing structure, advertising, e-commerce markup, or commercial monetization of its content corpus. Governance rests with a Board of Directors under Guild President Dorina Lazo-Gilmore Young, with Margaret Philbrick identified as a founding member. The guild sustains itself on community engagement, member referrals, and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition or institutional investment.

Name

Redbud Writers Guild

Legal name

Redbud Writers Guild

Website

https://redbudwritersguild.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Redbud Writers Guild is a U.S. nonprofit community founded in 2010 that supports women writers of faith through membership, mentorship, webinars, a member directory, and the Substack publication The Redbud Hyphen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-based Writers Community & Publishing

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Book Publishers (513130), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL)

Keywords

• Writers community
• Faith-based writing
• Writing mentorship
• Member publishing
• Writing webinars

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Redbud Writers Guild is a nonprofit community that supports women writers of faith through a paid/approved membership program, a Women of Color Mentorship program, a member directory, writing webinars, and a Substack-based publication (The Redbud Hyphen). It also curates and distributes a bookstore of member-published books across fiction, nonfiction, children's, devotionals, and Bible studies, while accepting donations to sustain operations.

Product overview

Redbud Writers Guild is a community platform for women writers of faith, offering a membership program with access to a WOC Mentorship Program, a Member Directory, a Bookstore featuring member-published books across genres (fiction, nonfiction, children's, Bible studies, young adult), Writing Webinars for professional development, and the Redbud Hyphen Substack publication for essays and cultural commentary. The guild also publishes anthologies like Everbloom and features member books including House of Honor and A Minor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Redbud Hyphen: A Substack publication platform launched in 2024 as the guild transitioned from its traditional website-based content delivery to a newsletter-format platform. The rebrand maintains connection to the original guild while expanding reach through Substack.

Products and services

• Membership Program A community membership program for women writers of faith that provides support, networking, collaborative opportunities, and access to mentorship.
• WOC Mentorship Program A mentorship program specifically designed for Women of Color writers, offering guidance and support in their writing journey.
• Member Directory A searchable directory of guild members allowing users to find and connect with women writers of faith.
• Guild Bookstore A collection of books published by guild members across fiction, nonfiction, children's books, Bible studies, devotionals, and young adult literature.
• Writing Webinars Online training sessions and webinars for writers covering topics such as marketing strategies, podcasting, and writing skills development.
• Redbud Hyphen (Substack Publication) The guild's article and essay publication platform, delivered through Substack under the name The Redbud Hyphen, for essays and cultural commentary by members.
• Everbloom (Anthology) A collection of essays and poetry for women published by the Redbud Writers Guild NFP, edited by Margaret Philbrick.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members have published over 150 books across various genres
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Bookshop.org: Online bookstore platform that supports independent bookstores and distributes titles from authors and small publishers. Comparable as a commercial distribution channel used by Redbud members to reach book-buying audiences.
• Substack: Subscription newsletter platform hosting 'The Redbud Hyphen.' Comparable as the chosen distribution platform for the Guild's 2024 content strategy and a key ecosystem dependency for audience reach and potential monetization.

Direct peers

• Hope Writers: A faith-based online writing community and membership program for Christian writers seeking craft development and publishing pathways. Directly comparable in target audience (faith writers), community model, and mentorship/membership structure.
• She Writes: One of the largest online communities for women writers, offering networking, resources, and publication opportunities. Comparable as a community/membership platform targeting women writers, though broader (not faith-specific) than Redbud.
• The Writing Barn: A writing community and workshop provider offering classes, retreats, and mentorship for writers. Comparable in delivering writing workshops, mentorship, and community programming as core offerings.
• American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW): Long-standing membership organization for Christian fiction and nonfiction writers offering critique groups, conferences, and publishing resources. Comparable in faith-writer focus, community support model, and career-development offerings.
• The High Calling: Faith-based online publication and community exploring work, faith, and culture. Comparable in combining faith content with writing-focused community and in distributing original essays from a defined faith/writer community.

Broad incumbents

• She Writes Press: Hybrid publishing imprint focused on women authors, offering editorial and production services. Comparable as a publishing channel serving women writers, including Redbud members who pursue traditional or hybrid publishing.
• Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA): Trade association representing Christian publishers and authors, administering the ECPA Book Awards. Comparable as the umbrella industry body in the Christian publishing space where Redbud member books compete (e.g., 2025 ECPA Finalist).

Emerging players

• Tara Swartz / Story Warren: Faith-rooted community supporting parents and creators around children's literature and storytelling. Partial overlap with Redbud's children's book publishing (e.g., 'Mamie Takes a Stand') and faith-writer audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redbudwriters
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/redbudwriters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redbud-writers-guild

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Redbud Writers Guild