Imogen Cooper, previously Editorial Director at Chicken House Publishing, started the Golden Egg Academy at her kitchen table in 2014 whilst working for Chicken House MD Barry Cunningham, the first publisher of Harry Potter. In 2015 Golden Egg became her main focus and since then her academy has helped over 160 children’s writers gain agents or publishing contracts.
At Chicken House, Imogen acquired and edited Lucy Christopher’s bestselling novel STOLEN, for which she won the Branford Boase Award for her editorial input, the internationally successful MAZE RUNNER series by James Dashner and CROW MOUNTAIN by Lucy Inglis Winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. She was editor on the INKHEART series by Cornelia Funke, and acquired first novels from best-selling authors Thomas Taylor and Kieran Larwood, among other notable projects.
Imogen has edited and taught many best-selling and award-winning graduates of the academy including Blue Peter Award winner Vashti Hardy, Book of the Year award winner M. G. Leonard, Kelly Smith, whose novel SHADOW SIX was won at a 7-way auction by Puffin Books (publishing in 2027), Jennifer Killick, best-selling author of the DREADWOOD series and Helen Price, winner of the 2025 Times/Chicken House prize for YA thriller KILL ME NOW (pub. February 2026).
