Joey Batey

Joey Batey was raised in the North East of England and read Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge. He has worked as an actor and musician and is best known for his role in flagship Netflix show The Witcher. Joey produces music with his alt-folk group The Amazing Devil. His first book, IT'S NOT A CULT, was published by Raven Books in 2025. It is a darkly comic Northumbrian folk horror in which a terrible band accidentally start a death cult.

Fierce, freewheeling piece of modern folk horror that thrums with originality -- James Lovegrove ― Financial Times

An incredibly fun read . Joey Batey has pulled another arrow out of his creative quiver and hit a bullseye ― GRIMDARK

Vigorous, lurid, page-turning ― LOCUS

Batey writes confidently, leaning into the mordant comedy, while also committing fully to the book's disturbing premise ― SFX

Fabulously mad . I loved it straightaway . So convincing that I'm a little bit worried that somehow I too will end up living in a disused water park with purple hair and weird chalk symbols on the door. Usually, I'd say, oh, if people like this book or this book then they'll love this, but actually, I can't here: It's Not A Cult genuinely isn't like anything else. But if you love characters so vivid you feel like they might be lurking in your wardrobe right now, wicked-clever jokes, and a brilliantly cynical take on the music industry (and death cults): this is fully for you -- Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET

Gloriously over-the-top and under-the-skin. In his enthusiasm for an ornate turn of phrase and Gothic levels of grubbiness, Batey evokes shades of early Angela Carter and Nicola Barker -- Oskar Cox Jensen

Batey writes with fierce intelligence, delivering a terrifying and piercing exploration of fandom, fame and authenticity. It's Not a Cult is a rich and provocative read that invites the reader into the world of Al, Melusine and Callum and the strange Solkats of which they sing ― The Bookseller