Jerry Falade Loses $2 Million Book Deal Over AI Allegations, Claims Racial Bias

Nigerian debut novelist Jerry Falade secured a reported $2 million advance for his crime novel "Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body" after a 14‑way auction, with US imprint Minotaur (Macmillan) winning the rights and HarperCollins acquiring the UK rights. Within hours of the deal, his agent Marc Gerald of Europa Content raised concerns that the manuscript might have been generated with artificial intelligence and withdrew support, prompting the publishers to cancel the contract.

Falade denied using AI for writing, stating he only employed an open‑source tool for research on technical details in the novel. He argued the accusations were racially motivated, citing a pattern of Black authors facing AI‑related doubts while white writers openly discuss AI use. Falade posted on Instagram asserting his innocence and criticized the swift termination of the deal, which he said caused a “firestorm” and highlighted perceived bias in the industry.