Jason Arday, the former Cambridge University professor implicated in plagiarism allegations, claimed he was offered “1.4 million” for his forthcoming memoir.
Arday, 41, resigned on Thursday (6 August) as a professor of sociology at the university after being placed under investigation following a series of reports alleging that he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research. In a statement, he said the “relentless accusations” had taken a profound toll on him and his “loved ones” and noted his decision should not be mistaken for an acceptance of the claims.
The controversy arrives in the lead-up to the publication of his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, which is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in the US on 11 August, and 27 August in the UK.
Despite the allegations, Simon & Schuster told The Independent earlier this week that it was planning to go forward with the publication as planned.
In a previous interview with The Guardian, Arday claimed Simon & Schuster had offered an unusually high sum of “1.4 million” for the memoir in a “pre-empt” – a type of deal that is struck when a publishing house wants to purchase the manuscript before it goes to auction.
Arday did not specify whether he meant US dollars or pound sterling. Simon & Schuster did not respond to a request to comment on the figure. The Independent has contacted a representative of Arday for comment.
In light of the allegations made against Arday, which also include doubts raised over claims he made about his personal life, including that he once raised £5.5m for charity, The Guardian spoke to publishing sources about the plausibility of such a sum.
One source said that while such an amount is rare, it is conceivable. They noted, however, that a book such as this would typically be expected to sell about 5,000 copies, so with £2 of royalty per copy, that equates to an advance of £10,000.
open image in galleryAnother told the outlet that it would be plausible if Simon & Schuster US and UK teamed up to buy the worldwide rights for his book.
Great and Unfortunate Things recounts the story of Arday’s life, from his early autism diagnosis to becoming the youngest Black professor at Cambridge University. Simon & Schuster described it as “an unforgettable book about resilience and love – and the transformative power of someone who believes in you when the world does not”.
Simon & Schuster has continued to stand by Arday so far. On Wednesday (5 August), a spokesperson told The Independent: “No allegations of plagiarism have been made with respect to Great and Unfortunate Things.
“We direct you to the statement from the University of Cambridge, who said: ‘Professor Arday has been the victim of a vile campaign to undermine his credibility, which must stop. Allegations of plagiarism regarding his thesis and journal publications have been thoroughly investigated by the relevant institution and the journals in question. Professor Arday has been cleared by those investigations of any wrongdoing.’”
Requests for further comment the following day, in light of Arday’s resignation and news of a fresh inquiry by Cambridge University, were not answered.
open image in gallerySpeaking to The Guardian, one publishing executive suggested that Simon & Schuster’s decision to stand by Arday thus far may be down to contractual obligation, noting that if there was a hefty advance involved, they may be more motivated to “recoup” it.
Another publisher said that pulling the book from publication at this late stage would be a “pretty massive decision” due to logistical reasons, such as the fact that they are likely to have already printed the book, paid the author, and begun shopping the book worldwide.
The controversy began in late July after a report by The Telegraph stated that more than 100 passages of Arday’s PhD in education bore similarities to a thesis published six years earlier.
In addition to the plagiarism allegations, doubts have been cast over claims made by Arday about his life achievements, including that he ran 600 miles in six days and that he raised £5.5m for charity. An investigation by The Guardian also raised questions about his claims to have been targeted by knife-wielding masked intruders and sent a pig’s head.
open image in galleryAs per The Times, a manuscript of the book indicates that several of the claims that have been disputed in recent days are absent from the final version, including Arday’s declaration that he raised up to £5.5m for charity.
He has since defended this disputed claim, clarifying that the money was raised over 20 years by a syndicate of 100 people.
The situation Simon & Schuster currently finds itself in echoes that of a similar publishing scandal last year, when Raynor and Moth Winn were accused of fabricating the story behind the bestselling memoir The Salt Path, published by Penguin Random House in 2019.