Jerry Falade debut novel loses $2m deal amid AI questions
The Jerry Falade debut novel Call Me, I'll Hide the Body lost a reported multimillion-dollar publishing deal after agents withdrew the manuscript, saying they could no longer authenticate how it was written amid questions over AI use — claims Falade firmly denies.
Key Takeaways
- Agents pulled Jerry Falade's debut crime manuscript after a heated multimillion-dollar auction.
- Minotaur, owned by Macmillan US, had reportedly offered about $2.4m for the book and a follow-up.
- Falade denies any AI use and says the fallout reflects racial bias in publishing.
- Buyers worry AI-linked text can cloud copyright and clear title for book and screen rights.
- Film and TV interest cooled after the withdrawal, leaving the project's future unclear.
According to The Guardian, Falade's hotly pursued crime debut was withdrawn by his agents despite a reported offer of more than $2m (£1.5m) from Minotaur as part of a 14-way U.S. auction, with a planned 2028 publication.
Deadline reported the figure as a $2.4 million deal for the novel and a follow-up. The manuscript had also drawn competitive six-figure interest in the U.K. and rising film and TV heat before the brakes slammed on.
Why did the Jerry Falade debut novel deal fall apart?
In an email to publishers seen by The Guardian and Deadline, agents said Falade produced an "incredible manuscript" that dazzled industry professionals. They added they could "no longer…authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion."
During submission, they said they vetted the book with Falade and trusted his assurance it was written without AI in the writing or editorial process. They can "no longer substantiate that," the email said, and withdrew the book.
U.S. agent Marc Gerald of Europa Content told The Bookseller, via The Guardian, that an editor raised AI concerns mid-process. After a 29 July meeting when "aspects of [Falade's] story changed," the agency cut ties, citing a need for "total faith."
What is Call Me, I'll Hide the Body about?
Deadline described the unpublished thriller's protagonist, Femi Johnson, as a "cleaner" who trades origins in Lagos, Nigeria, for a chemistry PhD in Houston. His skill at making bodies disappear draws him into work for a cartel operator — and into danger.
That premise helped fuel comparisons to breakout publishing-to-screen phenomena, until AI authenticity questions froze momentum among international publishers and screen buyers.
Why do AI questions matter so much to publishers?
Deadline reported a hard commercial reason beyond reputation: publishers and studios may struggle to register copyright and secure a clear title chain if AI elements are in the mix, because AI-aided text can blend other copyrighted works.
Falade rejected the AI claims in a statement to The Guardian and argued the response reflected racial bias, noting other Black authors whose deals were disrupted after similar suspicions. He said AI detectors are known for false positives and that many industry readers had already vetted the book.
For more on how generative tools are reshaping creative industries, see BlasterPost's Future Tech & AI Wonders hub. The case is a sharp signal that authorship provenance is now a deal-breaker as much as storytelling craft.