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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Digital Publishers Find Shared Purpose at W3C Publishing Summit

Publishers, librarians, and digital leaders gathered in San Francisco last week for the W3C Publishing Summit. Participants stressed the pressing need for a common digital standard and looked to the future of digital publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt CEO Talk: Defending Freedom to Publish and Role of Publishers

Defending freedom to publish, Frankfurt's CEO Talk featured Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy and Albin Michel VP Guillaume Dervieux. The post Frankfurt CEO Talk: Defending Freedom to Publish and Role of Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Writer’s Summit’ from London Book Fair and Writer’s Digest Announces Pitch Slam Agents

Now with a 'pitch slam' event in which writers present projects to agents, the November 'Writer's Summit' is co-chaired by The Guardian's Alison Flood. The post ‘Writer’s Summit’ from London Book Fair and Writer’s Digest Announces Pitch Slam Agents appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic Publishing in China 2017: Shaanxi Normal University General Publishing House

Publications on Shaanxi regional culture and history—such as "A Comprehensive History of Shaanxi" are a niche segment at SNUGPH. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic Publishing in China 2017: Hot Topics in Chinese Academic Publishing

Top-tier Chinese universities—namely Peking University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University—lead the pack in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Freedom to Publish: FEP’s Mota Warns Romania May Allow Only One State Textbook Publisher

'Wearing the stigma of the former communist regime,' says the FEP's Henrique Mota, a single state-owned publisher may control all of Romania's textbooks. The post Freedom to Publish: FEP’s Mota Warns Romania May Allow Only One State Textbook Publisher appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2017: Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2017: Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2017: Shinchosha Publishing Co Ltd

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 68-year-old aspiring writer accuses the Iowa Writers' Workshop of age discrimination

A 68-year-old man who was rejected by the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, claiming he was discriminated against because of his age. Dan Thomson, a former lawyer and self-published author, was among the 97% of applicants to the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gulf Publishing Co. Acquires Century-Old Oildom Publishing

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[ Folio Magazine | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK publishers apply for offices in Sharjah's Publishing City

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie publishers 'spurred on' to publish more from Trump's banned nations

Independent publishers have been “spurred on” to continue producing works that give a voice to silenced nations following President Trump's controversial "travel ban". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German Publishers Association Cheers EC Commitments from Amazon: ‘Another Victory for Publishers’

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sevier Named Publisher of Grand Central Publishing

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Danish Publisher Politiken Launches Polaris Publishing in Sweden

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Publishing in the Pacific Northwest: Amazon Becomes a Publishing Force

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Canadian Publishing 2016: Canadian Kids Publishers Extend Reach into U.S., TV

Canada has a pretty good reputation on the world stage when it comes to publishing children’s books,” says Orca publisher Andrew Wooldridge. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2016: Zhejiang Publishing United Group

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