Halperin book cancelled by Penguin Press US

A book co-authored by disgraced political journalist Mark Halperin has been cancelled by Penguin Press in America, according to reports.

Halperin issued a lengthy apology on his Twitter account on Friday (27th October) following numerous allegations of sexual assault from when he was political director at ABC News. He tweeted: “I am profoundly sorry for the pain and anguish I have caused by my past actions. I apologise sincerely to the women I mistreated. The world is now publicly acknowledging what so many women have long known: Men harm women in the workplace.”

A Penguin Press spokesperson told Publisher's Marketplace: “In light of the recent news regarding Mark Halperin, the Penguin Press has decided to cancel our plans to publish a book he was co-authoring on the 2016 election.” It follows reports that HBO was “no longer proceeding” with a planned adaptation of the book.

Penguin Press UK told The Bookseller it had never planned to publish the book.

The first in the Game Change series, Race of a Lifetime: How Obama Won the White House (Penguin), was published in the UK in 2010 and the second, Double-Down (W H Allen), was published in 2013.

The development comes days after it was revealed former Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly had been dropped by his literary agent, according to the Los Angeles Times. William Morris Entertainment announced it would no longer represent O’Reilly following a report that O’Reilly settled a sexual harassment suit for $32 million shortly before Fox News renewed his contract.