I have a client who wasn’t on Facebook and wanted a Facebook author page.
As you know, before you can create a Facebook page you first need a Facebook profile. So I created a Facebook profile first and then the page. When my client logged in, he only saw the profile and assumed that the profile was his page.
I think part of the problem stems from the fact that people tend to use the term “Facebook page” loosely. A Facebook profile isn’t a Facebook page, and vice versa. And, yes, you need a somewhat informal profile before you can create a page.
Just to continue the comparison a bit further, on a Facebook profile you have friends and you can send and accept or deny friend requests.