Choose Your Own Adventure

What Choose Your Own Adventure does

Choose Your Own Adventure is the operating brand of Chooseco, LLC, a privately held independent children's book publisher headquartered in Waitsfield, Vermont. Founded in 2003 by R. A. Montgomery and Shannon Gilligan, Chooseco relaunched the Choose Your Own Adventure interactive gamebook series in 2006 after the original Bantam imprint ended in 1998, and has since sold over 16 million copies across a catalog of board books (ages 0-5), CYOA Jr. (ages 5-8), the Classics and New Classics middle-grade series (ages 8-12), and a Retro Collection of original 1980s reissues — extending a brand that has cumulative print volume above 270 million books and editions in 40+ languages. The company also licenses the CYOA mark for international editions (eight named territorial publishing partners across Australia/NZ, China, Germany, Portugal, Spain/Mexico/USA, Poland, Slovakia, and most of South America), for tabletop games (Z-Man Games), for an interactive theatrical film (Disney via CTRLMovie), and for museum/cultural activations (The Strong National Museum of Play, The Story Museum Oxford), alongside merchandise tie-ins (Out of Print, Litographs) and a Stranger Things cross-promotion.

Underlying product technology is the branching gamebook format — second-person narrative with explicit choice nodes that route the reader to multiple endings — authored by a stable of writers within the publishing template. Chooseco does not run a software platform, app, or API; revenue is generated by selling physical and digital books through retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org) and wholesale via Penguin Random House, with an affiliate-referral layer on its owned site, plus licensing royalties from international publishing, tabletop, theatrical, and brand-extension partners. Direct-to-consumer activity is supplemented by an email newsletter, an active social presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads), educator resources hosted with Scholastic, and the Read-Aloud Book Club program operating at 40+ libraries and bookstores. Pricing is set retail-side and quote-based through wholesale; specific list pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The commercial model is therefore a hybrid of unit-book publishing, territorial and category licensing royalties, and affiliate distribution, with the company's strategic center of gravity shifting from book-only sales to brand-extension licensing and nostalgic specialty SKUs such as the October 2025 "The Retro Box" boxed set. The team is small, founder-led, and privately funded, with no disclosed external investment or parent company.

Name

Choose Your Own Adventure

Legal name

Chooseco, LLC

Website

https://cyoa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Choose Your Own Adventure (Chooseco, LLC) is an independent Vermont-based publisher of interactive branching-narrative children's gamebooks, selling across age-tiered series from board books through middle-grade, distributed via Penguin Random House and licensed internationally in 40+ languages and across games, film, and museum activations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Interactive Book Publishing

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)

Keywords

• Interactive gamebooks
• Children's book publishing
• Branching narrative books
• Middle grade fiction
• Brand licensing publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Waitsfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sales of physical and digital CYOA gamebooks through retail and wholesale channels. The company publishes interactive children's books across multiple age categories (0-5 board books, 5-8 CYOA Jr., 8-12 Classics and New Classics) with 184+ original titles and new releases.
2. Foreign Language Licensing: Licensing agreements with international publishers for translations into foreign languages. Partners include Scholastic Australia, China South Booky Culture Media, Ravensburger Bucherverlag (German), Jacareca (Portuguese), RBA (Spanish), Wydawnictwo Nowa Basn (Polish), Editorial Artemisa (Spanish), Vydavatelstvo Pandora (Slovakian).
3. Brand Licensing: Licensing the CYOA brand for games, collectibles, film/TV, museum exhibits, and brand activations. Includes partnerships with Z-Man Games for board games, Disney/CTRLMovie for interactive film experiences, Stranger Things partnership, and The Strong National Museum of Play.
4. Affiliate Revenue: Revenue from affiliate relationships with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Bookshop.org where the company earns commissions on qualifying purchases.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chooseco LLC publishes interactive children's gamebooks under the Choose Your Own Adventure brand, in which the reader makes choices at decision points that determine the story path and lead to multiple possible endings. The catalog spans Board Books (ages 0-5), CYOA Jr. (ages 5-8), Classics and New Classics (ages 8-12), a Retro Collection of reissued 1980s titles, themed Boxed Sets, and specialty products such as Tarot Cards. The company also licenses the CYOA brand for foreign language editions, board games, film/TV adaptations, museum exhibits, and merchandise.

Product overview

Choose Your Own Adventure is a children's interactive gamebook publishing company offering multiple product lines across the CYOA brand. The core offering consists of interactive books where readers aged 0-12+ make choices that lead to multiple story endings. Product series include The Classics (new and reissued titles for ages 8-12), New Classics (longer format with continuing characters, ages 9-12), CYOA Jr. (beginning readers ages 5-8 with full-color artwork), Board Books (durable adaptations for ages 0-5), Retro Collection (reissued 1980s titles with original artwork), and Boxed Sets (themed multi-book bundles). Additional offerings include the Tarot Cards specialty product, Read-Aloud Book Club community program for libraries and bookstores, and Educator Resources with classroom guides. The company operates under publisher Chooseco LLC, based in Vermont, with distribution through Penguin Random House and licensing partnerships across media, games, and international publishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Weregirl: YA trilogy of linear fiction expanded beyond the gamebook format

Products and services

• The Classics A series of new and reissued interactive gamebooks for middle grade readers ages 8-12, in which the reader is the hero making choices that lead to multiple story endings.
• New Classics Interactive gamebooks similar to The Classics but with more pages, a slightly larger format, and continuing characters that span multiple books; targeted at ages 9-12.
• CYOA Jr. Beginning reader books with full-color artwork, larger text, and fewer pages, designed to be engaging but not too scary for young adventurers ages 5-8.
• Board Books Board book adaptations of bestselling Classics titles for ages 0-5, with durable cardstock pages; includes The Abominable Snowman, Journey Under the Sea, Space and Beyond, The Lost Jewels of Nabooti, and Lost on the Amazon.
• Retro Collection Reissued original 1980s Choose Your Own Adventure titles with the iconic original artwork by illustrator Paul Granger, including The Cave of Time, Journey Under the Sea, Inside UFO 54-40, Underground Kingdom, and Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey.
• Boxed Sets Curated collections of 3-6 CYOA books packaged together in themed gift boxes, including Mystery Box, Unicorn Box, Ninja Box, and Origin collections, intended for gifting and home libraries.
• The Retro Box An exclusive 4-book boxed set featuring The Cave of Time, Journey Under the Sea, Space and Beyond, and By Balloon to the Sahara, packaged in a nostalgic 80s-era gift box with 576 pages and a limited edition collectible poster.
• CYOA Tarot Cards A CYOA-themed tarot deck featuring artwork inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure book series, designed to deliver guidance through choice.
• Read-Aloud Book Club A monthly book club program for libraries and bookstores designed for groups of 5-20 club members, with themed activities, creative games, and hands-on crafts; participants earn book badges and can win publisher prize packs by completing the 9-book adventure. Active in 40+ bookstores and libraries worldwide.
• Educator Library Resources Downloadable classroom resources including CYOA Teachers' Guides and discussion guides for titles such as The Magic of the Unicorn and the SPIES series (James Armistead Lafayette, Mata Hari), with books organized by reading level from Pre-K through Grade 8+.

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ million books in print globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Twentieth Century Fox / DisneycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTwentieth Century Fox/Disney licensed the film rights using emerging technology developed by CTRLMovie to allow audience participation in a theatrical release.
• Z-Man GamescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerIn 2018, a license of Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger to Z-Man Games saw unprecedented success in the first Choose Your Own Adventure board game.
• Stranger ThingsflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStranger Things partnered with CYOA for branded interactive content.
• Scholastic AustraliacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnglish language editions for Australia and New Zealand.
• China South Booky Culture Media Company, Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSimple Chinese editions for the People's Republic of China.
• Ravensburger BucherverlagcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman language editions distributed worldwide.
• JacarecaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPortuguese language editions for Portugal.
• RBAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish language editions for Spain, Mexico, and USA.
• Wydawnictwo Nowa BasnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPolish language editions distributed worldwide.
• Editorial ArtemisaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish language editions for Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Central America excluding Mexico.
• Vydavatelstvo PandoraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSlovakian language editions for the Slovak Republic.
• Wine EnthusiastsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCYOA featured in Wine Enthusiasts magazine for brand partnership.
• The Strong (National Museum of Play)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Strong National Museum of Play celebrates CYOA with exhibits and installations, including the Story Museum in Oxford, UK.
• Penguin Random HousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll sales and distribution for CYOA books are through Penguin Random House.
• World OrangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing and brand partnership collaboration.
• ScholasticcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholastic partnership for educational distribution.
• Cosmic WritersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership for content development.
• Out of PrintminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOut of Print merchandise partnership.
• LitographsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLitographs partnership for book-related merchandise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scholastic: Largest children's book publisher with a similar mass-market, classroom-distributed model (book fairs, school channels). Comparable in targeting the K-8 segment and leveraging educator/library partnerships; CYOA even partners with Scholastic Australia for international editions, making them both competitor and channel partner.
• Workman Publishing: Independent publisher of illustrated, gift, and children's books including 'Page-A-Day' calendar lines. Comparable as an independent publisher of consumer-led children's and gift categories with strong retail presence.
• Quirk Books: Independent publisher of genre and novelty children's/YA titles including 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' and 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.' Comparable as a smaller publisher mixing nostalgia-driven IP with innovative narrative formats targeting middle-grade and reluctant readers.
• Candlewick Press: Independent children's book publisher known for high-quality illustrated and middle-grade titles such as 'Where the Wild Things Are.' Comparable as a creative-led children's publisher with curated backlist titles and emphasis on educational/library placement.
• Disney Publishing Worldwide: Publisher of children's interactive and franchise-based content including Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney Press gamebooks. Comparable in pairing established IP with interactive narrative formats and benefiting from cross-media synergy; also a CYOA licensor via the CTRLMovie film deal.
• Abrams Books for Young Readers: Children's imprint of Abrams focused on gift-quality, illustrated, and interactive books. Comparable in targeting the museum/bookstore gift-aisle buyer and emphasizing high-production physical books for middle-grade readers.

Broad incumbents

• Hasbro: Major toy and game company with deep portfolio of children's entertainment IP. Comparable as the kind of strategic acquirer/partner CYOA could work with for broader toy/board game/games expansion and as the parent of Wizards of the Coast (creators of CYOA-influenced tabletop RPGs).
• Penguin Random House: CYOA's exclusive distributor and largest children's book publisher globally, with established imprints like Dial Books and Grosset & Dunlap. Comparable as a portfolio children's publisher serving the same retail and library channels with a broader catalog.

Emerging players

• Z-Man Games: Board game publisher that launched the first CYOA board game 'House of Danger' in 2018 with documented 'unprecedented success.' Comparable as a publishing partner building tabletop extensions of CYOA's interactive narrative IP.
• Strange Pipe Games: Independent publisher of legacy analog-interactive fiction and gamebooks in the CYOA tradition. Comparable in directly extending the same choice-driven, branching narrative format that CYOA pioneered, targeting similar nostalgia-driven readers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chooseadventure
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@chooseyourownadventure1706
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChooseYourOwnAdventure
• Instagraminstagram.com/chooseyourownadventure
• TikToktiktok.com/@_chooseyourownadventure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Choose Your Own Adventure