Puffin to publish Adam Kay’s first children’s book

Adam Kay is publishing his first children’s book, a "hilarious and educational" middle-grade non-fiction book called Kay's Anatomy, with Puffin this autumn.

Holly Harris, editorial director for Puffin acquired World rights from Cathyrn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown, with plans to publish under the Puffin imprint on 15th October 2020.

Aimed at readers 8–12 years, Kay's Anatomy is "a complete (and completely disgusting) guide to the human body", giving "an organ-by-organ tour of the human body, introducing readers to the strange, surprising and sickening world of how our bodies work and answering all the big questions like ‘are bogies safe to eat?’ and ‘how much of your life will you spend on the toilet?’". The book will be illustrated by comedian and illustrator Henry Paker. 

Kay said: "I'm utterly fascinated with the human body and the multifarious ways in which it malfunctions—and I can't wait to share what I know with young readers. Which presumably involves not using the word 'multifarious'. The enthusiasm from Holly and the whole team at Puffin was infectious, and I'm looking forward to tarnishing their reputation."

Harris said: "Adam is a wonderfully funny writer who can use humour to convey real depth. Anyone who has read his brilliant books knows he has the right blend of humour, heart and grossness that will appeal to children of all ages. Kay's Anatomy is an absolute joy: not only is it hilarious, it really teaches you stuff. We are incredibly excited to welcome Adam to Puffin and have huge ambitions to launch Kay's Anatomy into the children’s non-fiction space this autumn."

Kay is the writer, comedian and former doctor behind the bestselling This is Going to Hurt (Picador). It has sold over two million copies, been translated into 37 languages, and is the bestselling narrative non-fiction title of the decade. While it is soon to be a BBC comedy-drama, his follow-up, Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas, sold over 500,000 copies in the last three months of 2019, according to Puffin. Through the TCM, This is Going to Hurt has sold 1.18 million print copies across all editions and Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas has sold 429,858 copies since October.