Ronan Farrow had harsh words for his publisher, Hachette Book Group, after they announced plans to release the memoirs of his estranged father Woody Allen. Allen’s autobiography, Apropos of Nothing, is due to be published Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette. Hachette (via their Little, Brown imprint) previously published Farrow’s bestselling book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, where the journalist chronicles his work to uncover the abuses of convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein and other powerful men.
Farrow has been estranged from Allen after his sister Dylan accused the famed director of molesting her as a child. While fans and actors stood by the director during the controversy, the rise of the Me Too Movement has renewed interest in these allegations, as has Farrow’s tireless work as a journalist exposing the bad behavior of prominent men.
Allen has been shopping around his memoirs, but several publishers rejected him outright due to these allegations. Farrow tweeted the following statement in response to the Hachette news:
Hey, just wanted to share my thoughts on some recent news: pic.twitter.com/ovPczgx8pB
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) March 4, 2020
The New York Times published an email exchange between Hachette executive Michael Pietsch and Farrow, where the journalist wrote of Hachette, “Your policy of editorial independence among your imprints does not relieve you of your moral and professional obligations as the publisher of ‘Catch and Kill,’ and as the leader of a company being asked to assist in efforts by abusive men to whitewash their crimes.”
Farrow continued, “As you and I worked on ‘Catch and Kill,’” a book “in part about the damage Woody Allen did to my family, … you were secretly planning to publish a book by the person who committed those acts of sexual abuse … Obviously I can’t in good conscience work with you any more … Imagine this were your sister.”
Pietsch has responded that Hachette’s different book divisions—as a rule, run independent of each other—saying, “We do not allow anyone’s publishing program to interfere with anyone else’s,” and followed up that HBG publishes “thousands of books” each year. Pietsch added, “Each book has its own mission … Our job as a publisher is to help the author achieve what they have set out to do in the creation of their book.”
Dylan Farrow posted her own response to the book, saying the following:
My statement on the disappointing and, frankly shocking, news from @HachetteUS today. pic.twitter.com/h0zuAi0T7l
— Dylan Farrow (@RealDylanFarrow) March 3, 2020
Dylan Farrow called the move “deeply upsetting to me and an utter betrayal of my brother,” and criticized HBG for not contacting her for any fact-checking, calling it “an egregious abdication of Hachette’s most basic responsibility.” Farrow said of her brother via Twitter, “I continue to be proud of my brother and his uncompromising integrity.”
Many spoke out via social media to support the Farrows and call out HBG:
SHAME ON MICHAEL PIETSCH. SHAME ON @HachetteBooks You profited greatly by publishing Catch & Kill, but that’s not enough for you. What an evil double cross, betraying @Ronanfarrow by publishing Woody Allen’s memoirs. Are you kidding me, Hachette? This will not stand. #shame pic.twitter.com/ZnX9ZB5lT0
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) March 3, 2020
So disheartening. Hachette’s ethical paucity is just bananas.
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) March 4, 2020
Hachette choosing to publish Woody Allen after having a major bestseller with Ronan Farrow’s reporting on MeToo is really a choice. https://t.co/7eRX8IkuJm
— Maris Kreizman (@mariskreizman) March 2, 2020
(via New York Times)
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