One day after he raised his fist in solidarity with the riotous mob storming the Capitol and challenged the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book has been cancelled by Simon & Schuster. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that amid growing protests from the publishing community, Simon & Schuster, which was bought by Penguin Random House in November, decided to pull the plug on Hawley’s forthcoming book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, scheduled to be released in June.
“We did not come to this decision lightly,†said Simon & Schuster in a statement. “As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: At the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.†While Simon & Schuster has severed ties with the junior Senator, conservative publisher Regnery has already expressed interest in Hawleys book, with president and publisher Tom Spence saying that if Simon & Schuster canceled Mr. Hawley’s book deal, “We would be interested.â€
Even so, Hawley took to Twitter and released a statement regarding his book’s cancellation, calling it “a direct assault on the First Amendment,†despite the fact that no where in the Constitution does it say that an individual has the right to a book deal. “This could not be more Orwellian,†reads Hawley’s statement. “Simon & Schuster is canceling my contract because I was representing constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they have now decided to redefine as sedition.†Now that his book is cancelled, Hawley should have more time to do some light reading of his own. We suggest Animal Farm and a dictionary.
Update, Monday, January 18, at 12:30 PM: Less than two weeks after accusing Simon & Schuster of launching a “direct assault on the First Amendment†after canceling his book, conservative Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has found a new publisher for his forthcoming book The Tyranny of Big Tech. Per The Guardian, Hawley’s book will now be published by conservative publisher Regnery, which expressed interest in Hawley’s book after Simon & Schuster publicly severed ties Hawley after his role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol. However, Simon & Schuster will still profit off of the publishing of The Tyranny of Big Tech. Due to a distribution agreement announced in 2018, Simon & Schuster “handles distribution for Regnery titles in all markets and territories around the worldâ€Â and “sales in Canada and export markets.†So at the end of the day, Hawley’s book is still being distributed by Simon & Schuster outside of the U.S.A. Wow, so much for cancel culture.