Readers Respond
Outrage at Milo Yiannopoulos Book Deal
We recently reported that Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right pundit and editor at Breitbart, was offered a hefty book deal by Threshold Editions, the conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster. Many of our readers were outraged by the idea of a major house publishing the book, but also felt conflicted due to their commitment to the right to free speech. Here is a selection their comments.
“I don’t begrudge Threshold Edition’s right to offer Milo Yiannopoulos a book deal.... However, as an Atria Books author [Atria is an S&S imprint] I feel deeply betrayed by Simon & Schuster championing a preening hate-peddler. In doing so they have shamed me and tainted my book. I am livid and nauseated in equal measure, and I know that many other Simon & Schuster authors feel exactly the same way.”—Bradley Trevor Greive
“I certainly have no intention of reading this book. I do, though, embrace S&S’s prerogative to publish it. If we want a free press, it has to be free to publish for all opinions.” —Mark Voigt
“S&S is cashing in on sensationalism, on hate speech, and on the rising tide of fascism in America.” —Sarah Kimmel
From the Newsletters
A reading list for parents of transgender children (or anyone, really), assembled by Laurie Frankel, author of This Is Always How It Is (Flatiron).
Remembering pioneering middle grade author Marilyn Sachs, who died in late December at age 89.
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Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh (Penguin Press) was the most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week.
Podcasts
Irish artist Luke Healy talks about his new graphic novel, How to Survive in the North (Nobrow); his studies at the Center for Cartoon Studies; and the rocky career path for indie cartoonists.
PW senior writer Andrew Albanese looks back at holiday book sales and what they mean for publishers as well as for Barnes & Noble, and looks ahead to how Donald Trump’s presidency could make waves in 2017.
Blogs
An independent bookseller talks with Stacy Mitchell, coauthor of a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance titled “Amazon’s Stranglehold.”
Returning guest Daniel José Older discusses his new book, Battle Hill Bolero (Roc). And PW bookselling editor Judith Rosen summarizes 2016 holiday sales at independent bookstores.
