Pan Macmillan and Hodder pull Brand books after rape conviction
Pan Macmillan and Hodder & Stoughton confirmed they are withdrawing Russell Brand's titles after his conviction at Southwark crown court
Pan Macmillan and Hodder & Stoughton have confirmed they are withdrawing Russell Brand's books from sale, the Guardian reported, after Brand, 51, was found guilty at Southwark crown court on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was cleared of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Pan Macmillan said the withdrawal of Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions (2017) and Mentors: How to Help and Be Helped (2019) is under way, and that it held no existing stock because the books had not been reprinted due to lack of demand. It declined to say whether Brand would receive further royalties. Hodder & Stoughton confirmed it has withdrawn Brand's titles, including My Booky Wook, the 2007 Christmas No 1 bestseller. HarperCollins appears to have removed Booky Wook 2 from its website; it has been contacted for comment.
Canongate told the Guardian its Brand title, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, has been out of print in all editions since September 2023. A Century spokesperson confirmed Revolution is also out of print. Waterstones said it has removed title listings following publisher confirmation. Brand's most recent book, How to Become a Christian in Seven Days, published in May by Tucker Carlson Books, remains available to buy; the Guardian has approached Skyhorse for comment.
Two publishers moved fast once the verdict landed: Pan Macmillan says the withdrawal of Recovery and Mentors is "under way now," and Hodder has confirmed it is pulling Brand's titles too, including My Booky Wook. But look at the edges of this story, not just the headline. Canongate's Brand title has been out of print since September 2023, and Revolution was already out of print before this week — withdrawal isn't always a reaction to a verdict, sometimes it's a sales report that got there first. And one title, published in May by Tucker Carlson Books, is still for sale, so this isn't an industry-wide freeze — it's publisher by publisher.
From the Coral Wire edition of Sat, Nov 7 2026 · Coral Index 5/100 (Storm warning)