Story perspectives

UK publishers pull $2m book after AI doubts, bias concerns

8/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

UK publishers withdrew "Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body" after AI doubts surfaced.
The manuscript secured a $2 million (£1.5 million) deal and attracted a 14-way auction with six-figure bids before the pull.
A 29 July meeting confirmed changed manuscript aspects, leaving Jerry Falade and agents Marc Gerald and Sandy Hodgman unable to verify its origin.
Falade warned AI-detection tools often give false positives and said the episode reflects racial bias in publishing.

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Story summary

UK publishers withdrew "Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body" after AI doubts surfaced.
The manuscript secured a $2 million (£1.5 million) deal and attracted a 14-way auction with six-figure bids before the pull.
A 29 July meeting confirmed changed manuscript aspects, leaving Jerry Falade and agents Marc Gerald and Sandy Hodgman unable to verify its origin.
Falade warned AI-detection tools often give false positives and said the episode reflects racial bias in publishing.