Brent Taylor is a vice president and executive agent at Triada US who has built one of the most commercially powerful lists in the business, anchored by adult romance and romantasy NYT bestsellers, award-winning middle grade, and a robust graphic novel practice spanning all ages.
In brief
The sales record tells a story Taylor's wishlist undersells: adult romance and romantasy are the true engine of the list, with at least eight NYT bestsellers in that category in 2025 alone — Hannah Nicole Maehrer's 'Villain' series and Aurora Ascher and K.M. Moronova among them. Writers in that space are pitching into a genuinely active, relationship-rich market.
Middle grade is where Taylor built their reputation and the award hardware is real: a Newbery Honor (Rajani LaRocca), a Printz Honor (Rex Ogle), Walter Award, Schneider Family Book Award, and well over 100 collective starred reviews across the list.
Graphic novels are a distinctive specialty rare among agents of this profile — Taylor represents graphic novel creators across all ages and genres, with a named roster of artist-clients that signals sustained commitment rather than casual interest.
Picture books remain on the list ONLY for existing clients; querying writers who work solely in picture books will be turned away regardless of fit — do not query Taylor for picture books.
Taylor's trajectory has been steep: intern in 2014, senior agent by 2020, promoted to vice president and executive agent in 2026 — longevity and seniority at a single boutique agency suggest deep publisher relationships and a stable home for long-term client careers.
Lately
Taylor updated their public profile to reflect a 2026 promotion to vice president and executive agent at Triada US, marking a decade-plus ascent from intern to agency leadership.
What Brent is looking for
Romance is explicitly described as one of the most thriving parts of the list, backed by eight NYT bestsellers in 2025. Taylor is hungry for dark romance, horror romance, LGBTQ romance, contemporary romance with strong emotional stakes, sports romance, military romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, holiday and seasonal romance, small-town settings, and dark academia. A cowboy romance series with a genuinely fresh angle is a stated grail. The breadth here is real — this is not a category Taylor dabbles in.
Cozy fantasy and cozy romantasy are the primary targets. Taylor is drawn to fae stories and court politics. The sales record confirms commercial romantasy is landing at major publishers — writers with witty, emotionally layered fantasy romance should consider this a strong fit.
Taylor wants the full thriller spectrum — from upmarket literary crime to fast-paced commercial suspense. The reference points span critically acclaimed procedural noir through propulsive commercial page-turners and international espionage. Both debut and established-voice submissions are welcome.
Cozy and character-driven mysteries with wit and warmth are particularly appealing — think ensemble casts, charming amateur investigators, and clever plotting. Upmarket commercial mysteries with broad readership potential are the sweet spot.
All subgenres of horror are welcome. Taylor's named reference authors lean toward literary horror with strong voice and genuine dread — not pure splatter but psychologically resonant, genre-committed work.
Taylor is a self-described superfan of Elin Hilderbrand and is actively looking for summery, emotionally rich, broadly appealing commercial fiction written with real craft. The ask is artistry plus accessibility — not escapist fluff, but books that feel both smart and irresistible.
Among the various strands of adult literary fiction Taylor will consider, LGBTQ-centered literary fiction is the stated passion. Taylor is drawn to deeply emotional, prose-forward work that centers queer experience — particularly stories with historical sweep, devastating emotional arcs, or lyrical intensity.
Taylor represents the full middle grade spectrum — literary awards contenders and commercial bestsellers alike. Particular enthusiasm for paranormal and supernatural stories, horror, mysteries and thrillers, fantasy, books with summertime or Halloween atmospheres, animal protagonists, series, and inventive formats. Debut voices and established authors both welcomed. The award track record here (Newbery Honor, Walter Award, and more) is among the strongest of any agent actively taking new clients.
Primary YA interests are romance and rom-coms, mysteries and thrillers, horror, speculative fiction, fantasy, dystopian, and some literary fiction. Sci-fi is welcome when it's near-future and grounded rather than space-opera scale. Boarding school settings are a specific draw. Taylor's YA client roster includes NYT bestsellers Jason June and Will Taylor, signaling genuine commercial traction in this space.
Taylor has built an unusually large and active graphic novel practice covering picture book, middle grade, YA, and adult formats across every genre. This is a defined specialty — the named client roster includes multiple active graphic novel creators. Author-illustrators and illustrators working with writer collaborators should both consider querying. Note: this open stance is for graphic novels as a format; standalone picture book text-only writers are not being sought as new clients.
Taylor is open to representing authors who have self-published and now wish to sell their rights to a traditional publisher. This is not an automatic yes — the work still needs to fit Taylor's genre interests — but the self-publishing history itself is not a disqualifier.
Not the right fit
On Brent's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Brent
Never email Taylor directly — unsolicited queries sent to Taylor's email address are deleted without being read. The online submission form is the only accepted route.
Identify your genre and category precisely in your query. Taylor's wishlist is granular (dark romance vs. contemporary romance vs. fantasy romance are distinct interests) — name your subgenre and use it to anchor your pitch.
For adult romance and romantasy, the commercial bar is high but Taylor is actively buying: lead with your hook, your emotional stakes, and any comp titles from the last two to three years that map to Taylor's taste. Eight NYT bestsellers in one year means deals are happening at major publishers — name the market tier you're writing for.
For middle grade, signal early whether your book is a literary awards contender or a commercial series, not because Taylor wants only one — they take both — but because the pitch language differs. Horror, paranormal, and Halloween/summer-set stories are particularly welcome right now.
For graphic novels, clarify your role: are you an author-illustrator submitting a complete visual package, a writer with an attached illustrator, or a writer seeking an illustrator? Taylor's existing graphic novel practice is robust, so understanding where you fit in the pipeline matters.
If you are previously self-published and seeking traditional rights deals, say so explicitly in your query — Taylor has signaled genuine openness and you should not bury that context.
Do NOT query Taylor for a picture book unless you are an existing client. A query for a standalone picture book manuscript from a new writer will not receive representation regardless of quality.
Verify the submission form is still open before querying — status was confirmed open on 2026-02-19 but can change.