Nigerian author, Jerry Falade has lost a publishing deal reportedly worth more than $2 million after concerns emerged that artificial intelligence may have been used in writing or editing his debut crime novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body. The book, scheduled for release in 2028, had sparked a bidding war involving 14 publishing houses before Macmillan US’s Minotaur imprint secured a two-book deal with Falade, while HarperCollins picked up the UK rights.

The deal collapsed after Falade’s literary agency, Europa Content, withdrew the manuscript, saying it could no longer verify that AI had not been involved in creating the book. In an email sent to publishers, the agency said it had initially trusted Falade’s assurance that the manuscript was written and edited without AI, but later concluded it could no longer authenticate how the book evolved from its original draft to its final version. Marc Gerald of Europa Content said an editor first flagged possible AI use partway through the submission process, and although the agency did not run the manuscript through AI-detection software at the time, it cut ties with Falade after a July 29 meeting in which he said aspects of Falade’s account had changed.

Falade, a graduate student based in Dallas, has denied using AI to write the novel and insists he only used it for research purposes. He has described himself as innocent and argued that the accusations are racially motivated, claiming Black authors face disproportionate scrutiny when they land major deals, while pointing out that some white authors openly admit to using AI without facing similar backlash.

He also referenced two other Black American authors who lost publishing deals earlier this year over similar allegations, saying the pattern reflects how the contributions of writers of colour are often questioned.

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