Revolt at publisher Hachette re Rowling "transphobia"

[Lamahaha]

Young staff members threatened a strike apparently:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8424029/JK-Rowling-publishers-revolt-Workers-publishing-house-Hachette-threaten-tools.html

My heart sank when I read that headline and the opening paragraphs, since I have professional "connections" to Hachette:

Publishing staff working on JK Rowling’s latest book threatened to down tools yesterday in protest at her views on gender.
...
Yesterday morning at publishing house Hachette, several of those involved in Miss Rowling’s new children’s book, The Ickabog, are said to have staged their own rebellion during a heated meeting. One source said: ‘Staff in the children’s department at Hachette announced they were no longer prepared to work on the book.

‘They said they were opposed to her comments and wanted to show support for the trans lobby. These staff are all very “woke”, mainly in their twenties and early thirties, and apparently it is an issue they feel very strongly about.’

But fortunately the grown-ups held up to the toys-out-of-the-pram tantrum:

Last night Hachette issued a statement backing Miss Rowling’s right to express herself. It said: ‘We are proud to publish JK Rowling’s children’s fairy tale The Ickabog. Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of publishing. We fundamentally believe that everyone has the right to express their own thoughts and beliefs. That’s why we never comment on our authors’ personal views and we respect our employees’ right to hold a different view.

‘We will never make our employees work on a book whose content they find upsetting for personal reasons, but we draw a distinction between that and refusing to work on a book because they disagree with an author’s views outside their writing, which runs contrary to our belief in free speech.’

I can't say how pleased and proud I am. Well done Hachette.

It was always doomed to fail! The Big Boss at Hachette is JKR’s actual editor - he took her on as Robert Galbraith, when even he didn’t know it was her writing - and therefore as well as money (and he is very commercially savvy) he also has a personal relationship with her and loyalty. He is also A Very Good Guy - look at all Hachette’s other announcements on diversity etc. I guarantee they’re all well aware of all of the arguments and I’d bet money both Hachette & Warner Bros saw the JKR essay before she publicly published it.

I feel a little sorry for them - children’s publishing is woker than woke and in this current climate of ‘speak out & live your values’, ‘silence is violence’ etc then they may well indeed deeply feel they had to do this.

But it was doomed to fail and it’s not a good look, because her essay is clear and rational, and The Ickabog is a bloody fairytale with nothing at all to do with trans people.

And do read that Wild Women Writing thread lamahaha linked. It’s distressing stuff. People’s careers ruined over differences of opinion.

‘We will never make our employees work on a book whose content they find upsetting for personal reasons, but we draw a distinction between that and refusing to work on a book because they disagree with an author’s views outside their writing, which runs contrary to our belief in free speech.’

This. Respect.

The problem with yoof is that they haven't experienced free speech at university. Lecturers are now all woke or too craven to open their mouths about this stuff for fear that the yoof complain. (And they will be listened to - the customer is king.) What used to be an environment for learning about alternative viewpoints has now turned into a mouthpiece for woke speak. I'm a mature student and I'm horrified at how many lecturers have their pronouns on their twitter accounts.

I'm late to this, it's been a hell of a day, I've had a cry but reading this has lifted my spirits enormously.

The adults are back in the room. Thank duck for that, they really shouldn't leave these wokesters alone for too long.

What a relief!

Thank goodness. Honestly, these people are so entitled it's staggering. They're really not used to any debate at all. They really think they can just shut down or "cancel" anyone with an opinion they don't like. And then they're so, so shocked when the world doesn't go their way and they're presented with the flip side of that choice - actually having to stand by their convictions and quit.

I am (or was, technically) in publishing and I'm horrified that they thought this was ok. There are lots of nuanced questions about how we handle controversial materials I editorial etc., but to try to refuse to work on an author's book because you don't like their views on a topic completely unrelated to their book is absolutely not acceptable. I don't think any publishing house could allow it; it would make it impossible for them to function. Most of the authors I worked with were middle aged or older men. I very much doubt I would have agreed with any of them on politics, and I've certainly had to hold my nose a few times when dealing with unpleasant people and/or content. It's part of the job. Hell, it's part of most jobs, isn't it?

One source said: ‘Staff in the children’s department at Hachette announced they were no longer prepared to work on the book.

I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall at that meeting!
Or imagine ten years down the line, when this is all behind us and they make the movie (and they will) -- what a delicious scene!

If I was the boss “Don’t want to work on it? Who the f* are you to refuse to do the work I ask you to do? The door is over there...”

One of the things I find sad is this destructive attitude towards everything. Find something upsetting or offensive? Think something is unjust? "Cancel it". "Censor it". "Tear it down".

If they care so passionately about trans rights why don't they do something useful? Why not set up an organisation to support trans authors to get published? Or crowd fund to enable a trans author to self publish? Or donate part of their salary to organisations that support trans people? But they won't because it's much easier to kick up a fuss about something than to actually do something constructive.

I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall at that meeting!

Can you just imagine:

“Either I go or you refuse to publish a book by world renowned author and cash cow JK Rowling - which is it?!”

“Steffi, Jeffi, Kitz, Marx, ZiZi and Arabella-foo-foo demand that you denounce JK Rowling and stop publishing her books right now... or else they will be very cross...”

you sound like a wonderful parent.

Maybe they should only let parents work on children's books.

Yup. I'm looking forward to the film of this too.
Or we could all just watch The Crucible again?

Goody Rawlings is a witch. Says the teenage mean girls.

@TorkTorkBam

Maybe they should only let parents work on children's books.

No, only adults.

And many kids understand their place in the world better than these spoilt babies.

I have many strong opinions but I can't think of anything stupider than believing that only books that echo my own views should be allowed to go to print.
Oh wait, yes I can think of something stupider... Thinking that only books by authors that agree with my views should go to print, even when the book is uncontroversial and nothing to do with the disagreement.

It almost makes me believe in fairies!

If they care so passionately about trans rights why don't they do something useful? Why not set up an organisation to support trans authors to get published? Or crowd fund to enable a trans author to self publish? Or donate part of their salary to organisations that support trans people? But they won't because it's much easier to kick up a fuss about something than to actually do something constructive.

The thing is, as I said, they’ll genuinely believe that standing up to express their unhappiness is in fact a political and transformative act. It runs very deep and a lot of these staff probably will be involved in diversity initiatives, donate to these charities, actively support trans writers etc.

They’ve just swallowed the Kool-Aid that any gender critical views, no matter how expressed, are transphobic and damaging to young people.

Children’s publishing is a) deeply concerned with empathy and self-expression for kids and breaking down stereotypes and representing diversity and also b) less full of those interested in exploring critically through non-fiction essays tricky political issues.

It’s too black and white to say they’re all stupid babies - it’s just this row wouldn’t be the same if the staff were in the adult division I am very sure. Children’s publishing is wonderful, full of wonderful people but it is also predominantly young people, even much more so than adult publishing. And its sensibilities make it more prone to this sort of tribalism - hearts are in the right place, they’re just all woefully misguided. (In my opinion, of course).

@NoSquirrels

Maturity is the ability to accept that different opinions from one's own exist. Others have a right to them without being 'cancelled'. It's also the ability to understand that difference does not equal moral corruption.

The Tarquins and Henriettas at Hachette don't seem to have these abilities.

hearts are in the right place, they’re just all woefully misguided
But the brains certainly aren't. They didn't evolve to be situated in your arse.

Good opinion piece in today's Times, page 31. Backing Hachette, JKR and freedom of speech.

hearts are in the right place

What a generous characterisation. Astoundingly naive.

As I hesitated to send my email of support to Hachette for their decision, I had to consider the possible ramifications (doxxing, physical attacks, bullying, threats to my employers, sending armed police to my home claiming a violent crime in progress) of putting my email address in one of these people whose "hearts are in the right place."

Indeed. These young people are less "sweet naive baby" and more "Lord of the Flies". Their action was intended to hurt Rowling because she pissed them off. Don't let them off the hook for the fundamental malice of what they were trying to do just because it didn't work.

Indeed. These young people are less "sweet naive baby" and more "Lord of the Flies". Their action was intended to hurt Rowling because she pissed them off. Don't let them off the hook for the fundamental malice of what they were trying to do just because it didn't work.

Yes. The RAGE that they can't control what people say is immense.