Hey there! I hope you've had a great week. Mine was pretty busy, including posting flyers for a local author event yesterday, attending a standing-room-only civil rights lecture, and doing some email marketing research.
(BTW – If you want to help make the Hatch Books Newsletter amazing, click here to take a brief survey. My blog and my newsletter are for your benefit, so your feedback is invaluable.)
For all that busyness, I'm hoping to have some weekend downtime to test out this week's #FridayFinds. After you read about these babies, I'm sure you'll see where I'm coming from.
So busy I missed my college reunion last weekend... but still proud of that U.Va. diploma. Wahoowa!
OptiQly
I first heard about OptiQly in a publishing industry newsletter. This technology startup has created a software algorithm that helps merchants identify problem areas that need to be resolved in order to improve product and brand visibility on Amazon and Amazon affiliate platforms.
OptiQly is not available (even in beta!) yet, but you can sign up to become an early adopter here. Once it rolls out, this could be a real boon for self-published authors.
SMedian
It's 2017, so I hope that by now you've heard of Medium, the open publication platform created by Twitter cofounder Evan Williams. What you may not have heard of is SMedian, a community of Medium editors actively seeking writers for their pages.
For anyone who has ever been disappointed by the paltry handful of recommendations your own Medium stories get (*raises hand*), this is fantastic news. Pitching a story to The Writer's Collective or The Entrepreneur's Handbook could be a big boon for your CV.
Not sold yet? You can learn more about SMedian here.
My cat Ellie is such a micromanager. Now if only I could teach her to answer emails.
Wattpad
Just like Flashback Fridays, Wattpad is an oldie but a goodie.
Best known in fan fiction communities, the free platform allows writers to connect with and receive feedback from potential readers on a chapter-by-chapter basis. If you're not ready for a professional freelancer but aren't connected with any writing groups, this is a great place to find beta readers.
You can check out their perks for emerging writers and published authors here and here.
I hope you find these resources helpful, and that you have a fantastic weekend.
Have fun and happy writing!
Jessica
Every Friday morning, Friday Finds brings you a round-up of helpful writing, editing, and publishing tips right here... or in your inbox, if you subscribe to my newsletter!