Picador distances itself from publisher and author as Clanchy piece sparks fresh criticism

Picador has distanced itself from articles featuring publisher Philip Gwyn Jones and author Kate Clanchy which reignited criticism online, while Pan Macmillan says it is still in “ongoing conversations” about a revised edition of the book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me which had been slated for the autumn.

Pan Mac imprint Picador made the statement "vigorously" condemning online abuse and saying it did not "condone" its own publisher's comments after a new article featuring Clanchy was published late last week, hot on the heels of a separate widely-criticised piece featuring Gwyn Jones.

In a contribution to an article in Prospect magazine on being “cancelled” last week, Clanchy highlighted two tweets she received in the summer when her Orwell Prize-winning book was dissected online and accused of racialised stereotyping of pupils and other problematic descriptions of young people. “Both these tweets were posted and retweeted after I had apologised sincerely for using careless language that gave hurt and offence and had undertaken to rewrite them, an apology I very much meant,” she wrote.

She added some on social media "needed me to be a monster, not an apologetic writer, and continued to construct me in that way". Writing of the impact the criticism had on her, she said: "The culture wars are only just getting going in British publishing."

The piece, in particular the citing of “culture wars”, sparked renewed criticism from writers, including Professor Sunny Singh and Monisha Rajesh, who faced racial abuse after questioning the book earlier this year. That abuse, which took a toll on their mental health, prompted an open letter in their support signed by more than 1,000 people. 

Joining the critics last week was Society of Authors chair Joanne Harris, who

: “Shame on all those who are perpetuating this abuse of these women of colour in order to promote themselves, sell copies, to or protect their own positions. The real victims of this miserable debacle have no recourse, or voice in the press, or powerful defenders.”

Clanchy's Prospect article came less than two weeks after Picador publisher Gwyn Jones apologised for remarks he made to the Telegraph regarding the issue, an article which brought the debate over the book back to the fore months after it initially began. Gwyn Jones, who took on his role at the Pan Macmillan imprint in June 2020, admitted he had “put the spotlight back on people Picador promised to support and protect”.

Following Clanchy's article last week, Picador released a statement, in which it said it was "devastated" by the online abuse, while also making clear Gwyn Jones and Clanchy's views were not that of the imprint.

It stated: “We vigorously condemn online bullying of Chimene Suleyman, Professor Sunny Singh and Monisha Rajesh whose readings of Kate Clanchy’s Some Kids and What They Taught Me were instructive and clear-sighted and we are devastated by the ongoing pain experienced by them. We are also appalled by the suffering experienced by our author Kate Clanchy.

“Picador and Pan Macmillan were not involved in, nor did we condone Philip Gwyn Jones’ interview with the Daily Telegraph. Nor were we in any way involved in, or consulted about Kate Clanchy’s piece in Prospect. We are committed to balancing respect for the rights of the individual with the needs and expectations of our authors, staff and our wider community.”

When criticism of her book first began on GoodReads and elsewhere, Clanchy initially used Twitter to defend it, questioning whether some phrases were actually in her book at all and saying passages had been taken out of context, before eventually apologising. Picador also eventually apologised for the way it handled the issue and said it was working with Clanchy to revise the book and would "consult an appropriate group of specialist readers about the update and hopes to release a new edition in the autumn".

A new edition has not yet been released. Asked by The Bookseller if those revisions were still going ahead, a Pan Macmillan spokesperson would only say: “We're in ongoing conversations with author and agent with regards to the publication of the new edition.”

Clanchy, via her agent, did not respond to a request for comment from The Bookseller.