The debut thriller, contested by 14 publishers, has become a new AI case

Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body”, a crime novel by debutant Jerry Falade, rose and fell with surprising rapidity, ending up at the center of doubts about the possible use of artificial intelligence. The case, reported by the Wall Street Journal and the Guardian, brought the book from a fierce publishing auction to an abrupt halt in just a few weeks. However, Falade denies having used AI and claims that behind the accusations there is also a prejudice against black authors.

The literary agent Marc Gerald said he signed Falade about a month ago, after reading the manuscript spontaneously sent by the author. Gerald then flew to Dallas to meet with the Southern Methodist University student, and a few days later the book proposal was sent to publishers and Hollywood representatives. “It was enough to read the cover letter and the first chapter to understand that it was truly a fantastic book,” said Gerald, founder ofEuropa Content, a literary agencythat represents, among others, Mel Robbins and Eminem.

Fourteen publishers bid for US rights. The winner of the auction was Minotaur Books, a Macmillan brand, which according to sector publications signed an agreement with Falade for two books worth over 2 million dollars. HarperCollins Publishers has secured the rights for the United Kingdom. The novel was supposed to be published in 2028.

Doubts about the use of AI

Shortly after the closing of the agreements, Europa Content communicated to the publishers that it could no longer support the book, after concerns had emerged about the author’s possible use of artificial intelligence. In an email to publishers seen by the Guardian, the agency explained that Falade had produced “an incredible manuscript” that had impressed some of the world’s leading publishing professionals, but that it was no longer able to verify how the text had developed from origin to final version.

During the process of submitting the book to publishers, the agency had raised the issue of AI with the author and initially found his assurances that it had not been used in either writing or editing credible. However, Europa Content later said it was no longer able to confirm those reassurances and therefore withdrew the book.

Gerald said that, during the presentation of the manuscript to the publishers, one of them had pointed out some passages in which the tone and rhythm raised doubts about the possible use of artificial intelligence. However, the agency decided not to submit the text to AI detection software because the explanations provided by Falade appeared “clear and credible”.

The situation changed after a new meeting with the author on July 29th. According to Gerald, “some aspects” of Falade’s reconstruction had changed andthe agency decided to terminate the relationship, claiming that it needed total trust in its author.

Falade denies: “I didn’t use AI”

In a statement, Falade rejected the accusations of having used artificial intelligence and argued that the reaction to the story also reflects a racial prejudice present in the publishing world. The author noted that three Black writers landed major publishing deals this year, and that all three subsequently saw their deals canceled or called into question after suspicions about the use of AI. According to Falade, there is “a disturbing assumption” that when a black writer produces a work capable of attracting great attention, that work cannot be entirely his.

Falade contrasted this situation with that of some popular white writers who have publicly stated that they use artificial intelligence in their writing processes and who, he pointed out, nevertheless continue to publish without similar consequences. The Guardian recalls that two other black authors in the United States,Mia Ballard and HM Wolfe,author of the viral romance “Daggermouth”, have been accused this year of using AI. Both denied the accusations.

Falade also took issue with the speed with which the publishing industry reacted to the rumors. “In my case, rumors started circulating and, within six hours, my agency had dropped me, deals were on hold and press releases were being issued,” he said. The author also questioned the reliability of the tools used to identify texts produced by artificial intelligence, underlining thatAI detection software is widely known to produce false positives.

The student finally indicated as an element in his defense the same path followed by the manuscript before the explosion of the case. The novel, he explained, had passed through first readers, second readings, editors and acquisitions managers at numerous publishing houses. According to the author, if the text showed real signs of being generated by artificial intelligence, it would be difficult to believe that it could fool all those expert professionals.

A new case of suspicious romance

The affair is the latest in a series of controversies related to artificial intelligence that have affected the publishing sector, which is grappling with still open questions on the use of the technology by authors and editors, on copyright ownership, on systems for identifying content generated by AI and on the reliability of writers’ declarations on the origin of their texts. At the beginning of the year, Hachette Book Group canceled the publication in the United States of the horror novel “Shy Girl” by Mia Ballard after doubts emerged about a possible use of artificial intelligence, a circumstance denied by the author.

A spokeswoman for Macmillan confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the publisher had participated in the auction for “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body” and that “the agent ultimately withdrew the book.” However, he did not clarify what the current status of the agreement between Minotaur and Falade is. HarperCollins did not immediately comment. Gerald no longer represents Falade, but continues to recognize his talent. “We know he is an incredibly gifted storyteller and this is an extraordinary book,” she said. He reiterated his opinion on the manuscript to the Guardian: “The book itself is brilliant: however it was written, it is extraordinary”.