Great things are happening in the literary world. One of the latest is former editor, Brent Taylor, becoming a literary agent. But let me tell you, Brent is no stranger to this new hat. He interned for two years at The Bent Agency before becoming an agent at TriadaUS Literary Agency.

 

1)      I was devastated you had to recently drop out as a mentor of a contest until I learned the super awesome reason. Can you tell us the journey of how you became an agent with TriadaUS?

It’s very long, but the abridged version is: I spent years working under various agents and agencies, and one day an incredible opportunity fell into my lap. Rest is history, etc.

2)       Has interning for various agents prior to becoming one yourself influenced what type of manuscripts you look for?

Yes, of course. In terms of genre/category and how well suited I feel to sell a certain type of novel, but also in the sense that I have a great eye for when a project has that “certain something.”

3)      You were a freelance editor for a short time. How has this mad-skill helped you when considering clients? Are you a hands-on editor with signed clients?

Even if I hadn’t previously been a freelance editor, an agent still develops an editorial eye to some extent. I really don’t consider my brief editing stint advantageous. But when it comes to clients, I’m as hands-on as I need to be. I have a project that went through roughly ten rounds of revisions, and another that I sent out as-is.

4)      Do you have a favorite genre that you represent, or hope to represent?

Many favorite genres and age-ranges. I’ll take everything from low-middle grade to upmarket adult fiction. I really want to sign some more middle grade and perhaps a few crime or women’s fiction authors.

5)      Have you acquired any pet-peeves reading queries? (Things writers should avoid when submitting.)

When a querier tells me more about their life story than their actual novel.

6)      And for fun, I take pleasure in drinking pumpkin spice lattes from Panera at the holiday season. Have you any “holiday time only” things you treat yourself with?

Three words: caramel apple spice. Go to Starbucks now.

(Thank you Brent for taking the time to answer my questions!)

If you’re interested in submitting to Brent, you can email him at brent@triadaus.com. Be sure and send your query and first ten pages pasted in the body of the email. Brent is seeking smart, fun, and exciting books for readers of middle grade, young adult, new adult, select mystery/crime and women’s fiction, as well as literary fiction with a potential young adult crossover appeal. An elaboration on each category can be found on Publishers Marketplace.

Also, if you’d like to pitch to Brent in person, you can find him at The 2015 Kentucky Writing Workshop on February 6, 2015. And be sure to follow him on twitter (although I don’t recommend pitching directly to him on twitter).

As always, good luck and happy writing!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction