UF Freshman Makes Literary Debut with New Book Release

On August 22nd, 2024, I stood outside a Turlington Hall lecture room, nervous for my first-ever Fall class as a college freshman. Standing next to me was an equally anxious-looking girl named Naomi Kramer, who I later found out was coincidentally in all three of my in-person classes and would be the first author I know.

Naomi, although 17 when I met her, is an 18-year-old first-year psychology major at UF. Growing up in a small beach town near Daytona known as Ponce Inlet, Naomi says she has always felt passion and love for the outdoors and nature. During our virtual conversation for this article, Naomi also revealed that her parents met while students at UF and that her mom, similarly to her, was a psychology major.

Being the oldest child in her family, Naomi states that her parents devoted a great amount of their time to educating and entertaining her as a kid. After being taught to read at home, Naomi was afforded the opportunity to skip Kindergarten due to her advanced literary skills, an opportunity the freshman claims impacted her development significantly. 

She says being the youngest in every grade was an obstacle, nonetheless explaining she is grateful for the decision “because it kept me challenged and motivated.” Additionally, Naomi claims that being educated alongside older kids allowed her to become comfortable in spaces where she does not necessarily ‘belong,’ a facet that has no doubt encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone for years. 

While leading her to the University of Florida, Naomi’s academic journey did not solidify her career goals. Originally, the freshman applied for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ psychology program. However, during Preview, UF’s orientation, Naomi switched her major to Public Relations to obtain a flexible degree that could land her a job in New York City, which she states has been her dream for “a while.” 

It was only during her second collegiate semester, Spring of 2025, that Naomi decided to make the change back to psychology, stating that the social sciences major “feels more” like her. 

Yet, Kramer says she is still fascinated by the media industry, explaining that she thoroughly enjoys analyzing different brands and their “images.”Accordingly, she asserts that she considered pursuing a career in the book publishing industry for a while due to her love for reading, a dream she credits as a reason why she decided to write a book at 17. 

Titling it Be, Kramer self-published her debut novel through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. “They deal with the printing and distribution for you, so actually getting the book published was pretty easy.” Once her writing task was over, Naomi merely had to save her work as a PDF and upload it through the company’s website, saying that, since she knew people who had gone through the process, she felt supported in figuring out how to proceed. In total, Kramer explains that the process lasted four months, developing from mere sketches into a full-length publication by January 2025.

Composed of three sections (Find Beauty, Be Brave, and Be Kind), Be is an “inspirational book” including quotes, art, and journal prompts. Each division is approximately thirty pages long and encompasses content relating to its title. “For example, in the Find Beauty section, there is a drawing that says ‘collect the tiny moments that make you happy’ and a journal prompt on the next page that says ‘write them here.’” 

Kramer states she was inspired to produce a book in this manner as she has always personally enjoyed reading quotes and admiring artwork, contending that “in times where people seem to be so angry and hateful towards themselves and each other,” she felt it would be “important to spread more positivity.”

Currently, Naomi is enrolled in a creative writing course at UF, stating that being a student in Gainesville has inspired her to create more. Having plans to study abroad in Costa Rica in the Fall of 2025, Kramer says she is excited to connect with nature on a wider level and, possibly, gain inspiration for more writing. 

Sticking to her psychology path, however, the freshman claims that she hopes to pursue writing as a mere hobby, not planning to turn this early-life release into a career. Nonetheless, she says that if provided the opportunity to transform the pastime into something bigger, she would “feel so lucky”. Be is available for purchase on Amazon. Follow @naomik.be on Instagram for more information.

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