About

Is anybody there? Does anybody care?

That is the question.

Is it nobler to suffer through all the terrible things fate throws at you, or to fight off your troubles, and, in doing so, end them completely?
Many have sought to answer that question, and it is one we ponder here ourselves.

But alas, ALAS! We have no answer for the great question. Perhaps 42. But as the great AI that declared that be the answer to the greatest question–the woes of a Black Box, to add another alas–every answer humans have conjured to great questions and a patchwork of attempts sprawled across time and space and the vast array of human experiences. Some even wrote them down.

But here it begs yet another question in the chain of questions: In a world where millions of people are publishing new books every day across the internet in a world where people are somehow lonelier than ever before and authors who hope to have their books find readers at all must equally become marketing experts: Is anybody there? Does anybody care?

We make no promise here at Nightstand other people care about you, but what we do know is some people care greatly about books. And characters. In concerning ways. But born from a cross between an asexual joke and the sensation of wandering through the library or bookstore to pick up whatever book suits your fancy, we strive to provide an alternate method of book discovery: An inverse marketing platform.

Wow! Pizzazz! Cha-cha-cha!

So what are you waiting for?

Wrote a book? Add it. Let people find you not only by your blurb, but your characters too. Looking for a special something? Give our unique filters a chance.

Our Mission

  • Lower barrier of entry for avid readers to find new authors, especially those who don’t have the time, money, or means to compete with Amazon slush and/or build a social media platform
  • Allow authors to communicate directly with their target audience demographic without having to appease robot overlords
  • A commitment to ethical AI usage
  • Promote local bookstores, libraries, terrible puns, book club culture, etc.
  • Help our users either find company in this cold, lonely world or an escapist fantasy to pretend they live somewhere else

Our Team


Kai Austin

Founder, Fullstack Developer

Kai is an existential horror author, full-stack developer, history tour guide, linguist, and a few dozen other things—so “polymath” will do. He insists he’s not a robot sent to observe human life, though the evidence remains inconclusive.

He’s watched over 600 anime, will read almost anything that isn’t a romance, and first realized he had seizures thanks to Lord of the Flies and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. One day, his friends hope he’ll finally write a story that doesn’t involve child abuse.

The Void

Emotional Support

The Void is the comforting abyss that greets us when all others fade away. After years of being screamed into, it’s proud to say it’s finally branching out.

Now, The Void lends its talents to brainstorming fresh ideas, offering a judgment-free space for creativity, and occasionally manifesting imaginary friends for those who’ve stared into it a little too long. It exists to remind our users that even in isolation, they’re not alone—because The Void is always listening.