About Fiction Friends 2.1, Medium’s Future Updates, and a New Discussion Thread
The Story List #9, Special Edition
It’s time for something a little different this week!
This has been brewing for a couple of weeks, but after last week went by without any new submissions to the library, this week’s newsletter offered a good opportunity to talk about how Fiction Friends is doing, and where it’s headed next.
We’re now a little over two months since the launch of Fiction Friends 2.0, and we’ve had 34 stories added to the library in that time. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!
In that same time, however, I’ve also been able to observe the statistics for the publication…
And I can see some big areas for improvement.
No matter how much thought and planning goes into a project, there’s no substitute for actually doing it and seeing what happens.
In hindsight, I can see things that I could have done differently that would have improved the search engine optimization for the sections of the library, their visibility on Medium, and potentially the way that the library interacts with the Medium algorithm.
Why does this matter? Because this has resulted in fewer people discovering the library… which is the whole point!
There’s no way I want to accept story listings from people unless they’re actually going to get read by potential readers.
So, renovations to the library are on the way.
I have a good idea on how to fix these issues, and hopefully, these changes will result in a much better library system for fiction writers and readers here.
If you’ve already had stories added to the library, fear not: there should be very little inconvenience for contributors, with some tangible benefits, too.
You’re more than welcome to go ahead and submit new stories to the library now, but just be aware that changes are on the way. I’ll be linking to this post at the top of the submissions page.
One thing that may cause a slight delay is Medium’s upcoming redesign for publications, which I suspect may be in the next few weeks as we approach Medium Day.
In other news…
We have a new discussion thread open this week, and this one is all about publications!
Specifically, the topic of publishing fiction in publications on Medium.
What are the best publications for fiction? How do you choose a publication?
Does follower count matter? What about boosts?
We want to hear your experiences and opinions!
Also, if you haven’t checked out the new announcement about the update to the Medium Partner Program yet, you should!
There’s a lot to digest there, and it will definitely have an impact on the fiction community on Medium going forward.
There will be no feature articles for this week, but feel free to browse our story listings from the links below!
If you have questions about the upcoming changes to the library or any feedback that you would like to share about Fiction Friends, let me know in the comments section.
Thanks for reading!
E. Ardincaple, Editor/Creator
Story Listings
The Fiction Friends Library
• Action & Adventure (2) • Dystopian (1) • Fantasy (6) • Folklore & Mythology (5) • General & Contemporary (8) • Historical Fiction • Horror (1) • Humor • Literary Fiction • Mystery & Crime (1) • Paranormal • Romance (6) • Science Fiction (4) • Thriller & Suspense • Western
About Fiction Friends
Fiction Friends is a virtual library and coffee shop for fiction writers and readers on Medium. It’s a space to share stories, learn about publishing online, and discover great fiction. Our mission is to help build a better, stronger fiction community on Medium — one cup of coffee at a time.