Childress's first book, "A Hitchhikers Guide to Africa and Arabia", was published in 1983 by Chicago Review Press. In 1984, Childress moved to Kempton, Illinois, and established a publishing company named Adventures Unlimited Press, which is a sole proprietorship. His company published his own works and then those of other authors, presenting fringe-scientific theories regarding ancient civilizations, cryptozoology, and little-known technologies. In 1992, Childress founded the "World Explorers Club", which occasionally runs tours to places he writes about, and publishes a magazine called "World Explorer".