Beaufort Keeping to ‘Medina’ Pub Plans  

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 9/29/2008 12:10:00 PM

Plans for the American publication of The Jewel of Medina remain in place and retailer support remains firm, Eric Kampmann, president of Beaufort Books, Medina’s publisher, said yesterday. Over the weekend, the headquarters/residence of Martin Rynja, publisher of Medina’s U.K. house, Gibson Square, suffered some minor damage after what is believed to be an attack linked to the book’s publication. Rynja has been under police protection since the attack.

Kampmann said the situation in the U.S. and U.K. are different, with the U.K. faced with more radical groups. Kampmann said when he first took on the book following its cancellation by Random House, he did not believe its publication would result in violence in the U.S. He still downplays the possibility of any sort of attack, but given the events in the U.K., said he is now being “super cautious.” He has been in touch with the FBI and New York City police and is considering hiring a security firm to protect Beaufort and Midpoint’s New York offices. Through early Monday, Kampmann said he has received no threats over the book. The New York office was closed Monday, Kampamm said, since his executive staff was already at an offsite meeting. “We are being vigilant,” Kampmann said

The book has already started shipping and Kampmann expects it to be in stores by the end of the week. Medina had a first printing of 50,000 and Kampmann said he had advanced a large portion of that run. He said no retailer had canceled its order following news of the U.K. attack. Kampmann said that while he originally didn’t see publication of Medina as a free speech issue he believes its release is becoming “symbolic” as opposition to its publication mounts from people who have never read the book. “We can’t have groups telling us what we can and can’t publish,” Kampmann said.