Harper Collins UK has decided not to publish any more books by bestselling children’s author David Walliams, the Telegraph reports, apparently in reaction to an investigation by the newspaper. The Telegraph says its efforts began following “allegations of inappropriate behavior by Walliams last year.” The company launched its own investigation into Walliams last year after claims that he had “harassed” junior female staff at the publisher. “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision,” a Harper UK […]
Controversies
Publisher Condemns Hegseth’s Children’s Book Appropriation
Kids Can Press, the Canadian children’s publisher of the Franklin the Turtle series, responded to a social media post from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that depicted the turtle shooting at drug boats. On Sunday, Hegseth posted an image on his personal X account that appropriates the popular Franklin the Turtle book series by Paulette Bourgeois. Hegseth’s image looks like the cover of “A Classic Franklin Story” with the title “Franklin the Turtle Targets Narco Terrorists” and an illustrated image of Franklin shooting at boats with a bazooka. The post has the caption, “For your Christmas wish list…” On Monday, […]
Penguin Says It Did Its Due Diligence On ‘The Salt Path’
Further to Monday’s story about fraud accusations against Raynor Winn’s bestselling memoir The Salt Path, Penguin commented that they undertook “all the necessary pre-publication due diligence.” They also said they had not received “any concerns about the book’s content” before The Observer investigation. The Observer piece alleges that the book contains substantial fabrication, and omits that Winn embezzled from her employer and was involved in a fraudulent money raising scheme, among many other accusations. The publisher’s full statement to BBC News reads: “Penguin (Michael Joseph) published the Salt Path in 2018 and, like many readers, we were moved and inspired […]
Some Authors Leave VBK In Protest
In the Netherlands, some authors have decided to leave Dutch publisher VBK in protest of parent company KKR, NL Times reports. KKR has owned Simon & Schuster since 2023 and S&S purchased VBK last year. KKR invests in German publisher Axel Springer, which owns the Israeli classified site Yad2, which hosts real estate listings in occupied Palestinian territory. Protestors have also accused KKR of involvement with other Israeli businesses and defense companies that supply Israel. Author Dirk Wanrooij and other VBK authors are asking the publisher to speak out against the private equity company. “The publisher is hiding behind: ‘we have […]
David Walliams Gives Nazi Salute at TV Recording
Bestselling British children’s author and actor David Walliams did a Nazi salute twice at a taping of a Christmas comedy special, the Times reports. During a taping of Would I Lie To You?, a panel member shared an anecdote about spraining her wrist from waving. Walliams “joined in with increasingly vigorous waves, culminating in him holding his arm out in a Nazi salute.” The host of the show “reprimanded” Walliams, but he made the gesture again, “embellishing it with a sexual twist.” The BBC and the show’s production company, Zeppotron, said that the footage will never air. “Any attempt at […]
BOMC Addresses Controversy Over James Frey’s Comments On AI
With James Frey’s novel NEXT TO HEAVEN publishing on June 17, a 2023 interview in which he said he was using generative AI in the writing of his work sparked controversy online. Critics shared an excerpt of the interview, noting that Book of the Month has selected his new novel NEXT TO HEAVEN as one of their upcoming picks. The AI portion of the interview refers specifically to a book-in-progress titled FOURSEVENTYSIX at the time. Frey has not published a book under that title, and it’s unclear whether that work has any relationship to NEXT TO HEAVEN. “Yes, I use […]