Publisher W.W. Norton is pulling out of print two books by Blake Bailey, the author who has been accused of grooming and sexual assault by several women, the New York Times reports.
The newspaper obtained an email in which Norton announced the decision to staff members.
“Norton is permanently putting out of print our editions of Philip Roth: The Biography and The Splendid Things We Planned, Blake Bailey’s 2014 memoir,” read the email from Norton President Julia A. Reidhead. “Mr. Bailey will be free to seek publication elsewhere if he chooses.”
The step from the publisher comes after Bailey was accused of sexually assaulting two women and grooming middle-school students he taught at a New Orleans school.
“As a publisher, Norton gives its authors a powerful platform in the civic space,” Reidhead wrote in the email to staff. “With that power comes the responsibility to balance our commitment to our authors, our recognition of our public role, and our knowledge of our nation’s historic failure to adequately listen to and respect the voices of women and diverse groups.”
Bailey’s attorney, Billy Gibbens, blasted Norton’s decision as “unwarranted” and called the allegations against the author “false and unsubstantiated.”
Norton said it would donate the amount of Bailey’s advance for the Roth biography to groups that advocate for victims of sexual assault and harassment, the Times reports.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
