Silvestri Books

[Filigree]

Mods, if this one exists, please move or merge?

http://www.silvestribooks.com/

I would not have given this a second look, except that the owner of this 'publisher' (it's really one person's self-publishing outfit) was outed last week for an astonishing display of catfishing to gain reviews for her self-published novel. What Christine Catlin and her past & future aliases write and publish is not my concern, since a self-publisher is only usually risking herself.

But this young (19 as of this year) person needs to be watched carefully. She has committed multiple fraudulent actions against bloggers and at least one publisher, claimed multiple job credits that do not pan out when researched (and are vehemently denied by the supposed employers.) Even before publication of the book in question, Spectaccolo, she has displayed some unethical and downright ludicrous online behavior.

The language in Catlin's submissions page indicates she's going after young, naive bloggers and writers who may not know enough to avoid getting trapped in her future schemes. So I'm making this thread as a start for future research.

 

[ironmikezero]

Oh my . . . The rather blatant age discrimination (no hires over 30 - see OUR TEAM) . . .

"We look for students or professionals under the age of 30, in one of the following:
- Photography, Film or Graphic Design- Law- Editorial or Business- PR/Social Media
- Web Design/ App/ Software"


​

may become problematic. Anyone 40 or older denied access/employment who feels effectively marginalized/discriminated against may have grounds to pursue legal sanction and redress in the federal court system. IMO, this publisher could very likely benefit from some competent legal advice/guidance.

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm

 

[Clairels]

So, let me get this straight. She's railing against how hard it is make a living in the book industry, specifically bashing unpaid internships.

Her solution? An unpaid internship...with her!

I'm not a fan of unpaid internships, either, but if I had to take one, I think a gig with an established trade publisher is more likely to "improve my resume" than with an anonymous one-person operation that's yet to publish any actual books.

Then she writers: "All this work and you still have the knowledge in the back of your mind that the industry is dying."

HUGE red flag. The book industry is not "dying." The only people who want you to believe it is are scam artists who want to take your money.

This, plus what Filigree mentioned above, adds up to a big, fat "avoid."

 

[UnbearableLight]

I'm not sure that this is even a real business. She's erected an incomplete website through Yola using what appears to be a WYSIWYG editor and I didn't find any hits for Sylvestri through San Francisco's fictitious business name search portal. Definitely an avoid at any cost situation.

 

[Filigree]

It's really not a business, just a splash page for her catfishing schemes. My concern was that it's aimed toward more inexperienced younger bloggers who might mistake it for a real publisher.

 

[oceansoul]

I'm really surprised that given how much coverage her last stunt recieved she's got something like this posted? A simple google of her name will even pull up Publisher's Weekly articles, and not for good things!

 

[Filigree]

All her other stunts were rewarded, or faded into the background, so I suspect she's hoping no one connects this one directly to her.

 

[tiakall]

Her "we want books like this" list is all over the place. It's like she just went and grabbed a bunch of random names off bestseller lists. Like, Bunnicula and Eat, Pray, Love? And isn't Bonk a nonfiction book?

I'm also curious to know if she actually paid for the rights to use the stock photography of San Francisco in the background.