Well, it’s been a quiet day in the book world…Wait, no it hasn’t.

Stephen King Acknowledges Damage to Clowning Industry

Bravely taking to Twitter, Stephen King has taken the first step in a reconciliation with his longtime foe — clowns. The famed horror writer acknowledged that his murderous clown — Pennywise, from the novel It — has caused the goofball industry significant damage over the years. And while King stopped short of taking full responsibility, “sorry” is a start.

However, with the trailer for the new film adaptation of It reaching nearly 200,000,000 views within a day of release, it seems likely that the problem may very well continue, or even worsen. Clowning industry veteran reportedly called the situation “very bad.” Not pie-in-the-face bad, but definitely worse than whoopie-cushions. [The Huffington Post/Katherine Brooks]

Indonesian X-Men Illustrator Faces Religious Backlash

Marvel and artist Ardian Syaf are facing criticism this week over illustrations that were inclucded in the most recent X-Men: Gold release. Images inside the comic included “212” and “QS 5:51” in background detail. Those figures are reportedly a reference to Tjahaja Purnama, the first Christian mayor of Jakarta, who previously asked residents to disregard a verse from the Qu’ran, Al Maidah 5:51, that instructs Muslims not to be led by non-Muslims. (“212” refers to a protest against Purnama.) Taking to Facebook, Syaf apologized for his actions and wrote “my career is over now.” [The Guardian/Danuta Kean]

Alec Baldwin Complains About Sloppy Memoir Editing

The actor’s new memoir, Nevertheless, is apparently not up to his exacting standards. Baldwin lashed out at publisher HarperCollins, which he admonished for not doing “a proper and forensic edit of the material.” The former 30 Rock star will be updating his promotional Facebook page with corrections as he sees fit. Despire citing “SEVERAL typos and errors” as his primary gripe, Baldwin’s first update concerned an issue of phrasing, with the actor clarifying that his declaration of love for a variety of female co-stars was meant as an admiration of talent rather than an expression of romantic lust. Sounds like a perfectly legitimate beef. [The Guardian/Danuta Kean]