Hachette Group, the publishing company which partnered with Harvey Weinstein to produce Weinstein Books, has dissolved their deal.
On Thursday, a spokesman confirmed that it would no longer work with the imprint and that every author under its remit would now have their works published by them instead.
Weinstein Books’ all-female staff will be absolved by Hachette as part of the decision.
‘Going forward, titles currently under the Weinstein Books imprint will be published by our Hachette Books imprint, and the Weinstein Books imprint team will join Hachette Books,’ they told The Hollywood Reporter exclusively.
It comes after authors including MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski threatened to pull out of pre-negotiated book deals in light of Weinstein’s decades of sexual abuse and harassment against Hollywood actresses and film production staff.
Harvey Weinstein’s book imprint, Weinstein Books, has been disbanded in light of the sexual abuse scandal engulfing him
Brzezinski said she would not go forward with her three-book deal unless Weinstein resigned from his position at The Weinstein Company.
She made the call for action on October 7, two days after the first accusations against the 65-year-old were published by The New York Times.
”I have a three-book deal with Weinstein Books, through Hachette. I can’t go forward with those books unless Harvey resigns,’ she said on Twitter.
On Monday, Brzezinski repeated her comments on Morning Joe.
‘I want to know that this company does not embrace sexual abusers, sexual harassers And I want to have a conversation with them before I move forward, because this is step one.
‘Step two is having a wider conversation about the culture within an organization. That, of course, starts at the top,’ she said.
An avalanche of other allegations have since emerged and other Weinstein Books authors have spoken out against him.
Mika Brzezinski threatened to pull out of her three-book deal with Hachette after the accusations against Weinstein emerged
The media personality’s 2011 book Knowing Your Value was published under Weinstein Books
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger also has a publishing deal with Weinstein Books.
She however vowed to stand by Weinstein Books despite the scandal, explaining in a letter to fans that she did not want to punish the hard-working female staff at the imprint.
‘I can’t, in light of what has happened, vilify a company of women who have been supportive of me.
‘If I distanced myself from the women who helped me or, God forbid, didn’t celebrate my book, then it would be another example of a man harassing women and then women paying the price for it
‘I am proud of this book and the women who helped me,’ she said.
She went on to describe Weinstein’s behavior as ‘deplorable’ and ‘sickening’ and said her book seeks to undermine the very abuse he is now accused of.
‘My book celebrates women, feminism and our right to be the bold and multifaceted creatures that we are and I’m very proud it’s being released, now more than ever,’ she said.
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger is due to publish her book , Girl Logic, with the company this year
She penned a letter to fans explaining why she would not pull out of her deal with Weinstein Books despite the movie mogul’s ‘deplorable’ behavior
Among them is Padma Lakshimi who, despite her condemnation of Weinstein and commendation of his accusers, said nothing of her deal with Weinstein Books on Twitter.
Padma Lakshimi has publicly condemned Weinstein and commended his accusers but said nothing of her deal with him in her comments.
Weinstein Books published other notable female stars including Raquel Welch. She has stayed quiet on the Weinstein scandal.
It is the latest blow to the film producer’s crumbling empire.
He has already been fired by The Weinstein Company and even his wife Georgina Chapman’s fashion label Marchesa is suffering as a result of the scandal.
Weinstein surfaced in Los Angeles on Wednesday in a dramatic chain of events.
He emerged from his daughter’s home trying to flag down a passing car, prompting her to call police.
During that call, she said her father was suicidal.
Padma Lakshimi had her 2007 book Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet published by Weinstein Books
Padma has tweeted her condemnation of Weinstein and commended his accusers but has not addressed her book deal
Raquel Welch, another Weinstein Books author, has not commented publicly on the scandal
Later, Weinstein emerged again as he got into a car to be driven to a private jet. That plane was expected to take him to The Meadows, a $40,000-a-treatment facility in Arizona.
Speaking to photographers as he got into the vehicle, Weinstein said: ‘Guys, I’m not doing OK but I’m trying.
‘I gotta get help. I’m hanging in, I’m doing my best.’
More than 30 women have come forward in the last week to say they were either sexually harassed, raped, accosted or assaulted by Weinstein over a period of 20 years.
The treatment has been admonished by other stars as a ‘sickening abuse of power’.
There are disputes over who knew what and who helped him cover up the abuse which has since been referred to as the industry’s worst kept secret.