Sally Rooney's books can no longer be supplied in the UK, Faber says
The publisher said it had agreed with the Irish author that her works cannot be supplied in Britain in any format, because current legislation prevents it from passing her UK earnings on to her while she supports Palestine Action.
Faber has said it can no longer supply Sally Rooney's books in the UK in any format, after agreeing the position with the Irish author. The publisher said current UK legislation means it cannot pass Rooney her earnings from UK sales, after she declared her intention to continue supporting Palestine Action, the group proscribed by the British Government last year.
In its statement on Wednesday, Faber said that "we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format", while confirming that it would continue to sell her books outside the UK.
Rooney set out her own position in a statement reported by The Times. She said she had written an opinion piece in August 2025 intending to continue supporting Palestine Action, which is not proscribed in Ireland, and that fulfilling her UK publishing contracts could now constitute a serious criminal offence. "I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences," she said.
I am wholly prepared to accept the consequencesSally Rooney, in a statement reported by The Times
The practical effect has already reached readers. The Times reported that Rooney's titles have been pulled as ebooks and audiobooks, and that Audible now tells customers it "does not currently have the rights to sell this title in your country/region". Booksellers can sell the stock they already hold, the paper reported, but will not be resupplied.
Palestine Action was proscribed last year, shortly after a break-in at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June 2025. The Times reported that supporting the group has been a criminal offence since 5 July 2025, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Rooney had warned that this moment might come. She previously gave a witness statement in the High Court challenge to the proscription brought by Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the group, saying her books could be withdrawn from sale. The High Court ruled in Ammori's favour in February, the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June, and an appeal is due to be heard by the Supreme Court next month. More than 3,000 people have been arrested over displays of support for the group.
Rooney is one of the most commercially successful novelists of her generation, the author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Her most recent novel, Intermezzo, was published in September 2024. For now, British readers who want her books in print will have to rely on the copies already sitting on bookshop shelves.
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