'We take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly.'
Woody Allen's memoir will no longer be published by Hachette Book Group. After facing criticism from both its employees and Ronan Farrow, the publisher said that it will not publish the book, A Propos of Nothing.
"Hachette Book Group has decided that it will not publish Woody Allen’s memoir A Propos of Nothing, originally scheduled for sale in April 2020, and will return all rights to the author," the company said in a statement to ET.
"The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one," the statement continued. "At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books."
The publisher went on to write that they "make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard."
The statement continued by referencing the walkout that employees participated in earlier this week after news broke that Hachette planned to publish Allen's memoir.
"As a company, we are committed to offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff," the statement read. "Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG."
Ronan reacted to the news on Friday, tweeting, "I'm grateful to all the Hachette employees and authors who spoke up and to the company for listening."
The company faced criticism from Allen's children, Ronan and Dylan Farrow, the latter of whom has accused her father of sexual abuse. Allen has denied the allegations.
In a statement on Twitter, Dylan called Hachette's decision to publish the book "disappointing and frankly shocking," adding that it was "deeply upsetting" to her.
Additionally, the publisher's imprint, Little, Brown and Company, published Ronan's investigative book, Catch and Kill. As a result of Hachette's decision, Ronan announced that he'd be ending his relationship with the publisher.
"[Hachette] concealed the decision from me and its own employees while we were working on Catch and Kill -- a book about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse," he wrote in part on Twitter.
He also criticized the publisher's alleged lack of fact-checking, writing, "My sister Dylan has never been contacted to respond to any denial or mischaracterization of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Woody Allen -- a credible allegation, maintained for almost three decades, backed up by contemporaneous accounts and evidence."
"It's wildly unprofessional in multiple obvious directions for Hachette to behave this way," he wrote. "But it also shows a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual abuse, regardless of any personal connection or breach of trust here."
Ronan went on to write that he encouraged the publisher to "conduct a thorough fact check of Woody Allen's account" of accusations.
"I've also told Hachette that a publisher that would conduct itself in this way is one I can't work with in good conscience," he concluded.
ET has reached out to Hachette Book Group and Woody Allen for comment.
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