UK Publishers Withdraw Russell Brand's Books After Conviction

After Russell Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault, Pan Macmillan and Hodder & Stoughton confirmed they had pulled his books from sale, the Guardian reported on 6 November 2026.

The conviction

At Southwark crown court on Thursday, Brand, 51, was found guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. Jurors cleared him of two further rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault, the Guardian reported.

The case grew out of allegations of sexual offences against six women between 1999 and 2009. Brand denied every charge. In court, prosecutors called him "ruthless" and "a sexual predator" and said he treated women as a "disposable commodity." The Metropolitan police said he remains under investigation over two further rape allegations, according to the Guardian.

While he was in the witness box, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC put passages from My Booky Wook to him in which he wrote crudely about his sexual appetite and his attitudes towards women. Judge Joel Bennathan warned that Brand faced a "significant" prison sentence and remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing on Monday.

What the publishers said

Pan Macmillan's statement, dated 5 November 2026, put the withdrawal in plain terms. A spokesperson said: "Pan Macmillan is withdrawing Russell Brand's books from sale following his conviction, and this process is under way now. We recognise the courage it took for those who came forward, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by his crimes."

Two titles are named: Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions (2017) and Mentors: How to Help and Be Helped (2019). Pan Macmillan told the Guardian it held no existing stock, because the books had not been reprinted for lack of demand, and declined to say whether Brand or his company would receive further royalties. The house said that as a matter of course it does not comment on authors' income.

Hodder & Stoughton confirmed it has withdrawn Brand's books as well. My Booky Wook, which Hodder published, was the Christmas No 1 bestseller in 2007, the same report notes.

HarperCollins published the sequel Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal in 2010 and, the Guardian wrote, "seems to have withdrawn its two titles by Brand as well." The book no longer appears on the publisher's website. HarperCollins has been contacted for comment.

Canongate brought out The Pied Piper of Hamelin, illustrated by Chris Riddell, in 2014. The publisher told the Guardian the book "has been out of print and unavailable in all editions (including ebook and audio) since September 2023."

Revolution, Brand's 2014 political manifesto from Century (an imprint of Penguin Random House), is also out of print, a spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian.

Waterstones told the paper: "Following confirmation from the publishers that the books are being withdrawn from sale, we have removed title listings from our website. Only a handful of copies remain in shops, which will be returned to the publisher in due course."

One recent title is still for sale: How to Become a Christian in Seven Days, published in May by Tucker Carlson Books, an imprint set up by the former Fox News host with the US publisher Skyhorse. The Guardian has approached Skyhorse for comment.

The 2021 contract

The break with Pan Macmillan started well before the verdict. In 2021 Brand signed a £575,000 deal for two self-help books through his company Pablo Diablo's Legitimate Business Firm Ltd; neither book was delivered, the Guardian reported.

After sexual assault allegations emerged in 2023, Pan Macmillan terminated the agreement and, in 2025, sued him for £220,000.

Court documents previously reported by the Times show he received £75,000 for the first book and £142,000 for the second when the contract was signed, and that a ghostwriter was paid £3,000 for a partial draft of the first book written without Brand's input, the Guardian said.

The suit was settled earlier this year for an undisclosed sum. Pan Macmillan told the Guardian it could not comment on the settlement for legal reasons. The house cut ties with Brand in 2023; his agency, Tavistock Wood, also dropped him as a client.

Photo: Russell Brand at the Cambridge Union Society on 13 January 2014. Photo by Cantab12, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.