Success Story Interview - Kym Summers

An Interview with Kym Summers (sunshinegirl8 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates.

10/22/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Kym Summers:
My novel is an upmarket dystopian suspense about a government program that pays Americans to marry and have children—until a sudden virus wipes out an entire generation of kids and renders most women infertile. Told through the POV of three families, the story follows the bargains they make for safety, love, and survival—and what those choices cost when the incentives turn into control.

Wildly, this book started as a rom-com about marriages that legally expire after seven years. While researching the economics of marriage, I realized how much policy shapes our most intimate decisions. The more I learned, the darker the story became. (The seven-year rom-com is still on my someday list!)

QT: How long have you been writing?

Kym Summers:
I've been writing stories since elementary school (always vowing I'd be an author one day) but after college, I lost all my whimsy for writing. In early 2023, I quit my job to take a "mid-life gap year" to finally write the book I'd been dreaming of.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Kym Summers:
I spent a full year drafting and revising the book.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Kym Summers:
Absolutely. I had no idea how tough (and slow) traditional publishing can be, and there were stretches when the rejections stacked up and impostor syndrome got loud. My writing community saved me! We help each other through the hard moments and celebrate every single win. I cannot overemphasize how important it is to find friends in the same drafting/editing/querying stage as you are.

QT: Is this your first book?

Kym Summers:
Yes!

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Kym Summers:
I minored in communications and took every creative writing course I could, but that's the extent of my " formal training." During my "mid-life gap year", I immersed myself in studying writing craft and story structure. I joined local and online writing groups and attended dozens of free and paid workshops. Also, reading voraciously and studying what does and doesn’t work on the page has been one of my best teachers.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Kym Summers:
During drafting, I reverse-engineer a deadline into weekly word counts. My rule is that I couldn't go to sleep on Sunday until that week's words were written. That routine produced a complete draft in three months. For revisions, I track hours/pages instead of words and schedule those blocks like meetings. I have a "Deadline Club" where we keep each other accountable to our goals.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Kym Summers:
I’ve had at least four completely different versions of this novel: same core idea and ending, but entirely different ways of telling the story. And then countless line-level revisions. I easily spent ten times longer editing than drafting.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Kym Summers:
So. Many. Beta. Readers. I had over thirty beta readers across eight rounds! It's so scary to share your work, but the feedback made each version measurably stronger.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Kym Summers:
I wrote from the hip with this book and I won't do that again. It produced a messy discovery draft full of “vibe” chapters that required heavy structural rewrites. I realize that I really like plotting and find that process to be just as exciting and creative as drafting.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Kym Summers:
I queried for more than eighteen months (including two R&Rs). I started querying in January 2024 and got my offer in September 2025.

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Kym Summers:
Almost 200! I also did two live pitch events which led to a lot of requests. It's scary to pitch in person, but nothing will make you refine your pitch like saying it out loud to an agent.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Kym Summers:
My book straddles genres a bit, so I queried agents who were looking for dystopian, speculative, near-future science fiction, book club, and commercial. I loved the idea of signing with someone at a large, well-respected agency, but I stayed open to smaller boutiques, too. I knew the true fit would only be clear in a one-on-one conversation—which doesn’t happen until an offer—so I kept an open mind and cast a wide net.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Kym Summers:
In the beginning, I painstakingly tailored each one. I'd read interviews they'd done, even listening to full length podcast episodes to WOW them with my diligence. But I realize now that you get them with the hook of your book, not by convincing them that you know their wishlist intimately. Most wish lists aren't updated very often, so as I progressed, I put my energy into crafting the tightest, most compelling pitch possible and let the concept do the heavy lifting.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Kym Summers:
Get beta readers for your pitch materials. Share your query and pages with people who have read the book and people who haven’t, and ask for ruthless, practical feedback. Read the query out loud—if it's hard to say, it's hard to read. Don't cram in every detail (save that for the synopsis). Be specific about what makes your book special. Also, find online and in-person pitch events!

Query Letter:

Dear {first name of agent},
Based on your interest in {personalize}, I’m thrilled to offer my speculative suspense, THE EDGE GIRLS (92,000 words). Three families make very different choices when a government stimulus program offers them money in exchange for having children. Years later, those choices come back to haunt them. Told in multi-POV, it combines the deadly virus in The Last of Us with the fertility crisis of The Handmaid’s Tale. It will appeal to fans of The Measure by Nikki Erlick and The Power by Naomi Alderman.

Fourteen-year-old Ruby has always felt jealous of the attention her younger sisters receive as part of the celebrated generation of kids born under the Family Incentive Program. She fantasizes about becoming an actress and finally getting the fame she craves. On the morning she gets her first period, a big step closer to adulthood and realizing her dreams, her celebration is cut short when a virus rips through the world, leaving her sisters and millions of prepubescent children around the globe dead while also rendering women infertile.

For three years, no babies are born. Then Ruby learns she’s pregnant…and that she’s not the only one. Girls like her, who began puberty before the outbreak, are suddenly of national interest. The government launches a repopulation effort and offers fame, fortune, and protection to the so-called “Edge Girls.”

As Ruby explores her options, she uncovers a hidden connection between the virus and the Family Incentive Program. When Edge Girls begin to disappear, she must decide whether to accept her fate, fight, or flee.

After two decades in corporate America, I left my C-level marketing job to write the novel I’d been dreaming about for years. A TikTok I made about my “midlife gap year” went viral, leading to a segment on Good Morning America and features in Scary Mommy and Upworthy. I now work at Juniper Books, where I collaborate with authors, agents, and publishers to create special edition book sets.

Thank you for your consideration!

Kym Summers (she/her)