This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/06/woody-allen-memoir-hachette-books

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Hachette cancels plan to publish Woody Allen memoir Hachette cancels plan to publish Woody Allen memoir
(32 minutes later)
Staff at Hachette’s New York office walked out in protest as publisher says: ‘The decision to cancel Mr Allen’s book was a difficult one’Staff at Hachette’s New York office walked out in protest as publisher says: ‘The decision to cancel Mr Allen’s book was a difficult one’
Hachette has dropped plans to publish a memoir by Woody Allen, the Oscar-winning film director who has been accused of sexually abusing his daughter.Hachette has dropped plans to publish a memoir by Woody Allen, the Oscar-winning film director who has been accused of sexually abusing his daughter.
“We take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly,” the publishing company said in a statement.“We take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly,” the publishing company said in a statement.
Allen, 84, denies the accusations by his daughter Dylan Farrow, which were the subject of two investigations. The director was never charged and has continued to work. Allen, 84, denies the accusations by his daughter Dylan Farrow, which were the subject of two investigations. The director was never charged.
Earlier this week, Hachette announced publication of Allen’s memoir, A Propos of Nothing, scheduled for April this year. This week, Hachette announced publication of Allen’s memoir, Apropos of Nothing, scheduled for April.
That prompted controversy including statements by Dylan Farrow and her brother Ronan Farrow, a journalist whose work has documented alleged sexual abuse by powerful men and fuelled the #MeToo movement. That prompted controversy including statements by Dylan Farrow and her brother Ronan Farrow, a journalist whose work has documented alleged sexual abuse by powerful men and fuelled the #MeToo movement and who is published by Hachette.
After a walkout by staff at Hachette’s New York office, the company reversed course. On Thursday, staff at Hachette’s New York office staged a walkout.
“The biggest complaint,” a staff member speaking on condition of anonymity told Refinery 29, “is that we feel strongly about everyone’s right to tell their own story, but we don’t agree with giving Woody Allen a platform with which to tell it that includes distribution, marketing, publicity.
“I think we feel he does not deserve a platform, that by publishing him we are in some way validating his story.”
Senior figures at Hachette, including Ronan Farrow’s editor, voiced their support.
The employee added: “A few people who I would say work with the parties involved met up and discussed and talked person to person and passed out papers. We had a town hall meeting with our CEO and our publisher. After we were able to raise our questions with them in a public forum, we grabbed our things and walked out.”
The employee did not think the company would change course but on Friday, it did.
Hachette “will return all rights to the author”, its statement said.Hachette “will return all rights to the author”, its statement said.
“The decision to cancel Mr Allen’s book was a difficult one. At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books.“The decision to cancel Mr Allen’s book was a difficult one. At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books.
Hachette said it was committed to “making sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard” but also “offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff”.Hachette said it was committed to “making sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard” but also “offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff”.
It concluded: “Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. Allen rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and comic writer and has made films for more than 50 years. He reportedly came close to publishing a memoir in 2003, reaching a deal with Penguin before changing his mind. Hachette said it made its deal with Allen last year.
Hachette published Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill, an account of his work on #MeToo stories including the case against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of rape in New York last month.
In a statement in response to news of his father’s deal, Farrow said he was “disappointed” his publisher had “concealed the decision from me and its own employees while we were working on Catch and Kill – a book about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse”.
This year, Macmillan will publish a debut novel by Dylan Farrow.
In her own statement on the decision to publish her father’s memoir, she said it was “deeply upsetting to me personally and an utter betrayal of my brother whose brave reporting, capitalised on by Hachette, gave voice to numerous survivors of sexual assault by powerful men.”
On Friday, Hachette concluded: “Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others.
“After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”“After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”
More details soon…