Publishers have confirmed that Russell Brand's books are being removed from sale in the UK following his conviction for rape and sexual assault.
Brand, 51, was found guilty on Thursday at Southwark Crown Court of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was acquitted of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Hodder & Stoughton, which published Brand's bestselling memoir "My Booky Wook," has withdrawn his titles from sale. The publisher stated, "We recognise the courage it took for those who came forward, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by his crimes."
Pan Macmillan, another major British publisher, is in the process of withdrawing Brand's books, including his 2017 novel "Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions" and his 2019 book "Mentors: How to Help and Be Helped." Pan Macmillan declined to comment on whether Brand would receive further royalties.
HarperCollins, which released "Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal" in 2010, also appears to have pulled its Brand titles, as the book is no longer listed on the publisher's website. Canongate confirmed that Brand's 2014 children's retelling, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," has been out of print and unavailable in all formats since September 2023.
"Revolution," Brand's 2014 political manifesto published by Penguin Random House imprint Century, is also no longer available.
UK bookseller Waterstones has removed Brand's books from its shelves and listings online. "Only a handful of copies remain in shops, which will be returned to the publisher in due course," a spokesperson said.
However, Brand's latest book, "How to Become a Christian in Seven Days," published in May by Tucker Carlson Books, remains on sale.
During the trial, extracts from Brand's "My Booky Wook" were presented to the jury, in which he boasted about sexual exploits and attitudes toward women. Prosecutors argued these passages supported the accounts of his accusers. Brand was found guilty of raping a 21-year-old fan after a 2009 stand-up show, groping an MTV worker in 2004, sexually assaulting a Capital Radio worker in 2005, and sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009. He was cleared of other charges, including attempting to drag an MTV worker into a toilet in 2001 and raping a woman after a 1999 conference.
Convictions for rape can carry a life sentence, with standard maximum determinate sentences often reaching up to 19 years. Sexual assault convictions carry a maximum sentence of 10 years per count. Mr. Justice Bentham informed Brand at the court that "the consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term."