My first! Come Follow Me, a Story of Pilate and Jesus

I published my first short story on Amazon, Come, Follow Me, a Story of Pilate and Jesus, located at

When two Roman soldiers are relieved of their watch on Sunday morning, they are as surprised as the oncoming watch to find they have been standing in front of an open and empty tomb, the rock rolled back… and unaware when that might have happened! Yet this is just one more crisis for Pontius Pilate, wracked by guilt over his dishonorable act, and puzzled by the political intrigues and mysterious forces that made his actions inevitable. But there is more to follow for him, much more!

Please buy the paperback or download the Kindle, and give me a review. I would like to hear what you guys think. It is also available in the UK and Europe.

 

I might check that out later, congrats on getting a story released!

 

Very interesting. The title immediately grabbed my attention as I always wondered how Pilate truly felt about his decision.

Is this considered fiction or is it non-fiction (bible based)? Either way, I am very interested in reading this eventually. Thank you for sharing.

Shogun.

 

It is both, in that the only resource on the characters involved in the crucifixion are the Gospels (which slightly contradict each other: were the soldiers guarding the tomb Roman soldiers or Jewish auxiliaries or Temple police? Pick one). I also used Flavius Josephus, the only other reference who dealt with Pilate, and used part of his narrative from Histories of the Jewish People. And tradition deals with the soldiers present at the crucifixion.

Having said that, the narrative is purely secular, dealing with his reasons for doing what he did, how the Sanhedrin was trying to box him in, and how he and others felt about it... until the last few pages.

At 40 pages it is a quick read and cheap, so buy a copy, I need the sales... then tell a friend.

 

I'd be interested to read about how this works out for you going forward. Congrats on getting it out there.

 

It's actually expensive, especially for the length. There are thousands and thousands of full-length novels available for free, 49p, or 99p, so spending £2.46 on a quick read is quite hard to justify. I know I wouldn't pay more than 99p for a short story (unless a collection of them) and I think many Kindle readers feel the same.

Just a suggestion!

 

I've bought mine, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Swamped ...but soon....

 

Yeah I have to agree with @Tenderiser , that $3 for a short is too much. I epubbed my novel for that, and it is
significantly longer at 123K+.

 

Although I'm personally not bothered by the price, I can see where @Cave Troll and @Tenderiser are coming from.

I haven't bought it yet simply because I'm literally without a dime to my name at the current moment. Dammed recruiters still owe me money and refuse to pay me. My next $29 is going towards the paperwork to sue the bastards so I can actually have money to live as well as not only to buy your book(s) but to finally be able to afford to publish mine! I'm still interested in this book of course...

Shogun.

 

This is a subject and period I'm interested in, but I'm in the same spot as @blueshogun96. I mean, my light bill's not even paid yet.

Someday, maybe?

 

Just cut the price!

 

Good luck - hope you see a rise in sales!

 

Couldn't be any worse! Marketing is about as much fun as querying!

 

Just downloaded it - I'll take a look.

 

Yup. The true pain of self-publishing.

Hang in there!

 

But a necessary part of the process.

 

Sometimes you simply must do what needs to be done.

@Lew I don't know exactly what your financial goal(s) might be as a writer, but I recommend not neglecting the marketing side in order to be successful. It's no fun, but it's gotta be done (Hey, that rhymes, haha).

Shogun.

 

I would agree the price might have been a little high on this one, but I'd also recommend charging what you're worth. Don't sell yourself short. If your stuff is quality people will pay for it.

 

That's awesome @Lew !

 

Marketing can be very fun if you know what you're doing.
Very rewarding too, if you pull it off.

When you become a publisher, self or otherwise, you're taking
a product to market with the intention of selling. It makes perfect
sense, then, to have a marketing plan, and it shouldn't be viewed as some
painful chore. If you're not excited enough about your own product,
why should other people be interested?

You agree that skills are necessary for the crafting of a story?
Well, skills are necessary for the marketing of a product.
After all, a professional publishing house will have marketing
savvy - in fact, that's a huge part of the value they offer writers.

So, take off your author's hat and put on a marketer's wig
and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's

 

I am setting up some local book signings, and sent a post about me and my work to the local newspaper. Will be looking for ways to generate buzz through the Md Writers' Assn, looking for ideas how to do that. Getting reviews on Amazon will be helpful as well. @Solar , you are right on. I am a military contractor as well, and retired Naval officer, so yeah, self promotion is critical to success, if you want to push your ideas. Oddly, I have enjoyed getting ideas better than pushing them, though I am, in the end, usually successful.

 

Just because marketting is necessary doesn't mean it's going to be fun... I mean, why shouldn't it be viewed as a painful chore, if the person doing the marketting doesn't enjoy it? And, yes, there are skills required to market well. An author may or may not possess these skills or have an interest in developing them.

I'm not saying that some measure of marketting isn't necessary, but I certainly don't think we can expect all writers to enjoy marketting, just because some do...