Worth a Cup of Coffee?
Recently, I’ve seen several McDonald’s marquees read “$1.00 coffee any size.”
That’s the price of my short story “Of Aether and Aeon.” $0.99.
It is a short story at 3500 words, the perfect length for a lunchtime interlude. Most short stories are between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Some of the greatest short stories in history are less than 3,000 words, like my favorite “Harrison Bergeron” by the great Kurt Vonnegut (2500) or “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Poe (2150). Even “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is the same length as mine at 3500 words.
Do you feel that’s worth the price of a cup of McDonald’s coffee?
Several readers have told me via Twitter and Facebook that they loved the story, but they got it for free during the initial promotion. There will be many more short stories in the future, and I need to know what they’re worth to my readers. If they’re not worth the price of a McD’s coffee, I’ll certainly have to try much harder.
For the next month, I’m going to give my short story “Of Aether and Aeon” away for free.
Go to Smashwords and download it for free using this code: SQ49T
It’s good for the next month. (through 9/26)
If you think it’s worth the $0.99, I’ll ask that you go buy it from Amazon on principal & leave a review there or at least a comment on this blog post. Also feel free to leave a review telling me it’s not worth it.
Or, alternatively, you can just send whatever you think it’s worth via PayPal: $0.25, a nickel, $10. $20!
If you like it, please consider getting my novel AVALON REVISITED for just $2.99 on Kindle.
Just think, you can get both my short story “Of Aether and Aeon” (Read an excerpt here) and my full Steampunk Paranormal Romance Novel AVALON REVISITED for less than a Venti Starbucks Soy Mocha.
Let me know if I’m worth it.
Caught in the Cogs 
I liked the story, it was an entertaining quick read. It’s a good piece to sit down with over lunch and by the time you have to get up and running, you’ve finished it and received closure. No more fussing over it for the rest of the day, wondering what happens next without a shadow of hope that you can pick it back up until you’re back in the car four hours later.
It had a few things like a wrong word here and there and a line or two just didn’t sound fluidly enough. Those were very minor details and didn’t provide more than a moment’s distraction. Why waste more than an instant when you’re anxious about finding out what’s next?
Now, is it worth 99 cents? Absolutely. It wouldn’t take much for me to cut back in order to enjoy it. Skip the fries or the extra-large soda… I’ll have a short story and take the change.
I think stories like these would make a great addition to the e-book market. It’s got great potential. Spread the word; I know I will.
Thanks so much for your comments, Liano. I truly appreciate the feedback.