Hachette Book Group will no longer be publishing Woody Allen’s memoir.
Four days after announcing an April 7 publication date, the publisher said in a statement on Friday that it was dropping “Apropos of Nothing,” Allen’s memoir, and would return all rights to the author.
“The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one,” the publisher said in a statement. “At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books. As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard. Also, as a company, we are committed to offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff. Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”
The news comes a day after staff at Little, Brown and Co. staged a walkout in protest of the book and in support of its vocal critics, Ronan and Dylan Farrow. Dylan has accused Allen, her adoptive father, of molesting her when she was a child.
Employees from the imprints Basic, Orbit, Forever and Hachette Books also walked out.
