Level Best Books, the Frederick-based independent publishing house known for crime fiction, mysteries, and thrillers, today announced it has acquired Black Cat Weekly, the long-running digital fiction digest, from Wildside Press. The publication will be relaunched under a new name, Black Cat Mysteries, with a redesigned lineup and a new monthly publication schedule. The first issue under Level Best’s stewardship will publish November 13, 2026, with new issues arriving on the 13th of every month thereafter.
Black Cat Weekly launched in September 2021 from Wildside Press, growing out of the company’s Black Cat website, which had spent nearly four years serving up a rotating mix of new and classic mystery and science fiction stories to readers before the magazine format was introduced. Edited by Wildside Press founder John Betancourt, the digest grew to more than 200 issues, pairing newly written fiction from contemporary genre authors with classic reprints from pulp-era writers, along with occasional true-crime features.
Black Cat Weekly built a loyal following delivering an eclectic weekly mix of original and classic mysteries, adventure stories, fantasy, and science fiction to subscribers around the world. Level Best Books plans to carry that legacy forward while sharpening the publication’s identity around its strongest and most requested category: mystery and suspense fiction, delivered with the same variety and discovery that made the digest a favorite among genre readers.
Under the Black Cat Mysteries banner, readers can expect a number of changes designed to elevate the publication and expand its reach including: a monthly publication in place of the weekly release schedule, giving each issue room for a more curated, higher-profile lineup of stories and authors; a refreshed editorial focus centered on mystery, crime, and suspense fiction; and added display advertising space.
“Black Cat Weekly has always stood for something we believe in deeply: giving readers a steady, dependable dose of great short mystery fiction,” said Shawn Reilly Simmons, Publisher and CEO of Level Best Books. “As we bring the magazine into the Level Best family, we want to honor everything readers have loved about it while giving it the editorial focus, design, and reach it deserves. Black Cat Mysteries is going to be a showcase for the kind of short crime fiction Level Best was built on.”
The acquisition follows a period of significant growth for Level Best Books, including a strategic investment partnership with Boston-based SDC Publishing, the launch of the romance and fantasy imprint Rogueheart Press, and the opening of Level Best Books UK. The addition of Black Cat Mysteries extends the company’s footprint into periodical publishing for the first time.