ace$2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use
A high-profile publishing deal for a debut crime novel has collapsed after doubts emerged over whether artificial intelligence played a role in writing it. The hotly anticipated manuscript Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, by Jerry Falade, was withdrawn from sale by its agent despite reportedly receiving an offer for more than $2m (£1.5m) from Minotaur, owned by Macmillan US, as part of a 14-way auction. The plan was to publish it in 2028. An email sent to publishers by Falade’s agents and seen by the Guardian said:…
A $2m-plus auction for debut crime novel Call Me, I'll Hide the Body collapsed and the manuscript was withdrawn after publishers and agents could no longer authenticate that AI was not used in its writing.
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- JournalismThe Guardian2026-07-31
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Truvace Impact Record TRV-2026-0698, v1: “$2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use.” Truvace, 2026-08-09. /record/TRV-2026-0698 (accessed at citation time). sha256 7f50389e8a6735b4…
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