Walsh’s “God AI” sells into North America, UK, India

Black Inc. has sold North American, UK, Indian subcontinent and audio rights to God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us (Toby Walsh, La Trobe University Press).

Black Inc. international director Sophy Williams reported North American rights to the title sold to Melville House after a two-house auction. Melville House publisher Dennis Loy Johnson said, “It’s brilliant. Scary as hell but so informative and stirring […] it feels perfect for our list alongside recent titles of ours such as Yanis Varoufakis’s Technofeudalism and Against Platforms by Mike Pepi.”

Following the North American rights sale, Black Inc. took the title to London Book Fair and gathered 3 UK offers over the week, with Ben Yarde-Buller at Old Street the winning bidder for UK/Commonwealth (ex ANZ, Indian subcontinent and Canada) rights. He described God AI as “an eloquent and useful and even rather charming book”.

Indian subcontinent rights were reserved from the UK deal and sold separately to Pan Macmillan India, while UK/Commonwealth audio rights went to Audible Australia.

Williams said, “I’m so pleased to see this enthusiasm for Toby Walsh’s extremely timely and important book and I can’t wait for it to be introduced to readers around the world.”

Black Inc. said Melville House and Old Street were both rushing publication for September to coincide with the release of the Australian edition.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions