KEY POINTS:
A book touted as a tell-all about New Zealand's media and celebrity industry has been gagged, just as printed and bound editions were poised to hit the shelves.
Bitch and Famous, an autobiographical book by former women's magazines editor Wendyl Nissen, was due to hit bookstore shelves on October 1, having already been postponed by a month, reportedly for legal checks.
But Nissen said she was simply exercising her right not to go ahead with the book after the Australian arm of her publisher HarperCollins wanted her to make changes.
News of the book's conception had sent ripples through the often-intertwined media and celebrity circles, whose secrets Nissen was often privy to.
Nissen, who made her name in the 1990s as the editor of Woman's Day and New Zealand Woman's Weekly, said the book had been through legal checks by defamation lawyer Matthew McClelland and had been approved and printed by HarperCollins New Zealand.
"Then the Australian arm of HarperCollins decided to have a read of it, and they decided at their discretion to pull it, without informing me."
She met with the publishers yesterday morning to go over their reasons.
"I realised that there was no reason. There were no legal challenges, or any issues of that nature, [but] they asked me to make considerable changes, and I refused to."
Under the contract, the publishers can ask her to make changes but if she refuses, the rights revert back to her.
"It was my decision and it was basically based on the fact that I'm very happy with the book that I've written. It's factually accurate. It's my story - it's not like it's a novel or anything else - it's actually my story and I felt like I needed to take back control of it and I didn't want anyone messing with it."
Nissen, who is a Herald on Sunday columnist, presumed the Australian publishers were concerned over legal implications, but never got as far as discussing the changes.
"My thoughts on that matter is that they're Australian. This is a New Zealand book, and I've spent a large amount of my career - as is detailed in the book actually - being bossed around by Australians.
"I think a New Zealand book checked by a New Zealand lawyer, put out by New Zealand publishers, that everyone's happy with, should stand. I wasn't really prepared to listen to any changes they want.
"Had there been a legal challenge, had I got to the meeting and there'd been 'we've got this huge legal letter from someone' I would've taken that seriously obviously. But the fact that there was nothing, and it was just their feelings, I decided to take the option of taking the book back."
Nissen did not rule out getting it published elsewhere but was in no rush to decide.
"I'm just going to stick it in the top drawer for now, and I'm going to go to the caravan and I'm just going to think about it."
HarperCollins NZ publicity manager Sandra Noakes said the book was not going ahead for "legal reasons" but declined to elaborate further.
"It was simply an agreement that came [yesterday] morning between HarperCollins and Wendyl that HarperCollins wouldn't be publishing her book."
She said there was no court injunction nor any threat of legal action. "Not to my knowledge".
