From today’s Financial Times:<\/p>\n
When Mark Kitto received a draft contract late last year from Wiley, the US-listed publishing house, he had every reason to feel confident that his book about doing business in China would soon be released for sale.<\/p>\n
With China\u2019s rise gripping global business, the British entrepreneur had a topical tale to tell about his battle with the country\u2019s print media regulator for control of a successful listings magazine empire…<\/p>\n
…Wiley initially embraced Mr Kitto\u2019s story about how the General Administrationof Press and Publishing had taken control of the listings magazines he had managed in China\u2019s three richest cities. The publisher had the book edited, held detailed negotiations over contract clauses with Mr Kitto, with the publisher agreeing to changes, and even commissioned covers.<\/p>\n
Ms Hwu wrote another e-mail in November to a Hong Kong newspaper editor promoting Mr Kitto, saying the book was \u201cquite a page-turner and we are planning to publish it\u201d. By December, however, the deal was dead, tipping Mr Kitto into another dispute, this time with Wiley itself. Mr Kitto charges that Wiley backed off because the publisher was concerned about the book\u2019s impact on its business in China and specifically on the safety of its staff based there. Wiley disputes this account.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The article also quotes Tim Clissold, author of Mr China<\/i>:<\/p>\n
Mr Clissold, who read Mr Kitto\u2019s manuscript and enjoyed it, said Wiley\u2019s publishers would have been \u201cabsolute patsies\u201d to drop the project on political grounds. \u201cThe fact that [my book] was published in China is important, because it tells you the Chinese are rather more self-confident about accepting criticism than the average foreign publisher might think,\u201d he said. \u201cThe whole thing comes down to the tone \u2013 it\u2019s how you write, not what you write.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read the whole thing at the FT link below \u2014 subscription not necessary.<\/p>\n
The Financial Times: China tale of thwarted ambition stirs controversy<\/a><\/li>\n Danwei: Self-censorship: the 2,000 pound rhinoceros on the dining table<\/a><\/li>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From today’s Financial Times: When Mark Kitto received a draft contract late last year from Wiley, the US-listed publishing house, he had every reason to feel confident that his book about doing business in China would soon be released for … Continue reading