Bobby Wegusen, like many Miami University students, has had a busy week. He watched Monday Night Football, took two exams and celebrated his 20th birthday. He also fielded media inquiries and contemplated book signings.
That's because Wegusen, unlike most other students, published his first novel this week.
"It's been a lot at once," said Wegusen, a Miami sophomore pursuing majors in creative writing and political science. "I'm too excited to be happy, but I'm too excited to do anything else."
Wegusen has been working on the book for three years, but he admits that tackling promotional activities and mulling over potential speaking engagements seems surreal.
"It's the first time I've had to think about what it's like to be an author," Wegusen said. "Right now, I can't picture myself sitting behind a desk at Borders signing my own book."
The book, Rush for Power, is a fictional political thriller about conspiracy and homeland terrorism unfolding in post-9/11 America.
For Wegusen, an avid reader and fan of authors Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy, getting started was fairly easy.
"I molded it out of what I enjoyed reading," Wegusen said. "I don't really know where I came up with the plot line."
The origin of Wegusen's literary career is less nebulous. He got his start in a sophomore creative writing class at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Mo. Inspired by positive feedback from his classmates, he began Rush for Power the following year.
"With a novel, it's not as much the writing on the page, it's the overall idea and story," he said.
So instead of spending hours crafting sentences and worrying about word choice, Wegusen focused on developing an action-filled plot. He also deliberately avoided using metaphors and symbolism.
Wegusen admits he's more interested in creating a bestseller than a classic novel.
"I don't intend to write great literature," he said. "I write
entertainment."
While working on Rush for Power, Wegusen turned to his family and closest friends for support and advice.
His mother, Betsy Wegusen, read the story several times throughout the writing process, offering only minor suggestions, and finding herself amazed by her son's ideas and literary gifts.
"To him, it comes so easy," Mrs. Wegusen said of her son's writing. "Besides the fact, I'm a biased mom, I'm still in awe."
Wegusen also gave a copy of the work to Lou Jobst, his high school English teacher, for review.
"I quite honestly told him that I thought it had promise," Jobst said.
He also said he found himself compelled to read Rush for Power, even after long days of teaching classes and grading papers.
"I really looked forward to picking it up again," Jobst said. "That was probably the best sign and best compliment I could give him."
Wegusen finished Rush for Power the summer after his junior year and soon began toying with the idea of publication. His big break finally came during spring break of his first year at Miami.
While reading a St. Louis newspaper, Mrs. Wegusen found an ad for a conference about getting published. A local women's press organization and AuthorHouse, a self-publishing company based in Indianapolis hosted the event.
Intrigued, Wegusen decided to attend. At the conference he stood out in the crowd.
"Bobby was this one male in a sea of women," said Becky Dulin, an author service representative publishing consultant with AuthorHouse.
Wegusen approached AuthorHouse representatives with a copy of his manuscript. Much to his surprise, they offered to publish the book.
Though AuthorHouse usually requires aspiring authors to purchase publishing packages, the company ultimately decided to publish Wegusen's book traditionally. Dulin said it saved Wegusen $698 in fees.
It also saved him from having to find a literary agent and allowed him to retain all rights to the book, meaning he can have it published by another company in the future.
"Honestly, I don't really know how AuthorHouse decided to give me the opportunity," Wegusen said. "It was much more luck than anything - kind of the right place at the right time."
Wegusen was involved in all stages of the publishing process. Over the course of several months, he made all major decisions about his book from choosing a layout to picking a font.
Now that Rush for Power has been published, Wegusen is thinking ahead. He said he does not have unrealistic expectations for the book because he doesn't know what the future will hold.
"My friends all joke that I'm going to be a celebrity, but I just don't see that happening," he said.
He does, however, hope the book will be successful.
"The only problem is, I haven't really decided what success would be," he said with a smile.
In the meantime, Wegusen keeps writing - often while sitting in classes or working on mundane tasks.
"I don't think Tom Clancy is writing his next book while doing laundry," he said. "But I guess I'll just have to settle until I'm him."
He is well on his way - Wegusen has already written about 40 pages of his next novel.
"My overall goal would be to make a career out of being an author," he said. "It's more of a dream than a reality right now, but I hope this is the start."
