8 hours ago
8
Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter
Publishing house Penguin has said it "undertook all the necessary due diligence" before releasing The Salt Path, after a series of claims about the book's veracity.
A recent Observer investigation claimed English author Raynor Winn fabricated or gave misleading information about some elements of her 2018 non-fiction best-seller.
Penguin Michael Joseph said it had not received any concerns about the book's content prior to the Observer's story, and that it had a contract with Winn regarding factual accuracy.
Winn has described the Observer's article as "highly misleading" and said the couple are taking legal advice, adding that the book was "the true story of our journey".
The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, told the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home is repossessed.
The Observer alleged Winn had misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home.
Rather than losing money in a bad business deal, as the book described, the newspaper said the couple had lost their home after Winn had defrauded her employer of £64,000.
According to the Observer, the couple borrowed £100,000 to pay back the money Winn had been accused of stealing, and it was when this loan was called in that their home was repossessed.
It also said it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about her husband Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD) as she described in the book, given his long survival after diagnosis, lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them.
In a statement issued to BBC News, the publisher said: "Penguin (Michael Joseph) published the Salt Path in 2018 and, like many readers, we were moved and inspired by Raynor's story and its message of hope.
"Penguin undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence, including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read, as is standard with most works of non-fiction."
A legal read means the book would have been looked over by a lawyer before its publication.
"Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content," the publisher added.
In her statement released earlier this week, Winn said: "[Sunday's] Observer article is highly misleading.
"We are taking legal advice and won't be making any further comment at this time."
The statement continued: "The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives.
"This is the true story of our journey."
The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication in March 2018, and a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released earlier this year.
A spokeswoman for Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features, who made the screen adaptation, said in a statement on Monday: "There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film."
Their statement called the movie "a faithful adaptation of the book that we optioned", adding, "we undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book".
"The allegations made in The Observer relate to the book and are a matter for the author Raynor Winn," it concluded. "We have passed any correspondence relating to the article to Raynor and her agent."
The film adaptation has taken around $16m (£11.7m) at the box office worldwide. The movie is yet to launch in Germany and France, while a deal is reportedly still pending in the US, according to Deadline.
After the Observer's article was published, the charity PSPA, which supports people with CBD and has worked with Raynor and Moth Winn, said "too many questions currently remain unanswered" and that it had "made the decision to terminate our relationship with the family".
Winn has also withdrawn from the forthcoming Saltlines tour, which would have seen her perform readings alongside folk music act Gigspanner Big Band during a string of UK dates.
A statement from Winn's legal team said the author was "deeply sorry to let down those who were planning to attend the Saltlines tour, but while this process is ongoing, she will be unable to take part".
