Authors back Sally Rooney as publisher halts sales over UK laws

Hundreds of authors have signed an open letter calling for government action to support author Sally Rooney and her publisher Faber, according to reports by The Bookseller. Book Riot reported that Rooney and Faber agreed to pull her books from the United Kingdom market in reaction to the British government banning the group Palestine Action. The Indian Express also reported on Rooney's decision to boycott the market. [1][2][3][4]

Book Riot reported that current British legislation prevents Faber from passing on UK earnings to Rooney for her work because of her support for Palestine Action. Statement details from Faber provided to Book Riot noted that selling an author's work without being able to transfer earnings created an unconscionable situation for the publisher. Consequently, Faber has stopped supplying Rooney's works to British booksellers in all formats. [4]

Rooney is an Irish author who wrote the novels Conversations with Friends, Normal People, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and Intermezzo. As FTMQ Books reported earlier, British anti-terrorism legislation prevents Rooney from receiving royalties due to her support for Palestine Action, which is a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom. Rooney also cancelled a planned trip to the United Kingdom over fears of arrest. [5][8]

The open letter demands government action to resolve the situation surrounding Rooney and Faber. The move leaves Rooney's titles unavailable through United Kingdom booksellers while the legal barriers remain in place. [2][3][4]