Sally Rooney's Books Withdrawn from UK Sale Over Support for Palestine Action

Irish novelist Sally Rooney's books will no longer be supplied to UK booksellers. Faber & Faber announced the decision on 14 October 2026 after Rooney said she intended to continue directing royalties toward Palestine Action, a group the British government has proscribed as a terrorist organization.

Rooney stated that further publication of her work in the UK could constitute a serious criminal offense under current legislation. She and Faber agreed that the publisher would stop supplying her titles in any format within the United Kingdom. Ebook editions were removed from major platforms. Existing physical copies already in shops can still be sold; Waterstones confirmed that restrictions apply only to new stock.

Faber said it could no longer pass on UK earnings to Rooney because of the legal situation and called that outcome unconscionable for a publisher. The company remains her publisher in other territories and will continue to sell her books outside the UK. Rooney's novels, including Normal People and Conversations with Friends, have sold millions of copies globally. Normal People alone has sold more than one million copies in the UK.

Palestine Action was banned shortly after a June 2025 break-in at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton base. The group had targeted companies linked to Israel. Supporting a proscribed organization can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Rooney previously submitted a witness statement in a High Court challenge to the ban, indicating that her plans for royalties could lead to her books being withdrawn.

She said she had made every effort to be honest about her beliefs and was prepared to accept the consequences. The withdrawal does not affect sales outside the UK. Faber has not indicated any change in its overall relationship with the author beyond the UK market.

The case is the most prominent example so far of a major literary publisher halting distribution of an established author's work because of the author's stated financial support for a proscribed group. Booksellers that still hold stock can continue to sell those copies. Once that inventory is exhausted, UK readers will have to obtain the titles from overseas sources or from second-hand markets.

Rooney has not announced any change in her position on Palestine Action. The legal proceedings challenging the ban continue. Until those cases are resolved, the practical effect in the UK is that new copies of her books will not enter the retail supply chain. The decision leaves open the question of whether other authors who have expressed similar support will face comparable commercial consequences.

For readers, the immediate change is limited to the availability of fresh stock. For Faber, the choice was between continuing to sell the books and being unable to remit earnings, or stopping supply. The publisher chose the latter in agreement with the author. The episode adds a concrete commercial dimension to the broader debate over the scope of the terrorism legislation and its application to royalties and publishing contracts.