HarperCollins ends sales of David Walliams' entire backlist of children's books

In September 2026, the publisher HarperCollins UK confirmed it would no longer publish the backlist of David Walliams, the comedian and best-selling children's author. A backlist is a writer's existing catalogue, as opposed to new releases.

The move followed a decision in December 2025, when the company said that, after careful consideration and under its new chief executive, it would not publish any new Walliams titles. That earlier step came amid allegations about his behaviour, which Walliams strongly denied.

A HarperCollins spokesperson said the existing books would be withdrawn. According to reports, the process was to be gradual: printed stock in bookshops would go first, followed by e-book and audiobook editions. Some outlets described this as the removal of his entire back catalogue, while others stressed it was a phase-out of remaining stock rather than an instant deletion.

The decision mattered because Walliams' books had been among the best-selling children's titles in Britain for over a decade. Removing them ended one of the biggest publishing relationships in UK children's fiction and added to wider commercial fallout around his name.