A writer hoodwinked the internet into thinking the singer nabbed his book title but he’s not the first author to pull a controversial publicity stunt

On Wednesday, writer Gabriel Smith shared what at first glance seemed to be
an email sent by the singer Charli XCX, asking if she could use the
title of Smith’s forthcoming debut novel, Brat, for her next album, which is also being released this summer. “I have
been a HUGE fan of your writing for ages,” the email states, adding
that using the title would be a “tribute”.

Yet, looking closer, it is clear the email is faked – the recipient is Charli,
not Smith. On Thursday, Charli responded to the faked email: “ive
never heard of you. good luck with your book tho !” she wrote.

Smith’s fake email has been viewed 7m times and liked 15,000 times, while Charli’s
response has been viewed 4m times and liked 54,000 times.

Internet Pranks Gain Momentum

Smith said that a couple of people had texted him about Charli XCX’s next album
title being the same as his book, and he started thinking it would be
“hilariously egotistical” to claim that the singer had been inspired by
his “completely unknown, yet-to-be-published” novel’s title. “The idea is
ridiculous, so it’s funny. I like making fun of how insanely, deludedly self-important novelists often act.”

Smith has a history of internet pranks: he claimed to have been
appointed senior fiction editor of Gawker magazine, a claim that the
editor had to deny.

Other authors have also been caught up in attention-grabbing schemes. In 2010,
writer Jennifer Belle paid actors to read her book in public and laugh
uproariously. The stunt caught the attention of major media outlets and
boosted her book’s public image. Similarly, author Susan Meachen fake her
own death, and Mark Davis staged a kidnapping to publicize his book in a
hair-raising twist.

Now, with Smith’s prank involving Charli XCX, the debate around the
propriety and effectiveness of such stunts in the literary world is
reignited.

Despite the criticisms, Smith finds humor and entertainment value in
provocative reactions. “A lot of people online seem to think it was
funny,” said Smith. “But a lot of other people have been calling me
various slurs, mostly homophobic. My followers are aware that something
I tweet may be fake, but they retweet it to people who do not know I am
‘just mucking about.'”

As internet pranks continue to blur the lines between reality and fiction,
it remains to be seen what the literary world’s response will be, and
which authors will dare to push the boundaries in pursuit of
notoriety.