An Open Letter to the Society of Authors re Joanne Harris

Her behaviour has been disgraceful

Dear Ms Solomon,

In the light of the shocking attack on Sir Salman Rushdie, we, the undersigned writers and industry professionals, wish to express our deep disquiet and anger at the Society of Authors’ abject failure to speak out on violent threats towards its members, and the behaviour of Joanne Harris, the Chair of your Board of Management, on Twitter. We welcome the recent statement of 15 August but in many ways it is too little, too late.

Less than twenty-four hours after the stabbing in New York State, Joanne Harris published a Twitter poll asking if fellow authors had ‘ever received a death threat (credible or otherwise)’. The four possible answers – ‘Yes’, ‘Hell, yes’, ‘No, never’ and ‘Show me, dammit’ – appeared to make light of the subject by treating it in a flippant way.

To many people involved in the Twitter debate, this appeared to be a sideswipe at JK Rowling, who had earlier that day received two more public death threats after tweeting her horror at what had happened to Sir Salman. This had turned into a polarised argument between supporters and detractors of Rowling, with many of the latter loudly complaining that the focus of discussion had shifted from Rushdie’s troubles to Rowling’s. To make matters worse, the poll also appeared to make light of the attack on Sir Salman Rushdie, even if not intended to do so.

Rowling is not the only author to have received death threats because of perceived wrong-think: Gillian Philip, Rachel Rooney, Kate Clanchy, Julie Bindel and Onjali Rauf among many others have also received them. Joanne Harris has given every indication of siding with those women’s critics. Again, the Society of Authors has failed to come to their defence.

Perhaps realising she had gone too far on this occasion, Joanne Harris deleted her Twitter poll, citing tonal problems. But rather than admit any culpability, she then tweeted a different, less light-hearted version of the poll, claiming she was simply trying to gather information. 

Joanne Harris has since stated on Twitter, when asked to justify the Society’s conspicuous silence over the years at the unprecedented volume of violent threats towards JK Rowling, that, ‘When threats occur on a daily basis to many individuals, to single out one person for special mention isn’t helpful or democratic.’ In our opinion, to do so would be more than helpful. It would send a message to all authors that you, as our Society, stand in solidarity with us. By naming JK Rowling personally when asked many times before, you would have sent assurance that you stand for all authors regardless of their beliefs.

Over the last few years, it has been clear to many of us that the Society of Authors has been captured by gender ideologues who brook no debate and who are not prepared to support authors who fall foul of online bullies. Aside from the basic decency at stake, the recent rulings in the Forstater and Bailey cases make this stance no longer tenable and could potentially lead the Society into legal jeopardy.  

It is now time for the Society of Authors to live according to its principle, clearly stated in the Where We Stand section of its website, of ‘protecting free speech’ and opposing ‘in the strongest terms any attempt to stifle or control the author’s voice whether by censorship, imprisonment, execution, hate speech or trolling’. It should go without saying that this opposition should not be contingent on individual members of the Board of Management’s political agreement with the person under attack, and for this reason we believe Joanne Harris’s position as Chair of the Management Committee is untenable.

You are our representatives. If, as your Chair has been quoted as saying, ‘The Society of Authors is there to defend authors’ contractual rights,’ then either reduce your remit to that alone, or start living up to your Where We Stand ethos.

Please note that we have included authors and professionals who are not or who are no longer members of the Society of Authors as signatories because the Society’s campaigns and lobbying do have an effect on authors in general. A small number of those who have signed this letter have felt the need to remain anonymous because they are concerned about the impact on their careers if they speak out publicly.

We are primarily looking for writers of any kind, screenwriters, playwrights and those who work in the publishing industry in any capacity, but we have created a separate section for people who don't work in the industry to add their names.

If you would like to add your name to this letter, please email us at: xxyywarrior@yahoo.com

Julia Williams

Simon Edge

Jane Harris

Julie Bindel

John Boyne

Anne Fine FRSL OBE

Amanda Craig

Prof David Wootton

Rachel Rooney

Gillian Philip

Carolyn Robertson

Christina Dalcher

Crime Writer, England

RW Johnson

Paola Diana

Catherine Czerkawska

Irina Filatova

Magi Gibson

Helen Joyce

Mystery and Suspense Writer, England

Paula Byrne

Che Golden

Mills and Boon author, England

Thriller Writer, England

Rebecca Johnson

Elizabeth Buchan

Production Editor, London

Victoria Smith

Abigail Rowland

Michelle Styles

Victoria Whitworth

Laura Vaughan

Lissa Evans

Alex Marwood

Kate Long

Literary Translator, England

Carol Lovekin

Trezza Azzopardi

Literary Festival Director, England

Ian Macpherson

Historical fiction author, Ireland

Milli Hill

Stuart A. Paterson

Polly Tuckett

LitFest Director, England

David Smith

Heather Welford

Anne Summers

Joolz Denby

Stella O’Malley

Gareth Roberts

Kathleen Stock

Claudia Clare

Helen Dale

Joanna Williams

Lucy Lethbridge

Graham Linehan

Novelist and non-fiction author, England

Caitlin Davies

Mark Sherry

Playwright and author, SoA member, England

Anna Wharton

Peter Raynard

Laura Dodsworth

Ophelia Benson

Sibyl Ruth

Magda Lamb

Jan Newton

Saga Novelist, England

Steve Tasane

Dr Cornelis J Schilt

Rohase Piercy

Dr Gary Cox

Tim Lott

Eileen Gunn

Francis Wheen

MJ Fahy

James Heartfield

Claire L Heuchan

Neil Fulwood

Andrea Nobre

Kierney Scott

Dr Sarah Rutherford

John Graham-Davies

Myra MacDonald

Non-fiction author and former SoA member, England

Estelle Birdy

Simon Fanshawe

Rob Harkavy

Elizabeth Pickett

Crime fiction author, England

Sally Wainwright

Vivek Tandon

Liz Houchin

Children’s writer, England

Elizabeth Harley

Susan Boyd

Maggie Mellor

Alex Elliott

Cherry Austin

Floyd Toulet

Caroline Johnstone

Hayley Long

Luke Kuhns

Margaret McCartney

Margaret Graham

James Martin Charlton

Novelist, Canada

Ginny Dougary

Sheila Templeton

Meg Henderson

Neil Thin

Jon Pike

Dr Az Hakeem

Caryl J Hansson

William Mackesy

Rosemary Harris

Allen Grove

Rebecca Abrams

Novelist and academic, England

Mike Waring

Amanda Worf

Colin Wight, Professor Emeritus

Elaine Everest

Elizabeth Carola

James Christie

Marie Yates

Tammy Smith

Juliette Hughes

Prof Fiona A Kumari Campbell, FRSA

Dr John Simister

Gaye Chapman

Dr Angela Mansi

Michele Moore

Ian C. Court

Literary Novelist (Anon)

Gearóid Ó Loingsigh

Amanda Kenwrick

Laura Tennant

Ruth Dudley Edwards

Kerstin Rodgers

Melissa Murray

Arwen Webb

Réaltán Ní Leannáin

Colette Colfer

Crime & Thriller Writer (Anon)

Una Gildea

Jeff Einstein

Trinity La Fey

Carol Bailey

Iseult White

Stephen Pollard

Diana Kimpton

Dr Madeline Ni Dhalaigh

Emma Milne

Sophie Atherton

Meg Henderson

Dr Debbie Hayton

Viv Pointon

Elaine Everest

Children’s Illustrator Scared for Her Career

Revd Sarah Bingham

Shelagh Corker

Michael Jecks

Chrisdina Nixon

Yvonne Ridley

Dr Pam Spurr

Maureen Carter

Monica Ricci Sargentini

Poet, Script & Screenwriter (Anon)

Ann Bloxwich

Gabriella Gale

Soreh Levey

Nick Daws

Professor Ian Acheson

Harris Covereley

David John Griffin

John Waters

Marie Keates

Elizabeth McGlone

Crime and thriller writer (anon), UK

Marine writer who also received death threats for speaking her mind

Annette Lawson OBE

Poet & short fiction author, UK

Deborah Morrow

Jina Kim, South Korea

Alessandera Asteriti, academic

Rachael Grant

Richard Craven

Emeritus Professor Chris Brown, academic author

Rachel Moran

Mara Ricoy Olariaga

Bel Mooney

Miranda Fowden, freelance editor

Wendy Tyrell ex publishing

Clare Baker, retired publisher & bookseller

Bernadette Williams

Dr Emma Milne

Rose George

Honey Corbett, poet

Mark Wesley

Kim Thomas

Historical Fiction Writer, England

Heather Brunskell-Evans

Richard K Morgan

Lucy Marsh

Louise Guinness

SM Jenkin

A.M. Sanclon

Anonymous Fledgling Literary Author

Jacqueline Chnéour

Hazel Winter

Mark Henwick

Charlotte Revely

Dr Michael Frederick Loudon, medical journal reviewer (retd)

Betty Anne Noir

Kay Green

Hugh Taylor

Jean Hatchet

Christine, mother of daughters

Matthew Hopwood

Jem Vanston

Linda McQueen

Jessica Evans

Rebecca Conrad

Claire Loneragan

Gillian Crawley

Sonya Douglas

Ian Beck, illustrator

Sheila Jeffreys

Sonya Douglas, Artist & Writer

Lindsay Jenkins

Romance Author, UK

Syd Moore

Miriam Cotton, freelancer

Mandy Vere, bookseller (retd)

Poet, Script & Screenwriter

Christine Evans-Pugh

Rowena Easton

CM Daventry

PK Murphy

James Graham, novelist, France

Thoughtful Writer

Chris Cottee

Peter Guttridge

Virginia Ironside

Sarah Blakeney

Kelsey Spencer, medical scribe & substitute reference librarian

Christine Li

Jenny Lindsay

Beth Noakes, editor

Richard Moxley

Bea Campbell

Sue Teddern

Helen Raynor, screenwriter

Dr Mann

Indian writer/illustrator and mother of girls

Malcom Knott, author & retired barrister

Poet & Short Fiction author, UK

Perdita Stevens, SoA member

Non-industry

James Dreyfus

Mariana Yarnold

Gillian Elizabeth

Elizabeth Harley

Sarah Holmes

Gail Slavin

Annaig Birdy

Sarah Holmes

Dawn Hardiman

Women’s Network Ireland

Geraldine Halpin

Keith JordanJames Casserly

Lynne Keys BA FSA

Alexander Skeaping

Jennie Stones

David Rowland

Dini Power

Gail Devine

Sue Williams

Kerri Levene Clarke

Audacious Women Festival

Teresa Steele

Diana Dear

A woman, defying erasure

Hayden Hewitt

Jeremy Wickins

David Gordon

Alan Belbin

Joe MacVeigh

Helen Donaldson

Miriam Berlow-Jackson

Rita Balneaves

Sheila Laurence

Maud Silver

Henrietta Freeman

Tracey Shaw

Delyth Rennie

Deborah Ryan

Belinda Gibbs

Alice James

Lucy Masoud, barrister

Lorraine Paton

Liz Macaulay

Kathryn Holding

Malcolm Knott, barrister (retd)

Una-Jane Winfield, transwidow

Kathleen Nicholson

Sarah Bartlett, health professional

Lexi Ellingsworth

Rick Evertz

For Women Scotland

Dennis Kavanagh, legal commentator

Helen Green

Helen May-Peters

Karen Goode

Emma Bateman

Alisdair Dickson

Yvette Craig

Amber Hartman

Ruth Conlock

Louise Sommerville

Toni-Roche Simmons, avid reader

Nikki Laing

Matthew Hopwood

Laila Namdarkhan

Carrie Jarvis

Sue Taylor

Rosalind Gleeson

Bea Jaspert

Sarah Quick

Alice Hartley

Jennifer Perera

Huw Parker

Anna Agostini

Frankie Lawrence

Helen S Bryce

Liz Pitt

Katja Schneekloth

Savitri Holmstrom

Angela Jukes

Joanna Young

Women Speak Scotland

Kate Graham

Paul Black

Open letter re Joanne Harris