"We have no responsibility to publish any single book. It is easy and fulfilling to publish books that bolster our own beliefs. It is also easy to say that anyone can self-publish a book these days, so we don't have to worry that their views will reach the public. Someone else will take care of that. It is easy to feel safe and to be safe.
"But as we face these decisions, I hope we will decide to stand for what is right, not for what is easy. I hope we will apply the principles of the First Amendment and have the courage to resist the great power of polarized opinion. I hope we are brave and I hope to be brave."
--Macmillan CEO John Sargent in remarks at the recent PEN Literary Gala, where he received the 2017 PEN Publisher Honoree Award (via Bookselling This Week)