Hachette pulls the plug on Weinstein Books
Hachette Book Group terminated its Weinstein Books imprint on Thursday, it said via an internal e-mail obtained by Buzzfeed Books and PublishersLunch. Hachette is the latest entity to distance itself from Harvey Weinstein after a flood of allegations of sexual harassment and assault. The Weinstein Co. dismissed Weinstein on Sunday.
Investigations published this week by the New York Times and the New Yorker detail Weinstein’s alleged misconduct over decades.
Weinstein Books was launched as Miramax Books in 2001, and published titles by public figures such as Rudy Giuliani and Madeleine Albright. Its partnership with Perseus Books, part of Hachette Book Group, began in 2009.
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Tina Brown, who founded Talk Magazine with Miramax in 1998 and took over the company’s publishing arm, said Tuesday that book deals seemed to be one way Weinstein leveraged power.
“Strange contracts pre-dating us would suddenly surface, book deals with no deadline attached authored by attractive or nearly famous women, one I recall was by the stewardess on a private plane,” Brown wrote. “It was startling — and professionally mortifying — to discover how many hacks writing gossip columns or entertainment coverage were on the Miramax payroll with a ‘consultancy’ or a ‘development deal’ (one even at The New York Times).” Talk Magazine folded in 2002 and Brown went on to other projects.
Numerous actresses have shared stories about Weinstein allegedly victimizing them, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Jessica Barth, Emma de Caunes, Cara Delevigne, Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, Ashley Judd, Heather Graham and Mira Sorvino.
News presenter Mika Brzezinski, who had a three-book deal with the Weinstein Book Group, tweeted that she would end her contract unless Harvey Weinstein resigned.
Weinstein Books published about 10 books a year. Forthcoming titles will be released through the Hachette Books imprint, and staffers at Weinstein Books will join Hachette Books.
The co-publishing agreement will officially come to an end “after the contractual notification period,” Publishers Weekly reports.
UPDATES:
12:55 p.m.: This article was updated with information that a contractual notification period must conclude before the termination is finalized.
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