Milo Yiannopoulos and Simon & Schuster have had a very dramatic public relationship. First, the publisher offered the former Breitbart writer a $250,000 advance, causing outrage on the left. In the aftermath of the announcement, two of their most highly-anticipated 2017 releases were lost -- notably, best-selling feminist author Roxane Gay withdrew her book How to Be Heard from their 2017 lineup.
Then, after videos of Yiannopoulos seemingly defending pederasty and pedophilia became viral sensations, the publisher dropped their provocative client.
Yiannopoulos vowed to self-publish his book, and did exactly that. His book, which debuted on the fourth of July, skyrocketed to the top of the charts. That wasn't enough revenge for Milo, however. According to Publisher's Weekly, he had one more move to make:
Following the book's release on July 4, Yiannopoulos held a rally and protest outside the S&S offices on July 7, where he announced a $10 million lawsuit against the publisher for "breach of contract."
Dangerous was the #1 bestseller and #1 new release on Amazon immediately following its July 4 publication; Yiannopoulos's outside PR firm, AMW Public Relations, told PW that "100,000 copies were delivered to Amazon and sold out in the first day of release," although "a large number of them were on pre-order." (A source familiar with the sales of the book indicated that the 100,000 sales number sold through Amazon was too high.) Matt Sheldon, director of business development at the firm, said that hard copies are being distributed through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, adding that "100,000 more copies are being printed now and will be distributed to Amazon [and] B&N as well as some other outlets."
He's seeking damages of $10 million, though the publisher let him keep $80,000 of his advance. The battle seems to be more of a philosophical one now. "They have to pay for silencing conservatives and libertarians," he said to a crowd of 150 fans. "How many more books could I have sold...with their marketing muscle?"
And so, the saga continues.
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