Screening His Book Trailer Before The Odyssey

“It’s an experience I’ll never forget.” 

Author Luigi A Kohli has long held a fascination in one subject: what happened to Pontius Pilate? A curiosity that bubbled up in his teens, he has now turned it into published duology (with a third on the way!), featuring paperbacks, ebooks, an audiobook, and has even had a book trailer of his book showcased at the cinema before the screenings of The Odyssey. 

So how did Luigi take a lifelong curiosity and create an unforgettable publishing experience? 

From Curiosity to Completed Manuscript 

Luigi’s fascination with Pontius Pilate evolved during his teen years. “It’s possibly one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient past,” he says. “What happened to Pontius Pilate, the man who crucified the Christ and then disappears, with no official records remaining to show that he even existed? Where did he come from and where did he go?” 

His interest in the subject matter only continued to grow after he read Lew Wallace’s seminal novel Ben Hur: A Tale of The Christ. “Not only because it was made into a movie that no film maker has managed to trump in terms of Oscars, having won 11 Oscars and only two films have equalled it since, but also because the story was so moving.” 

For Luigi, the drive to turn his curiosity into a book was a personal one: “I didn’t even set out to publish in the beginning,” he says. “All I wanted to do was imagine how the story moved forward at a time in history that was so full of transformational events.” 

“Much is written about the life of Christ up to and including his death. Relatively little – at least in popular media – is explored in the immediate aftermath.” 

His drive to turn his idea into a novel was also facilitated by his job. In his early career he worked as a technical author. “I loved the challenge of learning about a new topic, and explaining it in simple terms for others to understand.” 

“The research for Aletheia was 18 months, and there was so much great material to work with, and it was a challenge to boil it down to the things I really needed to use.” 

“Alongside this, I was a voracious reader in my youth and heavily influenced by writers like David Gemmell, Ken Follett, Isaac Azimov and the rest!” 

Becoming a Published Author 

So, Luigi initially didn’t even consider publication. “It didn’t even cross my mind until I was largely done with my draft,” he says. “It was only then that my enthusiasm for my story took over and I had a thought: what a shame if I were the only one to ever read what had taken me three years to write.” 

“I had no idea if it was any good, easy to read or even made sense. At nearly a thousand pages it was hard to see wood from the trees!” 

However, the decision to publish spurred him on: “once I made the decision, these things came into sharp focus, from editing, reviewing and sharing drafts with others. This is not to mention a great deal of research into the publishing world and everything that comes with it: the business models, the costs, and the different processes.” 

For Luigi, the decision to pursue self-publishing was driven by two factors: the accessibility of self-publishing, and the freedom and control. 

“I had to face the fact that finding an agent and going down the “traditional” route was going to be a question of luck. Why do I say this? Because even if a book is great and well-written, you have to know that there are thousands of new titles released every month. Then for agents, they are looking for something specific that fits a gap in their portfolio.” 

“After contacting over one hundred with less than a quarter even replying, and out of those just four with specific and helpful comments, you have to think of a plan B.” 

“Then there’s the control of self-publishing. There are many different ways to self-publish, and I was looking for a route where I could pick and choose the services I needed to get me out there. Proofing, marketing, distribution, and more.” 

“It was also important for me to retain as much of the value of my intellectual capital as possible. Who spends years bringing pages to life, only to have someone else take all of the profit? With self-publishing you have some mechanisms to prioritise the channel mix – routes, formats, and discounts too.” 

Choosing to Publish with Troubador 

There are so many different ways to self-publish today, so why did Luigi choose full-service self-publishing with Troubador? The first step for Luigi was research, research, research!

“I worked up a shortlist based on some great newspaper articles I had read, as well as a few YouTube videos. I didn’t know any authors at the time so couldn’t get any recommendations.” 

He also wanted to ensure that his publisher was selective. “It was important to me to work with a team that had read some of what I had written and judged it to be worthy of publishing. Some other publishers were too quick to offer me a publishing contract without ever reading more than my pitch: not a good sign! Their focus was mainly on on-boarding as many authors as they can, I suspect.” 

From his research, he has learned the importance of being diligent: “there are many sharks in the waters. Being parted with your hard-earned cash should be done with patience and proper scrutiny.” 

Seeing His Book Trailer on the Movie Screen 

Seeing your book trailer on the movie screen is a remarkable accomplishment. So how did Luigi make this happen? Well, it appears the creation of the movie trailer, like creation of the book, was completely organic. 

“It started a long time before the idea of a trailer even entered my head,” he says. “I connected with artists on social media whose work I loved.” 

“Later, I dipped my toe in the water and approached one of them with a collaboration: I would send him my book, and if he loved it, he would pick just five scenes to do some original artwork (no AI!) and then we would jointly socialise the outcome.” 

“It was an experiment in visualising what readers see when they read a vivid scene from a book, and how different it might be to the mind’s eyes of the author – and it went very well.” 

Following this, it was one of Luigi’s other connections who triggered the idea of a movie script, and suggested that Luigi should do a trailer and enter it into a competition.  

“So I engaged with the same artist with another proposal as he was a filmmaker too, and had other connections we could use.” 

Luigi at the cinema where they showcased his trailer before the screening of The Odyssey. Photo credits to Luigi. 

“Things just went mad from there,” he says. “Everyone was keen to help – not for free, but at marginal costs due to this being something interesting that they’d never worked on before.” 

“Before I knew it my main contact was working with a VFX/XR guy in Los Angeles and a musical duo that had done film scores. Believe me when I tell you I was so unbelievably humbled by their support.” 

“We finished the trailer just in time for the competition, the results of which are due towards the end of 2026.” 

After that, Luigi turned his efforts to getting his trailer on the cinema screen: as who wouldn’t want to see their book trailer on a cinema screen? 

“I approached DCM (Digital Cinema Media) directly and secured a slot: one full week at a cinema ahead of the opening at The Odyssey.” 

“It’s an experience I’ll never forget.” 

Building an Author Brand Through Marketing Initiatives 

Like many, Luigi’s marketing initiatives have evolved throughout his publishing journey. 

“Initially, I aimed to build a network of connections, building my social media presence and author brand,” he says. 

He did this through a variety of ways: 

• Small collaborations with artists to explore my stories
• Book signings
• Book reviews and competitions (be prepared to remind reviewers to post their reviews, he says!)
• Writing competitions 

Sharing His Knowledge: Discussing His Author Journey at a Prison 

Beyond his cinematic trailer, Luigi has also shared his publishing journey at a prison. 

“As an author you love any opportunity to talk about your “stuff”. The book, your journey, your lessons. At a book signing I made a point of telling everyone that I would be happy to talk anywhere, anytime.” 

“Next thing you know, I have an invite to go to prison!” 

“To my great surprise the library there had bought quite a few of my books, and lined up twenty inmates who were keen to hear what I had to say. They were engaged, talkative and keen to hear not just about the books but behind the history of all of them.” 

“We went off-topic too and talked about holidays, interesting places people had visited and the history connected to them. I loved the experience and would encourage anyone to try it.” 

A Brilliant Publishing Journey

For Luigi, the most important thing about publishing his book has been readership and recognition. “In the end it’s about as many people as possible enjoying the story and sharing their thoughts on it.” What he has achieved: a high-quality publication, book trailer, audiobook, industry connections and more, has made for an exciting publishing journey, indeed.