Courtney Donovan

Writers House was founded in 1974 and is one of the largest full-service independent agencies in the world. I began my career at the agency first as an intern and then as an assistant to Steven Malk, and have worked closely with him and his wonderful list of authors and illustrators over the past six years. I am now actively building my own list as a junior agent.

I’m primarily looking for authors of Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult commercial and literary fiction, as well as Graphic Novels for all ages. I’m actively seeking stories that reflect diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, and perspectives.

Middle Grade

Middle-grade fiction holds a special place in my heart. I’m on the lookout for high-concept, imaginative tales, relatable characters, and themes that resonate with young readers. From contemporary stories to fantasy and science fiction, I’m open to a wide range of genres, though I generally prefer a speculative element or hint of magic. Give me your dragons, spaceships, secret societies, and fantasy inspired from mythologies all over the world!

Some favorites: The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill; The Conjureverse series by Dhonielle Clayton; The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day; The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera; The Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend; Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston; Front Desk by Kelly Yang; City Spies by James Ponti; Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell; The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner.

Young Adult

As with middle grade, I am especially drawn to fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal. I love immersive worlds, atmospheric settings, unique magic systems, motley crews, and planet-faring adventures.

Recent favorites include: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao; We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds; Legacy of Orisha series by Tomi Adeyemi; Skyward by Brandon Sanderson; The Aurora Cycle by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff; Wilder Girls by Rory Power; The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn; Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid.

Graphic Novels

I’m especially eager to expand my list in the graphic novel space. I grew up reading manga (still do!) which has informed my love of the graphic novel genre from compelling slice of life to page-turning action and adventure. Visually distinctive and compelling storytelling is a must. Some favorites include: This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki; the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman; Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nguyen; the Lightfall graphic novels by Tim Probert; the Lumberjanes graphic novels by ND Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, and Gus Allen; Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp; anything by Kay O’Neill.

Adult

While I’ve primarily been focusing on children’s books, I’m beginning to build out my adult list, as well. I have omnivorous taste in adult fiction, though as with MG and YA, I am particularly drawn to the speculative. My tastes were informed by a healthy diet of: Jane Austen, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Charlaine Harris, Melanie Rawn, Michael Crichton, and of course JRR Tolkien and Robert Jordan.

Recent favorites include:  The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal; The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune; The Stormlight Archive series and Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson; The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey; The Southern Reach series by Jeff VanderMeer; The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst; A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab; A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark; and The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson.

If your project sounds like it might be a good fit, I’d love to see it! But I’m also open to being surprised–so don’t count me out if your project doesn’t quite fit my current MSWL.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to https://QueryTracker.net/query/courtneydonovan

Please note:

• I only accept queries via Query Manager.
• Additionally, in order to best manage my bandwidth, I am only open for unsolicited queries during the first week of each month. Please check back during these recurring windows if you would like to submit a query.
• You may only query one agent within Writers House at any given time. If they pass, you may send a query to another Writers House agent.