Nigerian author Jerry Falade has lost a reported $2 million publishing deal for his debut crime novel after concerns emerged over whether artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the writing or editing process.
Falade’s highly anticipated novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, was withdrawn from sale by his literary agents despite reportedly attracting an offer of more than $2 million from Minotaur, an imprint of Macmillan US.
The deal was reportedly secured after a 14-way auction, with the novel initially scheduled for publication
in 2028.
In the UK, the manuscript also attracted several six-figure bids through a competitive publishing process.
In an email to publishers, Falade’s agents said they could no longer verify how the manuscript had developed from its original concept to its completed form.
“Jerry Falade produced an incredible manuscript that dazzled us and the top publishing professionals around the world. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion.”
The agents said they had previously discussed AI use with Falade during the submission process and accepted his assurance that the technology had not been used as a writing or editorial resource.
“During the submission process we vetted the manuscript with Jerry for AI and felt trusting in his reassurance that it was written without utilising AI as a resource in the writing or editorial process. We can no longer substantiate that, and we are withdrawing the book.”
Falade’s US agent, Marc Gerald of Europa Content, told the Bookseller that he first read the manuscript in June and was immediately impressed by its quality.
Gerald described the book as “stunningly good, everyone fell in love with it. It’s a book that appeals to absolutely everyone.”
However, he said an editor raised concerns about possible AI use halfway through the submission process.
Gerald said Europa Content decided against using AI-detection software to examine the manuscript because Falade had provided what he considered a “clear and credible” explanation.
The agency later decided to sever ties with Falade following a meeting on July 29, when, according to Gerald, “aspects of [Falade’s] story changed”.
Gerald said the agency’s decision was based on its “need to have total faith” in the author.
He also maintained that the quality of the manuscript itself was not in question.
“We feel terrible for putting this into the universe and the firestorm it has caused,” Gerald said. “The book itself is genius – however it came to be drafted, it’s amazing.”
Falade has rejected allegations that he used AI and accused the publishing industry of racial bias in its response to the controversy.
In a statement, he said: “Three Black authors received major publishing deals this year, and all three later had deals cancelled or disrupted following suspicions about AI. There seems to be a troubling assumption that when a Black writer produces work that attracts significant attention, the work could not possibly be their own. Meanwhile, there are popular white writers who have publicly mentioned using AI for their writing processes and they’re still doing fine.”
Falade did not name the other authors he referenced, but two Black US authors, Mia Ballard and HM Wolfe, have faced similar AI allegations this year. Both have denied using AI.
Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl had its US release withdrawn by Hachette after online rumours that she had relied on AI, allegations she denied.
Falade said his own situation escalated quickly after rumours began circulating.
“In my case, rumours began circulating and, within six hours, I had been dropped by my agency, deals were paused, and press releases were being issued.”
He also questioned the reliability of AI-detection software, saying such tools “are widely known to produce false positives”.
Falade argued that the manuscript had already been scrutinised by several publishing professionals before attracting major offers.
He said the novel had “passed through first readers, second readers, editors, and acquisitions teams at numerous publishing houses … If the manuscript had shown genuine signs of being generated by AI, it is difficult to believe that every one of those experienced professionals would have failed to notice.”
The controversy comes as the publishing industry continues to grapple with the growing use of AI in creative writing and questions over how publishers should verify the origins of manuscripts.
Vanguard News
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