The publishing world has once again set itself on fire, this time over a debut crime novel that was supposed to be the next big thing, until someone whispered the forbidden words: “Uh… did a robot write this?”
Jerry Falade’s Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body was cruising toward a $2m deal, a 14‑way auction, and a 2028 release date. Then his agents abruptly yanked the manuscript from circulation, presumably while sprinting away from it like it was ticking.
In an email to publishers, the agents announced that Falade had produced an “incredible manuscript that dazzled us and top publishing professionals around the world.”
But now, they say, they “are no longer able to authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion.”
They explained that they had “vetted the manuscript with Jerry for AI” and trusted his reassurance that he didn’t use it. Unfortunately, they can “no longer substantiate that.”
Translation: "We didn’t run it through an AI detector because he seemed nice." Although AI translators are a complete scam anyway.
The US agent, Marc Gerald, said he first read the book in June and that it was “stunningly good” and “appeals to absolutely everyone.” Which, to be fair, is exactly the kind of suspiciously universal praise people give right before discovering the author may have had help from something with a GPU.
Halfway through submissions, an editor raised concerns about “signs of potential AI use.” Europa Content decided not to check with software because Falade’s explanation was “clear and credible.”
ie..... "we believed him until he said something different later, and now we’re in crisis mode."
After a meeting on 29 July, when “aspects of Falade’s story changed,” the agency cut ties, citing the “need to have total faith.”
Gerald added: “We feel terrible for putting this into the universe and the firestorm it has caused. The book itself is genius – however it came to be drafted, it’s amazing.”
Seems like they meant- "We still love the book, we just don’t want to be sued, cancelled, or yelled at on X."
Falade, meanwhile, denies using AI and says the whole thing reflects racial bias in publishing, which, given the industry’s track record, is not exactly an implausible subplot.
So now the hottest manuscript of the year is in limbo, the agents are hiding under their desks, and the rest of publishing is clutching its pearls while pretending it knows how to handle AI or what is AI and what is not.
And somewhere, possibly, an innocent author is sitting there thinking:
"I wrote a great book and now everyone thinks I’m secretly three ChatGPTs in a trench coat."
Falade denies using AI and says the response reflects deeper issues in publishing, which, given the industry’s long history of selective scepticism, is not exactly an outlandish observation.
The author Falade rejected claims that he had used AI and said the response reflected racial bias in publishing.
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."
So now the most talked‑about manuscript of the year is in limbo, the agents are performing crisis management yoga, and the rest of publishing is pretending it has a coherent policy on AI.
And somewhere, an author who genuinely wrote his book is sitting there thinking:
"I finally got my big break, and it got cancelled because everyone is terrified of robots."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...e-the-body
Jerry Falade’s Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body was cruising toward a $2m deal, a 14‑way auction, and a 2028 release date. Then his agents abruptly yanked the manuscript from circulation, presumably while sprinting away from it like it was ticking.
In an email to publishers, the agents announced that Falade had produced an “incredible manuscript that dazzled us and top publishing professionals around the world.”
But now, they say, they “are no longer able to authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion.”
They explained that they had “vetted the manuscript with Jerry for AI” and trusted his reassurance that he didn’t use it. Unfortunately, they can “no longer substantiate that.”
Translation: "We didn’t run it through an AI detector because he seemed nice." Although AI translators are a complete scam anyway.
The US agent, Marc Gerald, said he first read the book in June and that it was “stunningly good” and “appeals to absolutely everyone.” Which, to be fair, is exactly the kind of suspiciously universal praise people give right before discovering the author may have had help from something with a GPU.
Halfway through submissions, an editor raised concerns about “signs of potential AI use.” Europa Content decided not to check with software because Falade’s explanation was “clear and credible.”
ie..... "we believed him until he said something different later, and now we’re in crisis mode."
After a meeting on 29 July, when “aspects of Falade’s story changed,” the agency cut ties, citing the “need to have total faith.”
Gerald added: “We feel terrible for putting this into the universe and the firestorm it has caused. The book itself is genius – however it came to be drafted, it’s amazing.”
Seems like they meant- "We still love the book, we just don’t want to be sued, cancelled, or yelled at on X."
Falade, meanwhile, denies using AI and says the whole thing reflects racial bias in publishing, which, given the industry’s track record, is not exactly an implausible subplot.
So now the hottest manuscript of the year is in limbo, the agents are hiding under their desks, and the rest of publishing is clutching its pearls while pretending it knows how to handle AI or what is AI and what is not.
And somewhere, possibly, an innocent author is sitting there thinking:
"I wrote a great book and now everyone thinks I’m secretly three ChatGPTs in a trench coat."
Falade denies using AI and says the response reflects deeper issues in publishing, which, given the industry’s long history of selective scepticism, is not exactly an outlandish observation.
The author Falade rejected claims that he had used AI and said the response reflected racial bias in publishing.
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."
So now the most talked‑about manuscript of the year is in limbo, the agents are performing crisis management yoga, and the rest of publishing is pretending it has a coherent policy on AI.
And somewhere, an author who genuinely wrote his book is sitting there thinking:
"I finally got my big break, and it got cancelled because everyone is terrified of robots."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...e-the-body
