Bestselling children’s author David Walliams has been “dropped by HarperCollins” over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.
A statement first reported in the Telegraph, which followed an investigation, read: “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.
“HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.”
The decision follows a period of upheaval for the publisher, with the abrupt exit of past CEO Charlie Redmayne earlier this year, and the appointment of Kate Elton to lead the business. The Bookseller has contacted HarperCollins for further comment.
According to the Telegraph’s story, Walliams has been alleged to have “behaved inappropriately” towards junior female employees at the publisher. Walliams’ agency has been contacted for comment by The Bookseller.
Walliams is one of the most successful authors since accurate records began, having sold 25.7 million books through NielsenIQ BookScan’s Total Consumer Market for £153.3m since he started publishing with HarperCollins in 2008. Only three other authors – JK Rowling, Julia Donaldson and Jamie Oliver – have earned more money for British booksellers in the BookScan era.