Book about Charlie Kirk's killing didn't come out before shooting

In mid-September 2025, shortly after the Sept. 10 fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University, a claim began circulating online that a book about the killing had been published the day before before the event took place.The allegation quickly gained traction across social media platforms, with some users interpreting the supposed early publication date as evidence that the shooting was staged or planned as part of a conspiracy.

One Sept. 11 Facebook post (archived) with the claim that gained over 1,000 reactions read:

🔥🚨 BREAKING: A book on Charlie Kirk's s—ting surfaced with a listed publish date BEFORE the tragedy.
The Amazon listing showed a release date of September 9th — a full day before the shooting on the 10th.
Now, the link has mysteriously vanished.
Clerical error… or something more? #fblifestyle

The post featured what appeared to be screenshots from Amazon showing that the book was published a day before the shooting.

Similar versions of the claim spread across social media platforms including YouTube, X, Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

But while the Amazon product listing for "The Shooting of Charlie Kirk" briefly displayed a publication date of Sept. 9, 2025, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Snopes that this date was incorrect and the result of a technical error. The spokesperson clarified that the e-book was actually published later in the afternoon on Sept. 10, after the shooting occurred. As of this writing, the title was no longer available for purchase.

We found no credible evidence that the book was published before the events of Sept. 10. All references to the book, including archived listings and social media posts, pointed to it being uploaded after the shooting. As such, we have rated this claim as false.

Other fact-checking organizations, including LeadStories and PolitiFact, also investigated and debunked this rumor. 

What we know about the book

Amazon provided Snopes with the following statement:

We have content guidelines governing which books can be listed for sale, and we remove books that do not adhere to these guidelines. The title in question is no longer available for sale. Due to a technical issue, the date of publication that had been displayed for this title, while it was briefly listed, was incorrect, and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused. The title was published late in the afternoon on September 10th.

Although the e-book has since been removed from Amazon.com, archived snapshots of the listing were still accessible through websites such as the Wayback Machine and archive.today. We found no archived versions with a date before Sept. 11.

The full title of the book was, "The Shooting of Charlie Kirk: A Comprehensive Account of the Utah Valley University Attack, the Aftermath, and America's Response." The archived listing showed that the book was published as a Kindle e-book only, meaning there was no evidence physical copies ever existed. In other words, the book could be uploaded and released very quickly, especially if its author used artificial intelligence (AI) software to write and format it.

(Amazon.com via archive.today)

Further investigation into the book raised more red flags. The listed author, "Anastasia J. Casey," appeared to have no digital footprint. Searches for the name yielded no prior publications, social media presence or professional background, suggesting the author may be entirely fictional.

The listing did display a publication date of "September 9, 2025," which fueled conspiracy theories that the shooting was staged. However, the book's content contradicted that claim.

(Amazon.com via archive.today)

Its description clearly referenced the events of Sept. 10, 2025, as having already happened, starting, "On September 10, 2025, the campus of Utah Valley University was forever changed." The description read:

On September 10, 2025, the campus of Utah Valley University was forever changed. During a scheduled event featuring Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, a shocking act of violence unfolded that shook students, faculty, and the nation. This book provides an in-depth, humanized account of the shooting, the immediate aftermath, and the ripple effects that reached far beyond Orem, Utah.
Through detailed reporting, firsthand testimonies, and careful analysis, Charlie Kirk and the Utah Valley University Shooting explores the event from every angle: the chaos on campus, the courageous first responders, and the experiences of those directly affected. Beyond the incident itself, the book examines the broader societal implications, including political polarization, the rise of campus activism, and the national conversation about safety, free speech, and civic responsibility.
Readers will gain insight into Charlie Kirk's life, his influence in U.S. politics, and how this event may shape his legacy. The book also provides an intimate look at the Utah community's response, highlighting acts of resilience, compassion, and collective healing in the face of tragedy.
Complete with timelines, profiles of key figures, and curated references from trusted media sources, this comprehensive account offers both context and reflection. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand not only a shocking moment in American history but also the lessons it offers for the future of political engagement, campus safety, and civil dialogue.

The e-book's description and content appeared to have been generated using AI. 

In fact, a scan with ZeroGPT, an AI-detection tool, indicated with 100% certainty that the book description was AI-generated.

(ZeroGPT)

The description's style was packed with generic phrases and emotionally charged language, promising "in-depth, humanized account of the shooting, the immediate aftermath, and the ripple effects that reached far beyond Orem, Utah," matching patterns commonly found in so-called "AI slop." This term refers to low-quality, automatically generated content that spreads online, often in the wake of high-profile news events. Such content is typically produced to capitalize on people seeking information about trending topics. 

Snopes has previously reported on the phenomenon of "AI slop" here.

In August 2023, we debunked a similar claim about a book describing the deadly August 2023 fires in Maui, Hawaii, that was allegedly published before the fires started. In reality, the book in question, "Fire and Fury: The Story of the 2023 Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change," was published two days after the wildfires broke out.