Author and politician J.D. Vance’s second book will no longer be published by HarperCollins, the Associated Press reports.
Vance had been planning to publish A Relevant Faith: Searching for a Meaningful American Christianity with the press, which also put out his debut book, Hillbilly Elegy. But the project is no longer going forward, with a spokesperson for the publisher telling the AP, “Harper and Mr. Vance mutually agreed some time ago not to move forward with the previously contracted book.”
It’s not known why the deal was called off, or whether the planned book will be put out via a different publisher.
Vance, who on Tuesday won the Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio, published Hillbilly Elegy in 2016. The memoir about his poor Appalachian family was a bestseller, and well reviewed by outlets including Kirkus, which called the book “an unusually timely and deeply affecting view of a social class whose health and economic problems are making headlines in this election year.”
It was adapted for a 2020 film directed by Ron Howard that was mostly poorly received.
Vance entered politics in 2021, declaring his candidacy for the Ohio Senate seat. Once a harsh critic of Donald Trump, he recast himself as an ardent supporter of the former president in his primary run. In November, he’ll face off against U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the general election for the seat.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
