What It’s Really Like to Be a Debut Author — Expectations vs Reality

I remember the long, hot summer days of the 1970s. If the sun was shining, my siblings and I were sent outdoors until lunch, which we ate outside too. Rainy days meant no television—just playing in our rooms or reading. I chose reading. Some nights I’d get in trouble for staying up too late with the Hardy Boys or other adventure stories that I just couldn’t put down. That love of reading stayed with me and shaped so much of who I was becoming.

One of my favorite memories was the bookmobile that rumbled down our rural Indiana road each summer—a truck converted into a library on wheels. Since we didn’t have a library nearby, that bookmobile became my treasure chest. My mom, an avid reader herself, encouraged us to join school summer reading programs and required at least one book a month. Looking back, I can see how those early summers planted a seed that would one day grow into my biggest dream: writing a book of my own—Christian middle-grade fiction that could encourage boys in their faith.

Of course, at the time I couldn’t have imagined how long that dream would take to become reality—or how different the path would look compared to what I expected.

Expectation #1: Writing a book would be natural.
I always loved writing stories, whether in school assignments or later in my marketing career. Fiction seemed like it would come naturally. After all, how different could it be from articles, newsletters, or email campaigns?

Reality check: fiction is a whole different world. A short story of a thousand words is one thing, but a 45,000-word novel for middle-grade readers? That was overwhelming. I ran into stretches of writer’s block, lost momentum, and more than once set the manuscript aside for months.

What kept me going was determination—and the realization that I needed to learn the craft, not just rely on enthusiasm. I enrolled in online writing courses, soaked up free classes from a developmental editor, and scribbled notes on world-building, dialogue, and character arcs. What I thought would be “natural” turned out to be a steep learning curve. But each lesson made me a better writer.

Expectation #2: I’d be doing this alone.
When the idea for The BUG Boys first came to me, it wasn’t because I wanted recognition or glamour. It was because my son, then in middle school, couldn’t find any Christian fiction. We scoured bookstores and came up empty. I wanted to write the kind of book he, and boys like him, couldn’t find anywhere else.

I assumed it would just be me at the keyboard, hammering out a story. But the reality was much different. During this time, my adult daughter, Kaitlyn, lost her eyesight on top of already being in a wheelchair. I left my job to become her full-time caregiver. Writing happened in the in-between moments—while she listened to audiobooks or baseball games. What I didn’t expect was how quickly she became part of the process. Kaitlyn gave feedback on every chapter I read aloud, helped shape my female characters, and offered creative ideas that made the book stronger. What I thought would be a solitary pursuit turned into a shared journey with my daughter, one of the greatest blessings of this adventure.

Expectation #3: A book deal would come quickly.
Like many first-time authors, I had this faint hope that once the manuscript was done, doors would fling wide open. Surely a publisher would snap it up, right?

Not so fast. The publishing world is complex—and often expensive. I researched self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and traditional routes. I learned about editing costs, marketing, ISBNs, and all the business sides of being an author that no one tells you about when you’re simply dreaming of “seeing your name on a cover.”

The reality? It took years of searching, praying, and refining before I finally connected with a publisher who believed in my story. That moment felt nothing like I expected. No big fanfare, no spotlight, just deep gratitude that someone else saw the potential I had fought to believe in myself.

Expectation #4: The dream would end with one book.
For years I thought finishing one book would be enough. Just check the dream off the list and move on. But here’s the reality: the journey is just beginning. The manuscript for The BUG Boys: The Great Scavenger Hunt is complete, and while it’s now with the publisher, I’m learning the ropes of marketing, building an audience, and preparing for release. Kaitlyn and I are already sketching ideas for Book Two, and the passion for writing only grows stronger.

So what’s the truth about being a debut author?
It’s not glamorous. It’s not quick. It’s not easy. But it’s worth every frustrating draft, every late night, every step into the unknown. Because the real reward isn’t in book signings or television interviews—it’s in the hope that kids will one day read these stories and see how loved, valued, and important they are to God.

That’s the dream that carried me from the bookmobile of my childhood to the debut-author journey I’m walking today. And that’s the reality I wouldn’t trade for anything.