Ronan Farrow, journalist and son of director Woody Allen, cut ties with the publisher of his book after it also bought Allen’s memoir and allegedly concealed the decision from Farrow. In a statement Tuesday, Farrow, who published Catch and Kill through one of Hachette Book Group’s smaller publishing arms, said he had to learn about Allen’s book through “press reports.” He said Hachette “concealed the decision from [him] and its own employees” while it worked on Catch and Kill. He also said Hachette did not contact his sister Dylan Farrow, who has accused Allen of molesting her, to fact-check the book prior to announcing its April publishing date. “It’s wildly unprofessional in multiple obvious directions for Hachette to behave this way,” Farrow wrote. “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.”
The New York Times obtained an email from Farrow to Michael Pietsch, the chief executive of Hachette, in which Farrow wrote that the company was “secretly planning to publish a book by the person who committed those acts of sexual abuse” against his sister. “Obviously I can’t... work with you any more,” he wrote. “Imagine this were your sister.”
