Following Reddit reports from librarians in September, the Mary Sue recently asserted that to comply with country-wide book bans Scholastic Book Fairs has grouped diverse titles into a separate, optional or excludable a la carte case. On Friday, Scholastic released a statement claiming, “The biggest misconception is that Scholastic Book Fairs is putting all diverse titles into one optional case. This is not true, in any school, in any location we serve.” The company notes the legislation “enacted or pending” in more than 30 states restricting books predominantly about LGBTQ+ and BIPOC experiences in schools. “Because Scholastic Book Fairs are […]
Controversies
Elizabeth Gilbert Removes Russia-Set Novel from Publication Schedule
Author Elizabeth Gilbert has decided to withdraw her forthcoming novel, THE SNOW FOREST, from its scheduled publication date of February 13, 2024. Just announced with a cover reveal on Good Morning America on June 6, Gilbert said the book follows a family living in Siberia away from society as a way of resisting the Soviet government. In a video posted to social media, Gilbert explained that she heard from many Ukrainian readers who expressed “anger, sorrow, disappointment and pain about the fact that I would choose to release a book into the world right now—any book, no matter what the […]
Atria Cancels Colleen Hoover Coloring Book After Backlash
On Tuesday, Colleen Hoover announced on her Instagram that Atria would publish an adult coloring book based on her novel It Ends With Us, the plot of which deals with domestic violence. Hoover’s post sparked criticism, with commenters calling the decision to publish a lighthearted coloring book based on a story about abuse “tone deaf” and “gross.” Yesterday, Hoover posted on Instagram that she asked Atria to cancel the book. “The coloring book was developed with Lily’s strength in mind, but I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf,” she wrote. “I hear you guys and I agree with you. No […]
HarperCollins “Continues to Stand By” Challenged Anne Frank Book
Yesterday, after Dutch publisher Ambo Anthos said it would recall copies of The Betrayal of Anne Frank, which was refuted by Dutch historians, HarperCollins announced that it would continue selling the book. “HarperCollins Publishers continues to stand by the publication of The Betrayal of Anne Frank. While we recognize there has been some criticism to the findings, the investigation was done with respect and the utmost care for an extremely sensitive topic,” a spokesperson said in a statement. The book, published in January, was a Costco Buyer’s Pick in February and has sold almost 49,000 hardcovers in the US through […]
Harper UK to Remove Story from Walliams Book Following Criticism
Harper Collins UK will remove the story “Brian Wong, Who Was Never, Ever Wrong” from THE WORLD’S WORST CHILDREN by David Walliams, following criticism that it contains stereotypes in the character of a Chinese boy. Originally published in 2016, a new edition of the book will be published in March in the UK, with a new story to replace the one that is being removed. Podcaster and writer Georgie Ma has spoken about the book and met with the publisher about the portrayal. She told The Bookseller: “’Wong’ and ‘wrong’ are two words that are commonly used in playgrounds to […]
Controversies: NYT Says Cuomo’s Book Gave PRH “Ethical and Financial Headaches”
Following the announcement of Andrew Cuomo’s resignation as governor of New York, the NYT revisits the “ethical and financial” headaches of American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic — even though the book has been functionally dead for months (selling approximately 350 hardcovers since the beginning of April). As they note, the book significantly underperformed the $5.1 million advance and first printing of over 450,000 copies from the very start. (Last summer’s auction is now characterized, without sourcing, as “frenzied.”) The paper claims “questions remained about whether Crown will pay the remainder of his advance,” presumably referring to the […]