Editing Clive Barker (section)

==Writing career==
Barker is an author of horror and [[fantasy fiction|fantasy]], although he has said that he thinks of his writing less and less as horror.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-07-22 |title=Clive Barker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jun/10/clivebarker |access-date=2025-04-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He began writing early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in ''[[Books of Blood]]'' 1–6) and the [[Faustian]] novel ''[[The Damnation Game (novel)|The Damnation Game]]'' (1985). Later he moved toward modern-day fantasy and [[urban fantasy]] with horror elements in ''[[Weaveworld]]'' (1987), ''[[The Great and Secret Show]]'' (1989), the world-spanning ''[[Imajica]]'' (1991), and ''[[Sacrament (novel)|Sacrament]]'' (1996).<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2005 |title=Clive Barker: The Outsider |url=https://www.locusmag.com/2005/Issues/03Barker.html |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=Locus Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 October 2011 |title=Review: The fox on the cover of Barker's 'Sacrament' is not just for show |url=https://www.flayrah.com/3711/review-fox-cover-barker%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98sacrament%E2%80%99-not-just-show |access-date=30 August 2024 |work=Flayrah}}</ref>

When ''Books of Blood'' was first published in the United States in paperback, [[Stephen King]] was quoted on the book covers: "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clivebarker.info/newsstephenking.html|title=The Official Clive Barker Resource : Revelations – News Stephen King Award – Speech|publisher=Clivebarker.info|access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref> As influences on his writing, Barker lists [[Herman Melville]], [[Edgar Allan Poe]], [[Ray Bradbury]], [[William S. Burroughs]], [[William Blake]], and [[Jean Cocteau]], among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clivebarker.info/influences.html| publisher= Clive Barker Revelations|title=Influences|access-date=27 November 2011}}</ref>

He is the writer of the best-selling ''[[Abarat]]'' series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Jennifer |date=5 June 2012 |title=Amazon Taps Clive Barker for 'Zombies vs. Gladiators' |url=https://www.awn.com/news/amazon-taps-clive-barker-zombies-vs-gladiators |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=Animation World Network}}</ref>

In early 2024, he announced he would stop attending conventions and public events so he could focus more on his writing, as he was working on the manuscripts for 31 different projects, some closer to completion than others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=8 March 2024 |title=Clive Barker Making Final Convention Appearances to Focus Entirely on Writing; Here's What's Coming [Exclusive] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3803050/clive-barker-making-final-convention-appearances-to-focus-entirely-on-writing-heres-whats-coming-exclusive/ |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>