Morality clauses: are publishers right to police writers?

Offensive opinions. Bullying. Sexual misconduct. As the literary world is rocked by scandal US publishers are asking authors to sign contracts with ‘morality clauses’. Are they really the answer?When the American Libraries Association awards its Andrew Carnegie medals in New Orleans later this month, there will be no winner for excellence in non-fiction. Sherman Alexie, the poet and novelist who was due to receive it for a memoir, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, has declined the award following allegations of sexual harassment.Last month, the novelist Junot Díaz withdrew from the Sydney writers’ festival and from chairing the Pulitzer prize board after being confronted by his own accusers. As the allegations swept through social media, another writer, Mary Karr, joined the fray, tweeting of her distress that her testimony to DT Max, the biographer of her one-time partner David Foster Wallace, about Foster Wallace’s abusive behaviour had been marginalised. “Deeply saddened by the allegations against #JunotDiaz & I support every woman brave enough to speak. The violence #DavidFosterWallace inflicted on me as a single mom was ignored by his biographer & @NewYorker as ‘alleged’ despite my having letters in his hand,” she wrote.Marina Warner warned that 'being good' should not be conflated with 'good writing'. But where is that line drawn?One UK literary agent says: 'Are [morality clauses] here? Probably not. Are they coming? Most definitely.'Will wonderful writers... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #abusive behaviour #deeply saddened #single mom

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Irish poetry publisher toasts new home in pub after crowdfunding campaign

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[ The Guardian | 2024-05-13 15:18:10 UTC ]
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Ken Follett to Publish New Novel with Hachette in 2025

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How Fall Became The Big Season in Book Publishing

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Arcadia Publishing Acquires Dry Climate Studios

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Sales Rose 3% in 2023

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Association Blasts the UK Government’s Response to AI Report

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-08 00:00:35 UTC ]
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UK audiobook downloads up 17% last year, Publishers Association data shows

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[ The Guardian | 2024-05-07 15:28:43 UTC ]
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Verso and other publishers are offering free ebooks in solidarity with pro-Palestine campus protests.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-26 15:56:47 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The independent publisher making a business of celebrity book imprints

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-04-24 18:02:25 UTC ]
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Rebel Wilson memoir to be published in UK with Sacha Baron Cohen passages redacted

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[ The Guardian | 2024-04-24 12:50:23 UTC ]
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