Sally Rooney books are leaving the UK market. Faber, her British publisher, says it won’t supply her work there in any format anymore, because UK law blocks it from paying her while she’s pledged her earnings to Palestine Action, a group the British government has proscribed.
“Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work,” Faber said in a statement. “To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.” The publisher said the decision was made “in full agreement with Sally” and that it’ll keep selling her books in other territories.
Rooney Says She’s Ready for the Consequences
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July 2025, making membership in or support for the group a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The next month, Rooney wrote in The Irish Times that she’d keep supporting the group and use proceeds from her work to do it. She later skipped a UK trip to accept a prize over fears she’d be arrested.
Rooney told BBC News that “the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offense.” She added, “I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences.” She also pointed out that Palestine Action isn’t a proscribed group in Ireland.
The ebook editions are already gone from UK stores. Physical copies are another matter. Waterstones said Faber advised there were no restrictions on booksellers keeping their current stock on shelves, so her novels can still turn up in shops for now.
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Sally Rooney books have sold more than six million copies worldwide, including 2.3 million in the UK, according to NielsenIQ BookData. Her four novels are Conversations With Friends, Normal People, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and Intermezzo.
A Bestseller Off the UK Market
Normal People came out in 2018 and became a hit TV series two years later, launching the careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Conversations With Friends was also adapted for television by the BBC.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori praised Rooney for taking “a brave and principled stand from the moment plans to ban Palestine Action were announced.” Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said the situation showed the “complete absurdity of the proscription of Palestine Action,” and Labour MP John McDonnell said he doesn’t want anyone in the UK “to miss out on her wonderful writing.” When it banned the group, the government pointed to its “long history” of criminal damage.
The Ban Heads to the UK Supreme Court
The proscription itself is still being fought in court. Ammori challenged it, and the High Court declared the ban unlawful in February 2026 before the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June. The UK Supreme Court is set to hear her appeal on November 4 and 5.
More than 3,700 people are believed to have been arrested in the UK over alleged support for Palestine Action, and about 2,500 have been charged, though none have gone to trial while the legal challenge plays out, according to the BBC.
Did Faber make the right call by pulling Sally Rooney books from the UK, or should the publisher have found another way? Sound off and let us know!
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