The Richard Avedon Foundation called on Spiegel & Grau to cease publication of the just-released biography Avedon: Something Personal by Norma Stevens and Steven Aronson, saying that “much of the book needs to be corrected or retracted, if not entirely disavowed and discontinued, due to alleged factual inaccuracies.” The foundation asserts “the book is filled with countless inaccuracies” while also claiming “it has been written under false pretenses” and “contains substantial sections that are taken, with only light editing and rewriting, from an unfinished work of fiction that Richard Avedon had been writing prior to his death in collaboration with author Doon […]
Legal
Skyhorse Employee Unionization Vote Falls Short
A bid to unionize Skyhorse employees has fallen short, with 18 votes in favor of joining United Auto Workers Local 2110, and 28 against. The months-long union drive sought to increase employee compensation, restore personal time off and sick days that had been reduced, provide greater job security (noting in 2017 the company “laid off 12 employees with little to no warning”) and ensure Skyhorse complies with OSHA laws following complaints of working during water outages, and contending with facilities in “disrepair,” among other areas of negotiation. Twenty-three additional ballots were challenged by the union proponents, though it appears that would not affect […]
Swedish Academy Tainted By Reports of Nobel Prize Leaks, Allegations of Sexual Assault
Two weeks after Swedish media reported on allegations from 18 women of sexual assault and harassment by Jean-Claude Arnault, the artistic director and co-owner of a prominent cultural organization called Forum – Current Place of Culture (but referred to in Sweden as The Club), a new story alleges that he leaked the winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature in advance on multiple occasions. Arnault’s wife and co-owner of Forum Katarina Frostenson Arnault is a member of the Swedish Academy. Dagens Nyheter reports that the Academy has retained law firm Hammarskiöld & Co. to “investigate each member’s ties to [Mr. Arnault], and if […]
Emma Cline and Ex-Boyfriend Sue Each Other Over Plagiarism Claims
A two-year dispute between Emma Cline and her former boyfriend, Chaz Reetz-Laiolo has erupted in dueling lawsuits filed Wednesday in California federal court over allegations that Cline plagiarized portions of her 2016 debut novel The Girls through the use of computer spyware — allegations that Cline, in conjunction with Penguin Random House and The Clegg Agency vehemently deny. Reetz-Laiolo’s 79-page complaint (with more than 500 pages of supplemental exhibits) spins a story of Cline installing a keylogging software on a laptop that was once hers, later sold to him for $300, that was used to monitor his emails, as well […]
Former Students File Title IX Complaints Against Author and UVA Professor John Casey
Two former University of Virginia students have filed Title IX complaints against author and creative writing professor John Casey, alleging incidents of sexual harassment and asserting that he created a hostile environment for female students. The University is investigating the two complaints, both filed earlier this month. University spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn said, “The university takes seriously any report of sexual harassment and is investigating this matter in accordance with its applicable policy and procedures.” 2014 MFA graduate Emma Eisenberg filed her complaint November 11, saying Casey “repeatedly touched” her and other female students in public, and commented inappropriately on […]
Skyhorse Employees to Vote on Unionizing This Week
The recent wave of unionization by media companies is now encompassing book publishing. Approximately 60 Skyhorse Publishing employees will vote November 30 on whether to join United Auto Workers Local 2110, the NY Daily News reported. Local 2110 is the same union that The New Press joined in 2001 — the last book publisher to unionize — and also includes some HarperCollins employees. (You can view the most recent Harper collective bargaining agreement here.) The bargaining unit, led by copyeditor Terry Buck, said that unionizing will lead to better health benefits, more overtime, lighter workloads, and better diversity hiring goals. […]