Titan Books has snapped up Clay McLeod Chapman’s “startling, witty and downright terrifying” collection of short stories, Acquired Taste.
Fiction editor Daniel Carpenter acquired world English language rights from Nick McCabe at The Gotham Group for publication in hardback in September 2025.
“Clay has both terrified and captivated readers with his unique brand of horror for the past decade. The Gotham Group is thrilled for him to join Titan’s exceptional roster of horror authors,” commented McCabe.
From stories involving ghost boyfriends, salamander-worshipping nuns and the claustrophobia of the Covid-19 pandemic, in Acquired Taste Chapman “takes universal fears of parenthood, addiction and political divisions and makes them uniquely his own”.
Chapman said: “Bringing these tales to Titan Books is an absolute nightmare-come-true. I can’t even begin to tell you how fortunate I feel that these stories have found a home with them. The stories that comprise this collection span the last decade of publishing, plus a few new odds and ends that never saw the light of day. I can’t wait to share these stories with you.”
“Clay’s stories are old-school horror, taking universal themes and finding the terror at the heart of them. I’m absolutely delighted to be bringing Acquired Taste out to the world, and thrilled to continue to work with one of modern horror’s true masters,” said Carpenter.