Daphne Press has acquired three standalone young adult titles by New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White: Hell Followed With Us, a contemporary horror about a trans boy on the run from the cult that raised him and transformed him into a bioweapon, unleashing Armageddon, and his redemption quest for revenge; The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, a Victorian gothic horror focused on a trans autistic boy with the power to commune with spirits who is sent to a finishing school for girls whose gifts risk madness, and the gruesome secrets he unearths; and Compound Fracture a gut-wrenching thriller involving a teen who survives attempted murder only to be drawn into a generational struggle between the rural poor, those that exploit them, and the ghosts that seek vengeance.
Commissioning Editor Davi Lancett has acquired UK & Commonwealth (ex. Canada) rights from Peachtree Teen. Daphne Press will publish all three titles in paperback and ebook in 2024, beginning with Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth then releasing Compound Fracture simultaneously with the US publisher in September 2024. Illumicrate will release hardback special editions of all three books.
Lancett says “I’ve not been able to stop thinking about Hell Followed With Us since first reading it, and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a phenomenal, heart-wrenching book that shows Andrew is going from strength to strength. These are powerful books exploring important themes, done so with style, talent, and passion. I am delighted to be bringing them to the UK and introducing more readers to this brilliant author.”
White adds “I can’t even begin to explain how exciting it is for my YA triplets—Hell Followed With Us, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, and the upcoming Compound Fracture—to journey to the UK together. These books have taken me a long way: from a young debut straight out of grad school to a two-time bestseller, from a young adult struggling with his identity to a happy, proudly autistic trans man. Even though these books have no concrete connections to each other within their stories, I’ve always thought of them as inseparable. For Daphne Press and Illumicrate to offer all of them a home across the pond is a dream come true. I’m grateful for every publisher that’s taken a risk on my discomforting books about autistic trans kids and righteous queer rage—we couldn’t have gotten this far without y’all. I can’t wait for these stories to reach even more readers, together.”