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Taj McCoy

An agent with Starling Literary + Media (see other agents at this agency).

About

Oakland-born law grad, Taj McCoy is a romance author, literary agent, and higher education consultant. After working with Rees Literary Agency and the Laura Dail Literary Agency, Taj joined Starling Literary + Media and aims to widen the entryway for marginalized authors and to normalize Black joy, fat joy, celebrations of culture, and love without limitations.

Country

United States

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
Taj McCoy's overall average response time is slower than most agents.

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Taj is currently looking for BIPOC representation across both adult commercial and upmarket Mystery/Thriller/Suspense (including Romantic Suspense) and would love to add some authors to my list who write high-stakes mysteries, especially ones featuring ensembles, intergenerational family dynamics, and/or main characters outside of law enforcement, military, or journalism; thrillers involving best friends, roommates, or siblings, and/or small-town dynamics; funny cozies with romantic elements and strong series potential.

Taj is open to stories outside of these elements, including historical, academia, and speculative ones; however, she does tend to steer clear of stories featuring SA or on-page abuse. She is also considering MG and YA, including ones with spooky or paranormal elements.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Middle grades, Young adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Women's Fiction
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Cozy
Romance Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: QueryTracker.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

I'm looking for Adult biographies and memoirs which shed light on people and parts of history that are often erased or forgotten, self-help collections focused on empowerment, cookbooks that highlight family traditions and culture, and YA and MG non-fiction that highlights historical figures and innovators who aren’t included in today’s curriculum. I'm also looking for fresh takes on health and wellness, as well as financial literacy, that addresses marginalized communities.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Middle grades, Young adults.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
History: General, Biographies.
Lifestyle: Cooking, Food and Drink, Self-help.
Memoir.
Society/Culture: General, Ethnicity/Race.

Submissions:

Method: QueryTracker.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

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Taj McCoy Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the agency or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 3 reports from 3 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
125 min | 140.7 mean avg | 145.0 median | 152 max days (14.0 std dev)
Pending
1 response is pending (227 days waiting). This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The agent will try to make a decision within 84 days. (100.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 84 days.)
Most recent response reported was received on 04 Dec 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 05 Jul 2025.
Date compiled: 11 Nov 2026 13:19 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 29 Oct 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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