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.

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

🤣

It’s like a small child who has a strop at one parent resulting to give them chocolate ice cream for breakfast and stomps to the other parent demanding that the ‘bad’ parent has to go.

Ereshkigalangcleg
It's great to see that it's not just women calling out Cartimandua's drivel, but countless men posting to call him out under that article. There has been a massive shift in recent weeks with the population generally being more aware because of JKR - and TRAs like him have done it all themselves. The joy of sunlight.

I think Cartimandua is female based on some other stuff they posted before.
Disgusted of Manchester told me once that there is absolutely no brain development happening throughout puberty and it's completely ridiculous of me to claim that there is.
They are both providing great opportunity to put GC points across again and again. I don't know if they realize that.

Does anyone follow Emily’s Comics. She has a cartoon called my life as a background Slytherin. So basically her whole career is in writing fan fiction. She drew a comic denouncing JKR. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I have unfollowed her on Instagram but just had a look all the Comics are up on her website.

JKR could have made her take them down at any point. She is not the only one there are others. The Leaky Caldron Website have done the same, They seem to genuinely think they can make money from Harry Potter whilst criticising JKR.

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.

See, we’ll have to agree to differ on this. I think there will actually have been some really conflicted people on that team who genuinely needed to say something ... despite it being completely pointless. For instance, Hachette children’s also publish Juno Dawson, whose career has done very well since coming out as trans, incidentally, and whose books are winning awards. Publishing is small and people working in it have other established relationships with authors & agents etc they may feel need protecting.

I think it doesn’t do anyone any favours to present it as if the people were TRAs or bullies. They might have failed to distinguish between what’s reasonable free speech and what’s dangerous hate speech but it doesn’t necessarily mean they themselves are malicious or acting in bad faith.

That is interesting about them publishing Juno Dawson. I was looking at one of her books on Amazon and some more came up in her former name. This is something a publisher could change (not obviously if it involved pulping the books).

I believe all Juno’s books are now in her name so whatever you saw was presumably second-hand via third-party sellers. Nothing the publishers can do about that. She’s been Juno for enough years now - and doing well, as I say - that all previous books will have reprinted plenty of times.

Anyway, publishing in general but particularly children’s publishing is very declare-your-pronouns-fly-the-rainbow-flag-be-a-good-ally and the trans stuff has also got assimilated into the whole BLM diversity minorities conversation (which is problematic in itself) and whilst I disagree with those Hachette employees critical thinking I don’t disagree that they decided to have the conversation. But I’m glad Hachette reminded them they’re effectively wrong on this occasion. A book about fairytales that profits charity is a stupid hill to fight on, even if you think there should be a fight (which I 100% don’t).

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.

Spot on!

@NoSquirrels

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.

See, we’ll have to agree to differ on this. I think there will actually have been some really conflicted people on that team who genuinely needed to say something ... despite it being completely pointless. For instance, Hachette children’s also publish Juno Dawson, whose career has done very well since coming out as trans, incidentally, and whose books are winning awards. Publishing is small and people working in it have other established relationships with authors & agents etc they may feel need protecting.

I think it doesn’t do anyone any favours to present it as if the people were TRAs or bullies. They might have failed to distinguish between what’s reasonable free speech and what’s dangerous hate speech but it doesn’t necessarily mean they themselves are malicious or acting in bad faith.

But they completely missed the fucking point! How can you defend this when the logic of the situation bypassed them completely and they missed the fucking point? They literally failed to understand the tweet. I think you're missing the point as well

It's worse than that .... if she so wished she could set it up to specifically publish works the wokespoke brigade disapprove of. The fact she hasn't already suggests she is a far far better person than I am.

I'd have this hypothetical company set up a deliberately goady social media presence too. Seriously, they are so lucky that Rowling is not a petty person.

I’m not missing the point - they’re wrong to think their opinion on JKR’s opinions is the same as a moral position that their employers should give a shit about.

They didn’t read her essay without their filter of ‘this is transphobic to even discuss it’.

I’m just dismayed that everyone in this dogfight assumes the worst of everyone else.

JKR perfectly entitled to give voice to her thoughts. She’s NOT transphobic and she’s been appallingly bullied. I am as shocked as anyone that the horrible abuse she’s had is being ignored, erased.

But equally there are clearly lots of people who do feel ‘violated, attacked, dismissed, erased, choose-your-emotive-phrase’ and are using their loud voices saying ‘this is unkind to people who don’t need more unkindness’. People listen to that - they have personal relationships with people saying that loudly - and they buy it uncritically.

I’m NOT saying they’re right. I am just saying painting everyone who disagrees with gender critical views, or JKR, as “fundamentally malicious” is unhelpful. On an individual level I believe they’re not malicious they are misguided.

I’m NOT saying “be nice”. But I do in general, in life, think you catch more flies with honey and understanding that things aren’t black and white good vs evil, young vs old is important.

I think the Hachette employees’ critical thinking was flawed and the ‘protest’ always doomed to fail. But I see that on an individual level actually there might have been reasons they felt it imperative to speak up.

In each micro-battle of this ‘war’ there are individual people, circumstances, professional cultures, backgrounds that you have to account for. Know your enemy. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Etc.

I’m not an apologist for them. But I think background is valuable.

Btw - probs 10 years ago I sat in a presentation about a “what if” scenario that a major publishing house was trialling: what if one of their ‘brand’ authors decided to go it alone? How would that impact the health of the business? What could they do to add value and prevent that? It’s a major concern and has been for years.

But it doesn’t mean the “woke staff” thing isn’t also an absolutely equal concern. This is a very very dicey moment for companies. They’re not just sacking & replacing staff who say this stuff, believe this. They’re not all 22 and expendable, I guarantee. Those staff aren’t necessarily ‘marked’ in this climate - they might be tomorrow’s top hire, on the ‘ones to watch’ lists.

So it’s not helpful or smart to say they’re malicious.

they might be tomorrow’s top hire, on the ‘ones to watch’ lists.
Oh, give over.

Putting "I tried to insist that my publishing house sacked their biggest cash cow, (who just happened to be J.K. Rowling!) on the basis of a tweet I didn't even understand" on your LinkedIn will not get you on the one to watch list.

Their statement is spot on tbh. Why one arth does it seem to be such work for others to do this?!

When I read about the protesting I said the publisher wouldn't be on board with it, given how much they make off her! Plus if they did dump her, its unlikely she would struggle to find another, they would be falling over backwards for her, lets be honest.

These kids who are tantruming about this, if they refuse to act like adults..should really be let go.

Such a massive overreaction, thats still bloody going on a week later..to something that shouldn't even be controversial..followed by a bunch of supportive tweets about gender dysphoric people..AND a huge essay on reasons for the view. And still its just toys out of pram 'you raging transphobe, we will ruin your life!!!!'

OK, timetoshine - you believe that. I am telling you - with a career in publishing - that you are wrong.

That won’t be the quote on their LinkedIn - in fact publishing doesn’t really network via LinkedIn.

It’ll be the pinned tweet they capitalise off and they’ll be snapped up for ‘principles’.

If they resign.

Which they probably won’t. Right now. But in 9-12 months they’ll be moving, and shaking.

Like I say, know your enemy.

NoSquirrels

I'm not doubting your credentials, but do you really believe that a publisher would hire people who have demonstrated enthusiasm to conflict with the financial interest of the publishing house?

It might be a woke issue today, but tomorrow, it could be something entirely different. Not related to woke at all.

Would they really jump to hire someone who thinks nothing of holding their employer to ransom over their own subjective politics?

I should have been clearer:

they might be tomorrow’s top hire, on the ‘ones to watch’ lists

They might already be be tomorrow’s top hire, they might already be on the ‘ones to watch’ lists.

Granted mid-pandemic in a creative business is not a brilliant time to lay it on the line but equally, if you’re thinking the onward career ‘pitch’ on social media and networks about why you’re now redundant then... well, that’s it right there. Social justice is big business.

Which is why we need to stop pretending that what they're doing is ethical, good, and entirely for the benefit of vulnerable others. I think you've gotten so used to being on the back foot that you're not seeing the need to claim back the moral high ground.

(And stop letting them pretend that it is either.)

do you really believe that a publisher would hire people who have demonstrated enthusiasm to conflict with the financial interest of the publishing house?

Datun I believe the landscape is changing very VERY quickly. Yes - if you are important enough they’ll hire you, give you power and - importantly- celebrate the reasons why you’ve got that power... and that could be “took a principled stand against JKR” if it serves the purpose of the imprint. “Diverse” is a HUGE buzzword and has been for ages but is really having a moment that will probably resonate for a bit.

Equally - even if a ‘big’ employer won’t take a chance there’s also a huge movement to start-ups etc (who’ll then get assimilated into a ‘big’ employer at some point, same old same old). There will be support.

It’s not just graduate interns. Alas.

ProdigalKitten I think you've gotten so used to being on the back foot that you're not seeing the need to claim back the moral high ground.

I dunno. I can argue this shit in the pub - and have a chance of being effective if I listen first, buy a drink then go in.

Can’t do that right now. And I think in person individual conversation and connection is worth more than any online interaction.

I don’t think it’s a moral high ground, though. I think it is intellectually dishonest to claim transwomen are women. I think most people haven’t followed the logic just the emotion. I’m not sure that means I need to say I’m morally superior. Nuance actually confirms people. I like trans people being happy. I like women feeling safe. Not mutually exclusive.

Okay, well I'll take your word for it. I think it's rather shortsighted. And I would have thought the most important thing would be someone who could do the job best. Rather than someone whose politics could conflict with their boss making money.

If everyone has to agree with the authors and the content and all politics have to align, and they all have to be heading in the same direction, I would imagine that would ultimately make for crushingly anodyne books.

There was another thread a few days ago claiming that young adult books are exactly that, now. Dull to the point of stupefaction.

Sorry squirrels, that ^ was in reply to your post to me.

Nuance actually confirms people

Comforts. Nuance comforts people.