What to know about Skyhorse Publishing, the literary group behind Melania Trump's upcoming memoir
Skyhorse Publishing has worked with several controversial authors like Woody Allen, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Alex Jones and Alan Dershowitz.
The promotion behind former first lady Melania Trump’s forthcoming memoir, Melania, has raised a few eyebrows in the last week. Trump, who seemingly does not have a book tour or interviews planned, has been posting videos on her social media feeds detailing her past modeling work, motherhood and the 2022 FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago.
The publishing house releasing the book on Oct. 8 has had a tumultuous history of its own. Skyhorse Publishing has built its reputation as a conservative-leaning company that describes itself as “against censorship,” to the point where it has published several controversial writers and books.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s book release, here’s what we know about the literary house behind it.
What is Skyhorse Publishing?
Skyhorse Publishing is a relatively small independent publisher based in Manhattan with over 10,000 titles in print. It has built its reputation on publishing books and authors that other publishers have deemed too controversial.
Tony Lyons, the company’s founder, told Vanity Fair in a 2020 interview that what sets Skyhorse apart is it “being open to publishing books that other people might not.”
“We believe in free speech, take a strong stance against cancel culture, and live by the rule that it’s important to err on the side of letting even unpopular voices be heard,” he said.
Lyons and Skyhorse Publishing did not immediately respond to Yahoo News’ requests for comment.
The company’s site reiterates the brand’s anti-censorship stance.
“Our mission is to work hard, move fast, have fun, make money and change lives for the better by publishing superior books on a wide range of topics from as many differing viewpoints as possible,” it says.
What other books has Skyhorse published?
The company’s author list includes major conservative political figures like former President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Roger Stone.
Alan Dershowitz, who served on legal defense teams for Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, has published multiple books through Skyhorse, including his 2023 book denying allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, published his memoir through the group as well.
Scandal-ridden writers like Woody Allen, Blake Bailey, who wrote Philip Roth’s biography, and Norman Mailer all have had works published through Skyhorse, with Mailer’s being posthumous.
Lyons told the New York Times last year that the only time he’s drawn the line was with Alex Jones, who wanted to write about his conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a government hoax. Skyhorse has published other works by Jones.
The company has also published at least a dozen books that share conspiracy theories about COVID-19 — some written by Lyons himself — including one of its bestselling books, Kennedy’s The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health.
Alleged internal issues at Skyhorse
A Vanity Fair report from 2020 cited interviews of over 20 current and former Skyhorse staff members who alleged it was a toxic company culture, with harassment, burnout, little pay and an emphasis on quantity over quality when it came to book production.
In response to a question about fact-checking books, Lyons told the publication, “We want a book to make a strong argument,” and “it’s dangerous to assume that just because you disagree with the conclusions of the book, it’s therefore inaccurate and should be censored.”
Lyons has been open about his skepticism of vaccines, even authoring several books on the topic. Vanity Fair noted that Skyhorse has not published any books in favor of vaccines because, as Lyons put it, the argument for them is “so well-covered.”
Along with Lyons, Mark Gorton, an investor in Skyhorse and a co-chairman of the American Values 2024 PAC — which supported Kennedy — has been open about his conspiracy beliefs, including that Lyndon B. Johnson was behind the John F. Kennedy assassination and that the U.S. government was behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
What can we expect from Melania Trump’s memoir?
Melania Trump has been described as an intensively private person for years and has hidden more in the shadows during this election cycle than ever before.
Not much is known about her upcoming book — even to her husband, who during a campaign rally in Uniondale, N.Y., admitted he hadn’t read the book yet.
“Go out and get her book. She just wrote a book. I hope she said good things about — I don’t know, I didn’t... so busy,” he said. “If she says bad things about me, I’ll call you all up and I’ll say, ‘Don’t buy it, get rid of it.’”
