Horowitz ‘shocked’ at notes for new book, saying children’s publishers scared of causing offence

Anthony Horowitz has said “children’s publishers are more scared than anybody” when it comes to so-called cancel culture, saying he was shocked when receiving the notes for his new work.

Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider series as well as numerous novels for adults, told Hay Festival attendees on 27th May he had recently “suffered” through the edits on his latest book for younger people Where Seagulls Dare: A Diamond Brothers Case, due to be published next month by Walker Books. 

“I have just suffered from my last book notes from my publisher which absolutely shocked me about things that I could or couldn’t say, which is a children’s book, not an adult book,” the Times reported. 

In conversation with interviewer Matthew Stadlen, Horowitz said he had to rewrite much of it, although declined to specify what the publisher’s qualms were. Horowitz said it was “the usual -isms”. 

“What is happening to writers is extremely dangerous,” he continued, “where certain words are hidden, where certain thoughts are not allowed any more, where certain activities [are not allowed], obviously to do with gender or to with ethnicity or to do with trying to share the experiences of others.”

“It’s not about cancellation, it’s not about anger, it is about the fear that all creative people must now feel if they’re going to dare to write. I believe that writers should not be cowed, we should not be made to do things because we’re so scared of starting a storm on Twitter. Because once you start with the writers entering that tunnel, the whole of society will follow them in and we’re all going to be left nudging each other in the dark, too afraid to search for the light. That is sort of where we’re heading.”

The new book, announced last year by Walker, began as a project started by the author in lockdown. The book sees Nick and his older brother, private detective Tim Diamond, on a hunt for a missing computer whizz in which “they get tangled up with a sinister far-right fanatic and his henchmen”. 

Walker Books did not respond to requests for comment from The Bookseller.