Last month, Publishers Weekly reported that the independent publisher, Catapult, owned by mega-billionaire heir Elizabeth Koch, would be sold and cease operations by the end of October. Once they close this year, the remaining staff will lose their jobs. Authors scheduled to have books published by Catapult are unsure whether their books will come out. Early reporting on the news suggests the decision was made as a form of anti-union retaliation. In June, Catapult employees unionized to form the Catapult Workers Collective; six months later, the publishing house was dissolved.
Catapult was created and funded in 2015 by Elizabeth Koch, the daughter of infamous mega-billionaire and right-wing conservative Charles Koch.