Conversations with Peter Boghossian Cancelling Authors, "Sensitivity Readers," & the DEATH of Publishing | Adam Szetela
Dec 3, 2025
Adam Szetela, an author and scholar from Cornell, delves into the chaotic landscape of publishing in this discussion. He reveals how campus wokeness influences mainstream publishers and leads to book cancellations, including wild examples like a romance novel over Elon Musk. Adam discusses the role of sensitivity readers and the ideological echo chambers in major publishing houses. He suggests ways to diversify perspectives and tackle review-bombing. This candid conversation uncovers the tensions between creativity, censorship, and the current culture wars.
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Cancellations Emerged Within Publishing
- Publishing began canceling books in the 2010s as progressive critics targeted works and pressured houses to pull titles.
- Adam Szetela links these cancellations to intra-elite status competition and ideological policing inside major publishers.
Screenshots Trigger Prepublication Pulls
- Adam Szetela recounts romance and other novels being pulled after screenshots sparked outrage, sometimes over trivial references.
- He notes even New York Times journalists and mainstream outlets have amplified calls for sensitivity readers.
Author Canceled After Sensitivity Campaign
- A Chinese American debut author wrote a fantasy about non-racial slavery and Penguin Random House canceled and delayed it after Twitter complaints.
- The critic leading the attack was a paid sensitivity reader whose own debut was later canceled by similar online pressure.
