We previously reported that Hachette Book Group employees staged a walkout over the publisher’s decision to publish Woody Allen’s long-rumored memoir “Apropos of Nothing.” It looks like the outrage has been heard, since the memoir has now been dropped by Hachette.
The staff walkout came days after both Dylan and Ronan Farrow spoke out against the decision. The Pulitzer-prize winning journalist was particularly disappointed since Hachette published his explosive book “Catch and Kill” about how powerful abusers are protected in society. In a statement, Hachette says their “relationships with authors” are taken “very seriously,” noting they do not “cancel books lightly.”
“We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books,” the statement continues. “After listening [to our staff and others], we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”
Ronan has taken to Twitter to say he’s “grateful to all the Hachette employees who spoke up and to the company for listening." Dylan has posted about the decision, too, saying she’s “in awe” of “each and every individual” who put themselves at risk to “stand in solidarity” with her, Ronan, and “all victims of sexual abuse.”
Stephen King has also reacted to Hachette’s decision to drop the memoir… but not with the same sentiment. The author says the decision makes him “very uneasy.” “It’s not him; I don’t give a damn about Mr. Allen,” he writes on Twitter. “It’s who gets muzzled next that worries me.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter