Irish novelist Sally Rooney has agreed with her publisher, Faber, to stop supplying her books to UK booksellers, citing legal risks arising from her declared support for Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Rooney said the fulfilment of publishing contracts in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence. "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 said.
Faber confirmed the decision, stating that current UK legislation had created circumstances in which the publisher could not pass on UK earnings to Rooney. "To sell a writer's work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher," Faber said. "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."
The publisher added: "We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories."
Ebook editions of Rooney's titles have already been removed from sale in the UK. Many bookshops, however, still hold existing physical stock. Waterstones confirmed that Faber had advised there were no restrictions on booksellers retaining and selling copies already in their possession.
Rooney has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK, according to NielsenIQ BookData. Her novels include Normal People, Intermezzo, Conversations With Friends, and Beautiful World, Where Are You. Normal People was published in 2018 and later adapted into a television series, helping to launch the careers of actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, citing what it described as the group's "long history" of criminal damage. Palestine Action's activities have included targeting arms companies linked to Israel's war in Gaza.
In August 2025, Rooney published an opinion piece in which she stated her intention to continue supporting Palestine Action financially, noting that the group is not proscribed in the Republic of Ireland. She also cancelled a planned trip to the UK to collect an award, citing fears of arrest.
In her Wednesday statement, Rooney said: "In July 2025, the direct-action protest group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The following month, I wrote an opinion piece expressing my intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, which is not a proscribed or otherwise prohibited group here in the Republic of Ireland."
She added: "As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence. 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."
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori said Rooney had taken "a brave and principled stand from the moment plans to ban Palestine Action were announced." Ammori described the withdrawal of the author's work as "a new low in the escalating assault on free speech caused by the proscription of Palestine Action."
More than 3,700 people are believed to have been arrested in the UK over alleged support of Palestine Action. Around 2,500 have been charged, though none have gone to trial. A legal challenge to the proscription is ongoing and is due to be heard by the Supreme Court next month.
