A letter of advice written by David Irving in the Public Interest to Barbara Cherish, an American author, the daughter of the hanged Auschwitz commandant, who had contemplated selling rights in her memoirs to the dishonest publisher Langen Müller Verlag, of Munich.

To:
Barbara Cherish,
California, USA

[Name withheld]

London, Saturday, December 19, 1998

Dear Barbara,

Thank you for the letter (fax). Who on earth advised you to go to Langen Müller Verlag? -- Shoot him! I would never allow LM to publish a book by me again.

LM are dishonest cheapskates. I have not seen a royalty statement from LM for three years, because they are stealing my royalties. LM lost the rights in my Hitler's War biography; it went out of print, and rights reverted to me.

Behind my back, LM sold rights to an extreme right-wing publishing house, Druffel Verlag, although my Munich lawyer warned them not to. Druffel paid LM DM8,000 marks for these "rights". I have not been paid a penny.

I heard of this only by accident, and Langen Müller have not informed me at all. Other famous LM authors (Rolf Hochhuth, Jim Bacque, etc) tell me the same horror-stories, e.g. of pirate extra editions of their works, which LM conceal so as not to pay royalties.

I bought 100 copies of Hitler's War from them once, paying cash, and there was no trace on the subsequent royalty statement of any sales that month! In fact the invoice had the mysterious entry that the books were "free". Not so.

The publisher, Dr Fleissner, lives in a costly mansion, at the expense of his authors whom he has cheated.

I am so glad you told me in good time. I have warned several other authors against LM. You will find a far better and more reputable German publisher when the time comes.

Yours sincerely,

David Irving
FOCAL POINT PUBLICATIONS
e-mail: [email protected]

POSTED ON WEBSITE 19.12.98

Für einen in diesem Zusammenhang stehenden Briefwechsel Februar - März 1998 zwischen Herrn Irving and Dr Herbert Fleissner, Geschäftsführer, Langen-Müller Verlag, hier anklicken.