In April 2022, I was contacted by an author who reported being basically ghosted by Catstone Books after submitting a revised manuscript at Catstone's request. Over the course of seven months--and after what the writer described as considerable enthusiasm from the editor--the author received no response at all, either to the re-submission or to polite nudges from their agent.
I hadn't heard of Catstone before. so I took a look at its website (which no longer exists: that link is to an archived version). A nonprofit publisher registered in Georgia in February 2021 with a three-person Board of Directors, it boasted an ambitious slate of socially conscious programs in keeping with its mission of highlighting the voices of marginalized authors of speculative fiction, including a fellowship to help a writer from a marginalized community complete a project, a school donation program, and WinkBC, a book club supporting blind and visually impaired readers. It also sold memberships that offered various member-only perks, including reviews, short fiction, and giveaways, and had a literary magazine called Pharos.
There was something missing, though: books. Although Catstone had been in business for more than a year, and had announced two projects--a novel, Sargassa, and an anthology, Horror That Represents You--it had not yet actually released any titles. As for Pharos, the literary magazine, not a single issue had been published.
