Wednesday News: Sunil Patel’s fall from grace, Penguin loves print, Lichtenstein’s inspiration, and is all publicity good?

JanetPublishing NewsComic books / Judaism / Penguin UK. ebooks / Roy Lichtenstein / sexual harassment / SFF4 Comments

Sunil Patel responds to allegations of inappropriate behavior – So over the weekend, accusations emerged on Twitter that SFF writer Sunil Patel was engaging in behavior toward women, especially those in the SFF community, that would fall under the general umbrella of sexual harassment — using women for his professional advantage, degrading them (apparently he used the promise of Twitter follows to keep women hooked in?), and other unsavory behaviors. You can read some of the accusations at the link above (Patel has since made his Twitter private, but the links in the Reddit post are to archived material). In general, these kinds of behaviors are often not perceived as sexual harassment, because they do not necessarily conform to obvious patterns of harassment (groping, overt threats, etc.). However, it is precisely their more subtle nature that can make them particularly damaging and persistent. Patel publicly apologized on Twitter, but at least two publishers, Fantastic Stories and Book Smugglers, have dropped him:

This past weekend, several women put forward their encounters with a well-known male SFF author, citing his history of manipulation, gaslighting, grooming behavior, and objectification of women in the speculative fiction community. We have read all of the accounts. We are listening to the stories. We stand with the women who have been the subject of this author’s behavior.

In light of these revelations, we have made the decision to no longer publish Sunil Patel’s work. We have removed The Merger from sale, and have canceled all forthcoming short stories and essays with the author. – Book Smugglers & Reddit

Penguin is now focusing on providing app developments for picture books aimed at pre-school children, which [Managing Editor Joanna] Prior believes can make money.

“There is beginning to emerge a financial model for that, I think it is an exciting way of getting very young children into reading,” she said.

During the talk, [Prior and literary agent Clare Alexander] also suggested it was a good time to be a debut novelist, as publishers were looking for writers with “no track record”. – The Telegraph

How Jewish Comic Book Heroes Inspired Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art – I wish this article were longer, because it traces a fascinating relationship between Roy Lichtenstein’s artistic evolution and the work by Jewish comic book artists he was introduced to as a GI in the 1940’s. While the artist did not openly promote himself as a Jewish artist, his identity sometimes made him feel like an outsider, and the argument goes that he was more inclined to challenge artistic and cultural barriers and boundaries:

Ultimately, [Los Angeles curator Bethany] Montagano said, “Pop for the People” is about Lichtenstein’s “relevant, simple belief that there’s much more in the human experience that connects rather than divides us. Elevating common sources to fine art — comic books, childrens books, advertising, things from America’s living rooms – was unheard of at the time. At the same time, he reinterpreted the work of artists like Van Gogh and Dali. He leveled the playing field between Jewish-American comics artists and Picasso. And his identity and upbringing gave him the resourcefulness, worldview, and passion to break down barriers.” – Forward

Long feud between men with gang ties sparked shooting outside Chelsea erotic book party – So if a guy gets shot outside your book launch party, is that considered “good publicity”? Because that’s what happened to Tania Marie, who is probably wincing every time the New York Post or Daily News writes another gleeful story about the shooting that took place outside the building where she was signing and celebrating publication of her latest book, She’s Dickmatized. I really want to know whether the stories have sold more books, though.

[Tania] Marie, the author, told the Daily News that she doesn’t know Lowman or if he was at her book party. But she said there was no argument there that precipitated the gunplay.

“It was open to the public, but I can assure you that such incident did not stem from my event,” she said. “There were absolutely no problems or any commotions. Whatever happened a block away from Auxiliary had nothing to do with my event.”

Marie’s novella, sold as a Kindle e-book, tells the story about a millionaire who wonders if her handsome new lover is actually a con artist. – New York Daily News

Janet

isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnʼt know, didnʼt think about, or didnʼt feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

→ Janet