Publisher pulls Pickton biography

Apologizes to families of victims

Only hours after hitting Amazon. com, an autobiography by serial killer Robert Pickton has been pulled by its publisher.

In a statement Tuesday, Colorado- based Outskirts Press said that it has “ceased publication of this book and is asking Amazon to remove the book from their website.”

Pickton: In His Own Words was handwritten by Pickton and smuggled out of prison by a fellow inmate. The book contains claims of his innocence.

Outskirts Press said Tuesday the book violated its “long- standing policy of not working with, nor publishing work by, incarcerated individuals.”

It’s entirely possible that Correctional Service Canada would have blocked any publication attempts by Pickton, who is incarcerated at B.C.’s Kent Institution. However, he gave the handwritten manuscript to a fellow inmate who in turn mailed it to a friend in California.

That friend, Michael Chilldres, is listed as the author of Pickton: In His Own Words. Reached by the National Post on Monday, Chilldres said he was unaware of the Pickton case before taking on the project as a “favour” to his friend and expressed worry at the attention it had generated. “I didn’t think this book was going to be as big of a deal as it is,” he said.

In its statement, Outskirts Press wrote “Mr. Pickton was apparently unaware of our no- tolerance policy when he devised a plan to publish through an unaffiliated third party, Mr. Chilldres, who claimed to Outskirts Press that he was the sole owner and author of said material.”

The book publisher then apologized for “any additional heartache this may have caused.”

Across Canada, Sunday’s release of the book generated pointed criticism from justice officials, politicians and families of Pickton victims. As of Tuesday, a petition to “tell Amazon to refuse to sell serial killer Robert Pickton’s book!” had generated 55,000 signatures.

B.C. has no law to prevent convicted murderers from profiting from their crimes via book deals. On Monday, however, B. C. Premier Christy Clark promised that such a law would be coming “as quickly as possible.”

Chilldres, who covered the $2,500 cost of publishing the book, said Pickton had surrendered publication rights when turning over the manuscript, and any profits would have been shared between himself and his incarcerated friend.

I DIDN’T THINK THIS BOOK WAS GOING TO BE AS BIG OF A DEAL AS IT IS.