‘Imagine this were your sister’: Ronan Farrow says he will cut ties with book publisher over Woody Allen memoir

Decision to publish the film director’s memoir sparked walkouts from staff in Hachette’s New York office

Ronan Farrow, the author of the best-selling non-fiction book Catch and Kill, has suggested he will sever ties with his publisher, Hachette Book Group.

The news comes after it was announced that one of Hachette’s divisions was planning to publish an autobiography by Farrow’s father, film director Woody Allen.

Farrow is a journalist who has been praised for his in-depth reporting on sexual assault and abuse. Allen was accused of molesting Farrow’s adopted sister, Dylan Farrow, when she was a child. He has always denied the allegations.

In an email obtained by The New York Times, Farrow called the decision a betrayal.

“Your policy of editorial independence among your imprints does not relieve you of your moral and professional obligations as the leader of a company being asked to assist in efforts by abusive men to whitewash their crimes," wrote Farrow in an email to Michael Pietsch, Hachette’s chief executive.

“Obviously I can’t in good conscience work with you any more,” he continued. “Imagine this were your sister.”

Staff at Hachette in the US staged a walkout in its New York offices on Thursday to protest the company’s involvement with the book, which Dylan Farrow has commended.

Hachette UK is not publishing or distributing Allen’s memoir.