The Bookseller.com

1st December 2008

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Blake makes 'grovelling apology'

22.08.08 Victoria Gallagher

John Blake has confirmed that he will be publishing On Her Majesty's Service by Ron Evans in "a couple of weeks" after making revisions to the text, and issuing what he described as a "grovelling apology" to author Salman Rushdie.

Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses, had threatened to sue the publisher if the book was published after reading extracts in the Daily Mail that he objected to. The book was originally due to be published on 4th August, but Blake gave Rushdie one week to read a copy of the book and make his concerns known to the publisher. "When he reads the whole thing . . . he'll probably have a chuckle," said Blake at the time.

But Blake is now re-printing the book with a number of revisions after the author admitted there were falsehoods in the manuscript. Blake told The Bookseller: "We've come to an agreement with the lawyers. We had to make a really groveling apology and had to cut some parts out."

A specific publication date has not yet been set.

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