Sally Rooney's books will no longer be supplied to UK bookshops, after the Irish novelist and her British publisher Faber jointly announced on October 14, 2026 that UK terror legislation prevents the publisher from passing UK earnings to her. Rooney has publicly pledged to donate proceeds from her work to Palestine Action, the direct-action group the British government proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025.
Why Faber stopped supplying Rooney's books
In a statement, Faber said: "Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer's work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher." The publisher 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."
Reports on the announcement cite Section 15 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it an offence to provide money or property to a proscribed organisation, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years. Rooney lives in Ireland, where Palestine Action is not banned, and said in an earlier statement to London's High Court that fulfilling UK publishing contracts "could now constitute a serious criminal offence." Faber will continue to sell her books outside the UK.
Rooney responded: "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." When the group was proscribed last year, she had said: "If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it," adding that she intended to use the proceeds of her work to keep supporting Palestine Action.
Palestine Action and the legal backdrop
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, says its aims are to halt the supply of weapons to Israel and end what it describes as British complicity in Israel's actions in Gaza. The UK government proscribed it in July 2025, shortly after activists broke into the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton, making membership in or support for the group a criminal offence.
The proscription is still being contested. The High Court ruled in February 2026 that the ban was unlawful, but the Court of Appeal overturned that in June. Co-founder Huda Ammori will take the case to the Supreme Court on November 4. Reuters reports more than 3,000 people have been arrested in the UK for holding signs in support of the group.
Reactions on all sides
The decision has split opinion. Education minister Baroness Smith of Malvern told Sky News that Rooney was welcome to support pro-Palestine groups that had not been proscribed. Author Kate Clanchy called the move "performative" and said she was "unnerved" by it.
Some UK bookshops have vowed to keep selling Rooney's novels. The Booksellers Association confirmed shops may sell existing stock but cannot order new copies, and at least one London shop reported wholesalers were already sold out of her backlist. Civil liberties groups have criticised the proscription as chilling protest and free expression.
Rooney, 35, is the author of four novels — "Conversations with Friends," "Normal People," "Beautiful World, Where Are You" and "Intermezzo" — which have sold millions of copies in the UK. She previously cancelled a 2025 trip to Britain to accept a literary prize over concerns she could be arrested. With no new copies entering UK distribution, readers will rely on existing stock — and the wider question of how publishers handle royalties under terror legislation may turn on the Supreme Court's November 4 ruling.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0