Brent Taylor
Triada US
My Manuscript Wish List®
I am actively looking for new clients in the following genres and categories.
As a reader, I have an appreciation for both commercial and literary fiction, and often find myself falling in love with books that possess the best elements of both: books that have commercial concepts, that will appeal to a wide audience, and are written in prose that is layered with emotion. I am the type of reader who cannot leave the bookstore without getting something from almost every single department.
Picture Books:
While I continue to represent picture books written by current clients, I am not currently seeking new clients who are solely picture book authors.
Middle Grade:
I love a wide range of middle grade, and the best way to describe what I’m looking for is to tell you about my favorite middle grade novels: Keeper by Kathi Appelt, The Best Man by Richard Peck, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. Some of my middle grade clients include Newbery Honor author Rajani LaRocca; New York Times-bestselling author Sayantani DasGupta; best-selling author K.R. Alexander; and award-winning author Rex Ogle. I’m open to both literary books that are awards contenders and commercial books with bestseller potential. I love books with summertime or Halloween settings, paranormal/supernatural, horror, mysteries/thrillers, fantasy, series, or unique and inventive formats. Above all, I’m looking for middle grade that is fresh and feels like it’s never been done before.
Young Adult:
In young adult, I’m primarily seeking genre fiction: mysteries/thrillers, horror, speculative, fantasy. I’m open to sci-fi but it should be more “5 minutes into the future” than space opera. I’m also open to realistic fiction and romance, if it has a strong concept that I haven’t seen before. I love boarding school settings.
Graphic Novels:
I’m open to graphic novels for all ages, but especially MG and YA. Some of my graphic novel clients include Balazs Lorinczi, Sophie Li, Tori Sharp, Rex Ogle (and his pen name Rey Terciero), Bre Indigo, Eric Gapstur, Mike Amante, and Marker Snyder.
Adult:
During the first decade of my career, I primarily focused on children’s and YA books, but I am now looking to work on more adult fiction in the following genres.
Romance: I love romance novels that have a concept or premise that I’ve never seen before. I love romance with speculative or paranormal elements, like My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. I’d love to represent a romance book that feels like a Hallmark movie set in a Halloweentown world. I’m also seeking LGBTQ romance, sports romance, military romance (fun fact: I’m an army husband!), and fantasy romance.
Fantasy: I would love to represent more cozy fantasy, cozy romantasy, and regular romantasy. I also love high-stakes fantasy that’s beautifully written. I love books about the fae and court politics.
Thrillers: I’m looking for all types of thrillers, from upmarket/literary (think Tana French) to commercial (think Freida McFadden). Think of me for books that are comparable to S.A. Cosby, Chris Pavone, David McCloskey, Lucy Foley, and T.J. Newman.
Mysteries: I’d love to represent books similar to Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someones Dies by Catherine Mack, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, and The Maid by Nita Prose.
Horror: I’m looking for all subgenres of horror. I love the authors Grady Hendrix, Stephen Graham Jones, and Paul Tremblay.
Beach Reads: I am an Elin Hilderbrand superfan. No, seriously—I own all the ornaments and I take my “I Read Elin” tote bag on every vacation. I would just die of happiness to represent books like hers—beach reads that are so artistically excellent, smart, and have a mass appeal.
LGBTQ Literary Fiction: I love a wide range of literary fiction, but I’m most passionate about and interested in representing literary fiction with an LGBTQ focus. Recent favorites include In Memoriam by Alice Winn; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara; On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong; and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Previously self-published: I’m open to taking on clients who have been previously self-published but are looking to sell their rights to a traditional publisher.
Subsidiary Rights Management:
In addition to my role as an agent, I founded Triada US’s audio and foreign rights department. I am open to taking on clients (including self-published authors) specifically for subsidiary rights management. If you are querying me for potential subsidiary rights management, please include a description of the book, your biography, sales figures, and any other pertinent information in the body of the message.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to brent@triadaus.com
I am accepting submissions via QueryManager: http://QueryManager.com/BrentTaylor
Unsolicited queries sent to my email address will be deleted unread.
Vital Info