Chicken House Books

Chicken House Publishing Ltd was established in 2000 by Barry Cunningham, who serves as the Publisher and Managing Director, along with Rachel Hickman as the Deputy Managing Director. Over the past fifteen years, Chicken House has shown that a small, innovative team based in Somerset can achieve significant global influence. The company has sold over six million copies of books by Cornelia Funke, including five that made it to the New York Times children’s bestseller list. Additionally, James Dashner’s Maze Runner series has achieved sales of more than 1.5 million copies across the UK, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2007, Chicken House, in collaboration with The Times newspaper, launched The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition to discover new writing talent. This competition has since become a respected annual event, known for helping to launch the careers of several successful authors. The company's global presence is enhanced by its partnership with Scholastic Inc., the world's largest children's publisher, which acquired Chicken House in 2005. Chicken House books are available in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as through its export channels worldwide. Furthermore, Chicken House directly sells subsidiary world rights to international publishers. In 2010, the company expanded its reach by launching Chicken House Deutschland in a notable collaboration with the prominent German publisher Carlsen Verlag.