ReganBooks to be Dismantled
Posted on January 17, 2007
HarperCollins announced that it is dismantling the Los Angeles office of Regan Media, which includes the book imprint, ReganBooks. The imprint will be renamed "HC" and in the fall the books will be dispersed throughout other imprints of HarperCollins.
"We feel our authors will be best served by being integrated into HarperCollins," Michael Morrison, president and group publisher of Harper/Morrow said Wednesday in a statement. "Our talented, dedicated staff will work hard to ensure a seamless transition."We don't think that the sleazy faux biography 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel will ever see the light of day. And that's a good thing. As for Judith's lawsuit against HarperCollins, to date there has been no settlement.
Regan's lucrative, scandalous reign at ReganBooks ended abruptly when she was fired last December amid allegations that she made anti-Semitic remarks to a HarperCollins lawyer. In November, Regan's planned Simpson book and television interview were canceled by corporate head Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. in response to widespread public outrage. Regan has denied making any inappropriate remarks and her lawyer, Bert Fields, has said she plans to sue her former employer for wrongful dismissal and, possibly, for libel.Her many best sellers have included Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star," Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" and Jose Canseco's "Juiced." Books scheduled for publication include Douglas Feith's "The Best Defense" and Peter Golenbock's "7: The Mickey Mantle Novel," a raunchy account that has angered Mantle's family and apparently led to Regan's final clash with HarperCollins. According to Fields, Regan was told that "7" was "unpublishable." A News Corp. spokesman has said the book's status is under review.
