A Morals Clause for Children's Authors?

Posted on September 13, 2008

Now here's something to curl your hair. It's being reported that Random House is requiring it children's authors to agree to a morals clause in their contracts. If the author does something unsavory, the contract can be canceled by the publisher. The Guardian Book blog reports:

An email arrives from the Society of Author's Children's Writers And Illustrators Group. Apparently, a well-established, enormous publishing house has decided to insert the following clause into its standard contract for children's books: "If you act or behave in a way which damages your reputation as a person suitable to work with or be associated with children, and consequently the market for or value of the work is seriously diminished, and we may (at our option) take any of the following actions: Delay publication / Renegotiate advance / Terminate the agreement."
The publisher's name? Ooh, that would be giving it away. Really? Oh go on then: Random House.
This is not to say anyone will stand for it - the SoA advises affected authors to ask for it to be removed - and that Random House will suddenly realise that it's not very good PR and cease this rot immediately. But even to have instigated such an outrageous demand is both paranoid and threatening.

The blog notes all the naughty past behavior of bestelling children's authors such as Madonna and Katie Price (Jordan). There's usually a story behind these kinds of things. So, here's the question: what children's author has been misbehaving so badly that if word leaked out, parents would be furious and -- presumably -- boycott all of the publisher's books? Because, trust us, lawyers don't just think up these ridiculous clauses out of the blue. There's always a precipitating incident.