Michaela Whatnall joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in 2019 as the assistant to Michael Bourret in the West Coast office. After graduating from Emory University with a degree in English and linguistics, Michaela completed the Columbia Publishing Course, and in 2023 they were selected as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. Michaela’s background in school and library marketing accounts for their strong interest in children’s literature, particularly contemporary middle grade and young adult fiction of all genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, historical, adventure, horror, and rom-com. In the adult fiction space, they are particularly seeking contemporary, speculative, and historical upmarket fiction, as well as character-driven, grounded fantasy. They are also open to select narrative nonfiction for both children and adults, graphic novels, and picture books.
To query Michaela, please visit their Query Manager site: https://QueryManager.com/michaelawhatnall.
Michaela wants to see more…
Sibling stories
Michaela says...
I inherited a lot of traits from my mother, but there's one I'm especially grateful for: her intense love of books. She used to read to me every night, only stopping when I was old enough to sneak the book away during the day. I think she was half pleased that I couldn’t wait to keep reading and half annoyed that I was getting ahead of her in the story.
My passion only grew as I got older. Throughout middle school and high school, I was my friends’ library. I bought and talked up the newest books; my friends joined the waiting list to borrow my copy, one after the other. We were a group of book lovers, spreading our excitement across campus.
My enthusiasm for stories has never waned. Almost as much as I love reading, I love talking about books, pitching my latest favorite to a friend (or stranger, if we’re being honest) who I know will love it, too. This is why I was drawn to working at an agency—I'm invested in getting books in the hands of readers. For this reason, I’m thrilled to spend my days supporting authors and their projects, and searching for my next favorite story.