TechCrunch: “Any book lover knows the feeling: The incredible novel you’re reading ends with a vicious cliffhanger, and all you want to do is gab with other fans about what might happen next, but none of your friends have read the book. You might find fan discussions on Reddit, Tumblr or Discord, but it can be a bit of a crapshoot. The founder and CEO of Copper, Allison Trowbridge wanted to build a social network that revolves around books, connecting authors and fans through in-app discussions and live events. As an author herself, she also wanted to help writers find new income streams, whether that’s through ticketed virtual events, or just generating enough conversation around a book that more people buy it. “You have Twitch for the gamers, and Etsy for the crafters, and Spotify and SoundCloud for the musicians,” Trowbridge said. “Authors have never had a platform that’s built around their needs, and helping them reach an audience and do it in a way that’s authentic and engaging and can scale, but also creates depth in the relationships.” Authors on Copper can host FaceTime-like discussions about their work, which they will be able to sell tickets for in a later version of the app. They can also engage in text-based forum discussions with fans, helping deepen their relationship with their readers. The app will always have a free version for both authors and fans, but later this year, Trowbridge wants to create a premium version of the app, which would offer paying users additional features. Copper is part of a growing crop of companies that want to help connect authors with readers. Bookshop.org, Libro.fm and Folio have offered consumers an alternative to Amazon, while apps like The StoryGraph are trying to dethrone the dormant Goodreads…”