Bookshops in shock but support Sally Rooney and Faber after UK distribution ends
Sally Rooney’s bestselling novels will no longer be sold in Britain because of her support for banned protest group Palestine Action, the Irish author and her publisher had announced.
Rooney said that UK publication of her books, which include Normal People and Conversations with Friends, could “constitute a serious criminal offence” since she pledged royalties from her work to Palestine Action.
“After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK,” she said.
Palestine Action’s proscription in the UK has been highly contentious, with priests, teachers and pensioners among thousands of people arrested at demonstrations for holding signs in support of the group.
The Supreme Court is due to hear an appeal against the government’s ban this autumn. In June the Court of Appeal upheld the ban, which was approved by MPs in July 2025 after two planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton.
Showing support for a proscribed terrorist group can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Faber said current UK legislation meant it could not “pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney .
It added: “As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format.”
“To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.
Faber added: “We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories.”
Her ebooks are no longer available on Amazon, although existing print copies were still on sale at booksellers.
Waterstones, the bookseller, has stated they “no longer be able to supply new stock of Sally Rooney’s work”, the publisher had “confirmed there are no restrictions on existing stock of her titles, and these will continue to be available”.
Rooney did not refer to sales in the US, where the government designated Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in August amid a White House crackdown on leftwing groups.
Dealing with themes of class, communication and relationships between friends and romantic partners, Rooney’s books have struck a chord with young adults in particular, lifting her to the top of UK and international bestseller lists.
Rooney has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK, according to NielsenIQ BookData.
Normal People was published in 2018 and turned into a hit TV series two years later.
Rooney’s other novels are Intermezzo, Conversations With Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You.
