My first attempt at writing a novel length story was a still unpublished work I titled The Herald Returns. I originally started it with my own kids in mind as the protagonists. They were younger then, and, like the Nelson Sheffler series it was a universe spanning saga. After trying unsuccessfully to find an agent for that manuscript, even hiring a consultant, I decided to move on and begin again on a new title. Perhaps I’ll return to it someday.

Given my lifelong love for science fiction and comic books, I wanted to write a story blending the two, and I remember the exact moment I started Nelson Sheffler Saves The World. It was a sea day on a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, Texas, about a decade ago. I typed the first words on my wife’s tiny pink laptop while sitting upon a lounger in the shade on the starboard side of the ship. I didn’t even know what my character’s name or abilities would be. I didn’t have a plot. I just started writing. I wanted my adventure to be fun, so I made my hero a teenager, and before the cruise was over, I had a roughly composed first chapter. A short time later, I finalized my protagonist’s name - Nelson Sheffler.

Authors call the first rendition of your book the “vomit-copy”. Basically, you just spew everything that comes to mind into your computer to create a half-viable story, but what you’re left with is a mess. And that’s when the real fun begins. I think I enjoy the molding process even more than the raw creative process. I really love fine-tuning my original stories into something with depth, imagination, and heart. After months of writing, I finished my manuscript and thought it was actually pretty good. I’d effectively created a fun, believable, otherworldly universe for Nelson. The characters were great, and the story was compelling. Still, it seemed to be missing some things, so I had a few people beta-read the rough manuscript. One of my friends, Sydney, suggested that I needed something more relatable for Nelson…maybe some details about his school life to help develop his character more. Honestly, the entire chapter 4, Late For Class, of Nelson Sheffler Saves the World was because of her, and I really think it added a lot to Nelson’s character development. The chapter titles Sneaking and The Price of the Kex were also suggestions added by my readers, added later to help frame the nature of the crisis better and increase the stakes in the story. And I think the most common feedback from my readers is that they really liked Uncle Harold.

So again, I submitted nearly two hundred agent queries on this new book to try and secure representation for me and my work. It failed. No one would touch it, I think primarily because I had no platform. I wasn’t a celebrity, nor was I an ‘expert’, and didn’t have a powerful social media following or YouTube presence. And as a self admitted introvert, I honestly didn’t even have that many friends.

I did, however, feel like there was more of Nelson Sheffler’s story to tell, and wondered if perhaps more agents would be interested in a completed series rather than a stand alone novel. So, I changed the ending to Nelson Sheffler Saves The World and continued his story in Nelson Sheffler Saves The Galaxy, before completing the saga with Nelson Sheffler Saves The Universe (which became two books). Guess what happened after I completed my series. Nothing. Not a single agent was interested in seeing any of it.

I was devastated, and the querying process had been mentally exhausting. Admittedly, the average agent gets dozens to hundreds of queries per day, so my chances were a long shot even from the outset. Even so, I have to say it’s a little soul crushing to put so much work into something, only for it to be brushed aside, seemingly without any consideration whatsoever. So many rejections. You can’t believe how many rejections I got. And most agents didn’t even respond. Discouraged, I needed a break and I put my manuscript aside. Over time, I almost forgot about it.

So, it sat.

And it sat.

And sat.

I moved onto other projects, figuring the series to be dead. I wasn’t really all that interested in self-publishing at the time because I knew the stats. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 self-published authors ever generated any revenue at all from their work, which meant that almost no one was reading those titles. So, what was the point? Why publish it at all if no one was going to read it?

My manuscript sat some more.

I’m not sure why, but one day, early in 2026 something told me in the back of my mind to return to the Nelson Sheffler series and publish it myself anyway. Honestly, it was one of those powerful moments where everything shifts. I also figured, what the heck, it probably won’t go very far, but at least my book will be out there, and maybe somebody might even enjoy it. Besides, it’s definitely not going anywhere just sitting in a folder in my laptop with no one to read it. I mean, I wrote it for fun, not for any money or recognition, so I started researching self-publishing on Amazon. I learned all about book formatting, ISBNs, chapter headings, drop-caps, and em-dashes, even the differences between a curly and straight quotation mark. The pieces fell into place. Someone referred me to an awesome book formatting app in Atticus, and I was able to prep my work better. I designed a cover in Canva, only to realize that it was just a little too young, so I redesigned it for an older reader. I learned about paper types, keywords, and the differences between print and digital media. Over time, I started gaining some momentum toward publishing. It was good to work on Nelson Sheffler again.

Now, Nelson Sheffler Saves The World is almost out and ready for you to read. I hope Nelson’s saga is as fun and enjoyable for you to read as it was for me to write. And be sure to let Amazon know that you love it with a 5-star rating. Every rating helps boost Nelson Sheffler’s exposure.

Fidelity. Veracity. Victory.

Chris Nance