Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books (UK) deal [updated] - true-to-you.net

UPDATE Sep. 13, 3:05PM PT:

link posted by jbabz:

Clarification - true-to-you.net
13 September 2013

The publication of Morrissey's Autobiography remains with Penguin Books.

This is a deal for the UK and Europe, but Morrissey has no contract with a publisher for the U.S. or any other territory.

As of 13 September, Morrissey and Penguin (UK) remain determined to publish within the next few weeks.



Statement
- true-to-you.net
12 September 2013

Although Morrissey's Autobiography was set to be available throughout the UK on September 16th, a last-minute content disagreement between Penguin Books and Morrissey has caused the venture to collapse. No review copies were printed, and Morrissey is now in search of a new publisher.


UPDATE - media coverage:

The Story of Morrissey's Autobiography Keeps Getting Weirder by ALEXANDER ABAD-SANTOS - The Atlantic Wire

Excerpt:

But two spokespeople in Penguin's New York headquarters said they had no knowledge of any plans for publication.

A spokeswoman for Penguin's U.K. arm was a little more revealing when reached via email about Morrissey's latest signal to fans about the book.

"How nice that he seemed to say yes," said the spokeswoman, Rosie Glaisher. "Here's hoping."

But she added: "Nothing on the schedule at this time."

And then there's this comment to The Guardian this morning:

Penguin has refused to confirm or deny that the book was due to be published, or even the existence of the reported deal with the singer.



Morrissey autobiography deal has collapsed, says semi-official fan site by Liz Bury - The Guardian

Morrissey pulls his autobiography days before release - BBC.co.uk

Excerpt:

A Penguin Books spokeswoman said there would be no comment on the issue.

Link/excerpt posted by HangtheDJ16:

Is Morrissey’s autobiography a book that will never come out? by Nick Clark - The Independent
Singer announces 11th-hour split from publishers – despite no evidence the book was anywhere near finished

Excerpt:

Lee Brackstone, creative director of Faber, said it was the “first I’d heard” about next week’s supposed publication. “I can’t see how they could turn the book around that quickly and nobody seems to know anything about it. It seems like mischief to me.”

Mr Brackstone had written an open letter to Morrissey in 2010 to woo him to the publisher, though “only half seriously” and continued in a similar tone yesterday. “I’ve grown out of it. All I can say is: that joke isn’t funny any more.”

He added: “It will be a wonderful book and I love him – he’s a hero to so many people and remains a vital influence in this moribund culture he constantly challenges. But working with him? I’m not sure I’ve the strength and fortitude much as I’d love to.”

One industry insider said: “There is simply no evidence of this book in existence. It would be on the radar of bookshops, certainly wholesalers. How else would it get sold? Out of the boot of his car?”

Morrissey’s autobiography was not listed as due for publication on the Nielsen Index, nor was it given an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) code which it would have been had it been coming out next week, according to the industry insider.
autobiography_artwork_01.jpg
 
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Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

Very odd. No pre-publicity at all for an unannounced book due to be published on 16th September, and that news announced on 12th September? Not a sniff on Amazon? No review copies?

It doesn't add up. The truth of this has not be revealed. Smells like bullshit to me, and perhaps we'll hear the other side of the story from Penguin at some point.

If this statement is true and content is the reason, that can only be two things: legal or its no good. Unlikely it is the latter, as he has tales to tell, unless its an Alan Partridge "Needless to say I had the last laugh." which would seem to chime in with his personality traits.

With nothing else to flog is it possible he has brought this to the fore urgently to get something, anything, in the market? 2013 has been a disaster for Morrissey. He needs to reevaluate his situation urgently. It can't end like this, can it?

Bowie successfully kept his album under the radar too, so there's a precedent. And who says the publisher wants sections REMOVED? Might it not be that they want content ADDED (private life, sexuality) and Morrissey is unwilling to go there?
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

At first I was more shocked that the book was not spoken about or promoted than him falling out with the publisher. Falling out with a record company or publisher is old hat to Moz. Then it hit me!! This is the promotion, duh!! It's the only rational explination. You can't have a book out this week without printed copies. No way no how! The story is a PR scam and simply created to create buzz for the book.

No, you misunderstand: the cover would have been created long ago. Contractually, there'll be a cut-off date by which the publishers have to agree that the book will be published (and deliver the 2nd instalment of the advance, which usually comes in three instalments). Because of the apparent content dispute, that date will have passed and so the rights in the manuscript will have reverted back to Morrissey - hence his statement on T-T-Y. No advance copies will have been printed without the content dispute being resolved. There were no advance copies of the Bowie album pressed either.

I love this train of thought that goes "Because So_Low didn't know about it, it must be a scam or publicity stunt..."
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

Bowie successfully kept his album under the radar too, so there's a precedent. And who says the publisher wants sections REMOVED? Might it not be that they want content ADDED (private life, sexuality) and Morrissey is unwilling to go there?

Four days ahead of a secret publication date seems a little short notice to add or even remove anything. Plus they seem to have neglected to print any either. Let's cut the bullshit here. If Penguin pulled out it would have been months ago, not a few days ahead of publication. To borrow from another thread this is Morrissey saying Don't You Forget About Me, to publishers.

If we go along with the statement (...) we are being asked to believe the book was ready to hit the shops on Monday, with zero publicity, no review copies, not a single copy printed, no mention of it on any publication lists or Amazon.

If that is true this tome would be the most unusual book ever published. I was in Waterstones yesterday and there was an empty table. Maybe they were the signed copies.

By the way, Bowie didn't keep his album secret, because he announced it six weeks or so ahead of release. He kept the first single secret.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

f***ing hell, you've blown it again Moz. Lets hope Faber help out your sorry Manc arse.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

How about the book and live25 bundle? I would be up for that. I really have missed Moz on True to You lately.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

You'd have to guess it was potentially libellous material about Joyce/the Court Case that the Penguin hierarchy wanted removed, wouldn't you? Given the word length it seems unlikely that Morrissey was trying to add something right at the death.

As it happens, I didn't think Penguin were a great fit for him anyway and there are better and far more suitable/sympathetic publishers out there. But quite why this last minute quibble wasn't dealt with right at the beginning of the process is a little odd.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

Fixed it.

4VcaxRy.jpg


P.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

UK book publishing agreements generally work like this: you sign a contract with a publisher for a specified advance against royalties. The contract states a proposed publication date and makes provision for failure to publish by said date (in this event, the options usually include extending the original publisher's publication timescale subject to a further fee, or cancelling the contract with all rights returning to the author/copyright holder).

I think the idea some people here have picked up that Penguin was expecting to fulfil a first print run and distribute the book nationwide within a couple of days simply isn't true – it's SPM's rather brief and vaguely-worded statement that is misleading.

It's far more likely that both sides were holding on until the 11th hour to get the book they wanted. It's possible the publisher tried to get a timescale extension, but Morrissey most likely invoked the “failure to publish” clause. Or possibly the publisher, realising Morrissey's total intransigence (which surely can't have come as any surprise?), may have invoked the failure to publish clause.

Remember: none of us know for certain because we were not party to the negotiations!

If 16th September was indeed the original, contractually agreed publication date, both sides will have known a good two months ago that this date was not looking likely as the “content dispute” continued. I think Morrissey simply issued the statement when it became clear that further negotiations would prove fruitless and one or other party finally invoked the failure to publish clause. This happens all the time in publishing because authors are usually pretty uncompromising about their books and their “creative vision” - so anyone who regards this turn of events as “proof” that Morrissey is a troublesome diva couldn't be using less persuasive “evidence”. As a fan, I would much prefer to read Morrissey's own account rather than a book shaped by his Editor.

But none of us know whether the Editor required excisions or additions, so in that respect anything written in this thread is sheer uninformed conjecture.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

It's the number 1 story on the BBC website! Something's gone right for Morrissey this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24077284

Yep, even BBC London Radio hourly news bulletin reported the story.


f***ing hell, you've blown it again Moz. Lets hope Faber help out your sorry Manc arse.

Hurry up gal, you can sort out the book cover design!
Make sure it has to be tasteful. :D
 
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I don't understand the point in Morrissey publishing this story. It's a complete non event! It's unlikely that Penguin or Morrissey would pull the plug at the 11th hour. If Monday was the release date then the book would have been printed weeks ago and would be on the way to the distributor/retailer as we speak.

I just think it's Morrissey's way of getting attention. Maybe he wants more money and this way he is alerting other publishers that the book is up for grabs again. Or is it a PR stunt?

The positives from this is that the autobiography is in a almost complete state. And I love the fact it is called just that, autobiography.

We await further news......
 
Feel absolutely gutted today. Like my team has missed an open goal mouth in the dying moments of the cup final. There have been a lot of these moments this year, all the cancelled tour dates, the record deal not gaining any footing and now this. I would rather have not known how close we came but I understand that this press release will attract attention from other publishers. 'Books aren't stanley knives'. There must have been something libelous included, one can only assume but I'm sure penguin wouldn't want to put their head on the chopping block.

People who are saying he should self publish are just being ridiculous, the administrative nightmare of that would be unreal, he needs a big player for p.r. and distribution not to mention the quality of the end product.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

I don't understand the point in Morrissey publishing this story. It's a complete non event! It's unlikely that Penguin or Morrissey would pull the plug at the 11th hour. If Monday was the release date then the book would have been printed weeks ago and would be on the way to the distributor/retailer as we speak.

I just think it's Morrissey's way of getting attention. Maybe he wants more money and this way he is alerting other publishers that the book is up for grabs again. Or is it a PR stunt?

The positives from this is that the autobiography is in a almost complete state. And I love the fact it is called just that, autobiography.

We await further news......

How could it be a P.R. stunt if you have the publishing house you said you wanted and the deal has progressed this far. I'm pretty sure Penguin wouldn't relent after saying they wouldn't publish. It would be very strange to get this far in the negotiation only to say no without a proper reason. I don't think this statement is to gain leverage with Penguin, he's clearly done with them. It's a call to other publishing houses, 'the book's here for the taking lads come and get it'.
 
Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

Er . . . perhaps it wasn't very good.
 

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Re: Article: Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books deal collapse; search for new publisher - tru

this really sucks :(
but given the recent nature of almost all "Moz related news" :rolleyes:
its not that surprising :o
 
When this is finally released, I really hope there's an audiobook version read by Morrissey himself.
 

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