UK literary agent: No mainstream British publisher agreed to take former hostage Eli Sharabi’s memoir

One of Britain’s top literary agents says that none of the large publishing houses in the UK agreed to publish the memoir of former hostage Eli Sharabi.

Neil Blair, who represents JK Rowling, makes the comments at the founding of High Line Publishing Studio, which he says will provide a space for Jewish and Israeli authors who have faced boycotts since October 7.

Blair tells The Times he was “flabbergasted” that none of the large publishers picked up the memoir.

“I’m assuming none of [the publishers] even bothered to read the proposal, as it’s one of the most remarkable books. I think it’s akin to some of the great standout books from the Holocaust, in terms of lessons on how to live one’s life in the face of adversity,” Blair says.

Sharabi’s book was released in the US by Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, but in the UK was published by the independent Swift publisher.