An emergency arbitrator ruled in an interim award on Wednesday that author Sarah Wynn-Williams must cease promotion of her book CARELESS PEOPLE, her whistleblower account of the culture at Facebook. The arbitrator writes that Meta will suffer “immediate and irreparable loss…in the absence of emergency relief,” according to a copy of the filing posted by the company. In a claim brought against Wynn-Williams and publisher Flatiron Books/Macmillan, Meta argued that the book violated a non-disparagement contract the author signed as part of her severance package after being fired from Facebook in 2017. Wynn-Williams is enjoined from making any “disparaging, critical, […]
Controversies
Romance Author Pulls Book After Online Criticism
Romance author Sophie Lark is “pausing” the publication of SPARROW AND VINE and other books in the series after criticism surfaced online, she wrote on Instagram. The first in a planned series, SPARROW AND VINE was due to be published by Bloom Books on April 22. Early readers noted insensitive lines in the book, spoken by the main character without any pushback or disagreement from other characters or in the text. In one instance, Lark writes, “Shouldn’t there be a crew of people with questionable work visas picking these grapes for us?” In another, she writes, “I was inspired by […]
Dark Horse Becomes the First Publisher to Drop Neil Gaiman
Dark Horse announced on social media on Friday that it “takes seriously the allegations against Neil Gaiman and we are no longer publishing his works.” They are the first of Gaiman’s publishers to publicly acknowledge those allegations and cancel or remove work under contract as a result. The publisher said it was, “Confirming that the Anansi Boys comic series and collected volume have been cancelled.” They had published seven of a planned eight installments in the comic book series. The writer of the series Marc Bernardin said on Instagram recently, “Last Wednesday, issue 7 of Anansi Boys hit the stands. […]
Paul Coates’s NBF Literarian Award Is Questioned
This year’s National Book Foundation Literarian Award recipient Paul Coates has been accused of publishing “racist, antisemitic, and homophobic books and authors” in an “enthusiastic and uncritical” manner, in an article by Mark Oppenheimer in Arc Magazine. That article expands considerably on questions first raised in a piece in The Jewish Insider by Matthew Kassel, which focused on one book in particular. Additionally, Oppenheimer suggests the selection “was a surprising choice” because Coates previously served as a National Book Foundation board member. The Literarian Award is given for “outstanding service to the literary community.” Coates, who is the father of […]
DarkLit Press Appears to Shut Down Amid Controversy
Canada-based independent horror publisher Dark Lit Press appears to have shuttered. Their website, social media accounts, and Substack are defunct, and an email to their contact address bounced back. DarkLit’s other imprints, Hedone Books and Third Estate Books, seem to still be active. Reportedly, many authors have pulled their books from DarkLit, and some say they are still owed royalties for books that have already sold. Some authors also report that their books are being sold on Amazon, despite having the rights reverted to them. A former editor also told PL that he is owed pay for working on several […]
PEN America Literary Awards Canceled
After weeks of criticism, including the withdrawal of approximately one third of nominated writers, PEN America announced on Monday that it will cancel this year’s Literary Awards ceremony. “We greatly respect that writers have followed their consciences, whether they chose to remain as nominees in their respective categories or not,” PEN America literary programming chief officer Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said in a release. “We regret that this unprecedented situation has taken away the spotlight from the extraordinary work selected by esteemed, insightful and hard-working judges across all categories. As an organization dedicated to freedom of expression and writers, our commitment […]