What happened in this episode?
Oliver Malcolm, a former senior executive at major publishers including Random House and HarperCollins, argues that UK and US publishing have developed a narrowing “monoculture” that affects which authors are supported and how books are marketed. He describes “soft cancellation” mechanisms, where internal teams can allegedly undermine a title through design, marketing or sales choices even after an editor acquires it. Hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster link those dynamics to Foster’s experience with his book: after Malcolm left the project, Foster says he was told the publisher would not promote it and would focus on digital, implying a minimal print run.
Malcolm offers personal accounts of internal workplace conflict, including being reported for missing a diversity and inclusion meeting during the pandemic, which he interprets as retaliation connected to publishing high-profile right-of-centre figures. He also discusses cultural boycotts and author activism, citing J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Lee Child as examples of tensions around speech and political pressure.
Late in the episode, Malcolm raises a more serious allegation: he suspects anti-Semitism is emerging within publishing after 7 October, citing an editor he met in New York who he says became socially isolated and professionally sidelined. He further claims that a book connected to a 7 October hostage, Ellie Shirazi, was offered without any UK publisher taking it up, before being acquired by a small independent press. Malcolm says his new venture, Highline Publishing Studio, is establishing an imprint intended as a “safe home” for Jewish and Israeli talent.
