From athlete to author: alum gets published

Marcus R. Sedberry rang in the new year by releasing a book he hopes will help people with their resolutions and then some, one page at a time.

The 2008 UCF alumnus holds a master's in business administration and a master's in sports business management from the DeVos Sports Business Management program.

"BE YOU! 10 Essential Qualities to Becoming an Exceptional You," is Sedberry's first release and is a how-to guide to unlocking readers' full potential, and putting it to use to achieve their goals in life.

Sedberry's target audience ranges from 18 to 30-year-olds because he wants to have a positive effect on young peoples' lives, whether they are just starting their freshman year of college, entering the work force or have been employed for a while and are seeking a change.

"They are trying to figure out how they are going to make an impact, not just be another employee or another part of an organization," Sedberry.

Sedberry didn't always see himself as an author.

Earlier in his life, Sedberry was completely focused on athletics and wanted to be a professional athlete. However, this came to a halt when an MRI scan showed four stress fractures in his back.

Though he'd never been encouraged to do much else besides in athletics, Sedberry knew he had a deeper purpose. Helping people had always been one of his priorities and now he had the time to work on a project to do just that.

The creative process for Sedberry began in December 2009, and took about a year to complete. He combined his ideas, things he's been taught and things he's experienced, and just started writing until he encountered writer's block.

"There was a three-month period where I really just got frustrated," Sedberry said. "I felt like no one would really want to hear what I have to say."

He used this three-month period to get away from the project for a while to think about whether or not he wanted to do this. The thought that he may not be able to reach anyone was worrying him to the point of considering quitting.

Sedberry said that after some deep thought and prayer, he was able to get back to his project.

He finished writing in October of last year and spent November editing the book and getting the promotional website up and running. All of his hard work came to fruition on Jan. 1 in his home state of Texas.

"People have ideas about writing books and doing different things, but to be able to make those dreams and thoughts come to reality was kind of breathtaking," Sedberry said. "To be able to actually hold the book in my hands and to know that all my hard work over the last year has paid off and here it is."

Over the past few weeks, positive feedback has already begun to flow into Sedberry's voicemail, website and Facebook.

"I've accomplished a lot of things in other aspects of my life," he said, "But I think this is probably the one thing that I'm most proud of because of the amount of self-will I had to have to finish the task."

While the original task is complete, Sedberry's career as an author is not. He already has another project in mind for his second book, a leadership book specifically aimed at college students.