You’ve been immersed in your undergraduate work for years and then suddenly you realize it no longer makes you happy. Do you press on because you’ve made it this far already? Or do you choose a path that would suit you better?
VCU graduate student and author, Chris Sorensen, 26, wrote a book about that very conflict. He said it was something he felt compelled to do.
“If I didn’t write it (now) I would have regretted it later,” he said.
Like the somewhat fictionalized character from his book, “The Greatest Discovery,” Sorensen began his educational career with dreams of becoming a social worker. At some point the real life and fictional Sorensen awoke to the fact that they would be happier as a school counselor.
“The basic moral of the story is…are you happy with what you’re doing?” he said.
People who do not live to their true potential, Sorensen said, are cheating themselves. The book, which took about a year and a half to write and edit, isn’t based on a religious journey; rather, he said it is a mix between a memoir and a self-help book.
While he hopes the book will cause young people to look within themselves to find their own discovery, Sorensen also wants to convey another message to students. He said those who want to write a book should do it instead of making excuses and putting off.
“I don’t know what they’re waiting for,” he said, adding that nobody else is going to do the writing for them.
Regardless of the fact that English was not his favorite subject in high school, Sorensen said he has learned to like writing now.
Self-publishing, which is how the book was printed, is quite easy and inexpensive, he said. Because Sorensen paid for the publishing himself he assumed all of the financial risk. He said, however, the risks in self-publishing are small because printers can print books on demand.
A printing press in Fredericksburg packaged his final work. Two thousand copies of the book were printed, but if demand warrants more can be printed.
He could have sent manuscripts to publishers, which is the route most authors take. He said, however, self-publishing will prove the book and his story are worthwhile.
It’s rare that Barnes and Noble hosts book signings for self-published authors, said Stacey Ricks, community relations manager at the Libby Place store. However, the chain established a community relations position to support local writers and artists. The company, she said, recognizes how difficult it is for new authors to make a name for themselves.
Because large bookstore chains don’t always take self-published authors seriously, Sorensen needed the benefits of a publisher without the expense of one. A friend from high school and fellow VCU student, Robert Soderholm, agreed to help. Sorensen paid Soderholm, a graduate student studying business, a small amount of money upfront to come work for Pond Publishing, Sorensen’s operation. Soderholm sends out official press releases, which helps promote the book.
A sequel to “The Greatest Discovery” is in the works. Sorensen said he also has other books planned.
“I’m hoping to write for a living,” he said.
His future books, he said, will also be about human struggles, but they won’t be as personal. He also said he would write them in hopes of turning them into movies one day.
While he waits for his writing career to take flight, Sorensen, a husband and a father, remains at VCU. He is working toward his master’s degree in school counseling and hopes to graduate in December. After graduation, he said, he would like to work in a Richmond area high school.
Sorensen also works full time at the Children’s Hospital on Brook Road through Richmond Public Schools’ Hospital Education program. The program works to ensure hospitalized children maintain their educational pacing.
Sorensen has appeared at several book signings at bookstores around the Richmond area. He said he plans on doing three each week until the end of July.
Ricks said that Barnes and Nobles recognized the quality and local appeal of Sorensen’s story and agreed to host his signings. His book is stocked at the Libby Place location.
Sorensen encourages those interested in learning about the publishing and writing experience to contact him.