Sally Rooney and Faber stop supplying her books in the UK
Faber says UK legislation has left it unable to pass earnings from Rooney’s work to her. The author says the decision has her full agreement.
Sally Rooney and her publisher Faber said on October 14 that her books will no longer be supplied in the UK, affecting readers seeking her work there in any format. Faber says current UK legislation has left it unable to pass her earnings from UK sales to her, and Rooney says the decision has her full agreement.
Faber called selling a writer’s work without being able to pass on the earnings an ‘unconscionable situation for a publisher.’ That is the publisher’s explanation for stopping UK supply; the reporting does not establish the precise legal mechanism preventing payment. Faber said it would continue selling Rooney’s books in other territories.
Which Sally Rooney books are affected
Normal People, Conversations with Friends and Intermezzo are among the affected titles, according to the AFP report published by ABC News. Faber’s statement applies to Rooney’s works in any format in the UK. Its decision therefore reaches beyond the availability of a particular edition or one of her novels, while its plans for other territories differ from those for the UK.
Rooney said she had tried to be honest with the public about her beliefs and intentions and was ‘wholly prepared to accept the consequences.’ She said Faber made its decision with her full agreement. Her remarks place her own position alongside the publisher’s stated payment problem in explaining the announcement.
Why Palestine Action is part of the decision
Rooney previously said she would donate earnings to Palestine Action. TheJournal.ie reports that she made that commitment in an Irish Times column published in August 2025. AFP, in the ABC News report, says the UK proscription of Palestine Action makes it illegal there to be a member of the group, support it or finance it. Faber attributes its inability to pass on Rooney’s UK earnings to current legislation.
The legal backdrop has been contested in court. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the High Court ruled in February 2026 that the government’s decision to outlaw Palestine Action was unlawful, while the ban remained in place pending another hearing. TheJournal.ie reports that the Court of Appeal ruled in June 2026 that the proscription was lawful. The available accounts do not explain the procedural relationship between those rulings.
Rooney has also canceled an upcoming UK trip because she feared arrest, according to the AFP report published by ABC News. That reported decision concerns her own travel; Faber’s announcement concerns the supply of her books to UK readers. Neither account establishes a date for a return to UK sales.
Correction: An earlier version attributed the ABC News report to Reuters. The report is credited to AFP; Reuters supplied a photograph.
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Sources and context
- Sally Rooney Speaks Out on Her Books Being Removed from U.K. Shelves Over Palestine Action Support: ‘I am Wholly Prepared to Accept the Consequences’Variety
- Sally Rooney’s Books Pulled From U.K. Shelves Amid Controversy Over Palestine Action SupportThe Hollywood Reporter
- Sally Rooney pulls books from UK over her support for Palestine ActionABC News (AFP report)
- Sally Rooney's books will no longer be published in UK due to her support for Palestine ActionTheJournal.ie
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.