Advice for Aspiring Writers
4 reasons why new or struggling writers should write for a publication on Medium
1. You are new to writing.
Or
2. You have been writing for a while now with little to no success.
You have or had all these wonderful expectations:
· sitting on a beach with your laptop sipping cocktails
· traveling the world and immersing yourself in different cultures
· living lavishly from the royalties that your publications keep generating
· being free from a 9 to 5 job and the mundane way of life of the common-folk
I had those same dreams. And I still do. I just realize now that it wasn’t as easy as I thought.
Sure, some persons hit the nail on the head on their first try. It may be that they have raw talent, they have the right connections, or they were lucky. Whichever it is, hats off to them and I wish them all the best.
For those of you more like myself who have to be scratching and clawing your way to find that light, I have some good news for you:
Medium is here; more specifically, Medium Publications.
The first advice I’m giving to you is to sign up for a paid Medium membership. The cost is just $5 per month. Trust me, it will be all worth it.
The next advice is to publish your work under popular Medium publications. Search for “popular Medium publications” and go through that list. Shortlist the ones that your niche or writing styles can fit into. Read through all their requirements to see which ones are right for you.
Feel free to choose more than one publication that you would like to be a writer for, then get to work. Create and submit your most fitting pieces and keep trying until you make the cut.
Why should you put yourself through all of this?
Why not just create your own blog and post your writing to that?
Or, why not just post them on Medium under your own account?
Here are 4 reasons why.
1. Free Professional Editing and Advice
It is always advised that writers not edit their work; at least not the final edit.
You tend to miss things that another person might see just because it’s your work and you already understand what you are trying to say. An editor will pick up on things that your reader will pick up on and correct them before it reaches to that point.
When you submit your piece to a publication, it will be reviewed before being accepted and published. Some publications even have persons who will edit your work and send back corrections if they are interested in your piece.
This is a very important service that is especially beneficial to new or struggling writers. You may not have the money to hire a professional editor, so why not make use of this free service?
Remember, however, to do your best to send high-quality work that you think will not require any editing. If you send sub-par work in hopes that someone else will create a masterpiece out of it, you are mistaken. You will only be rejected or ignored.
2. Guaranteed Views
After you have submitted a piece that is worthy and finally get that acceptance message (it’s a great feeling), your work will be published. Depending on which publication you get accepted to, your post could be sent to hundreds of thousands of viewers. These are persons that you would have no access to otherwise.
It’s exciting when you check your stats and for the first time see thousands of views on your work. It gives you additional motivation to continue. To do what you love.
After all, isn’t it the goal of a writer for their work to be read?
There are other advantages to getting more views on Medium which I will get into in the other two points on this list.
3. Public Feedback
The feedback from the editor is important in your writing success.
There is, however, an even more important feedback that every writer needs. This is feedback from the fans, as well as the critics.
The public is who determines how successful you are as a writer.
You need to win their favor and gain their trust and respect no matter what field of writing you pursue.
You will need their feedback to know how to tweak and improve your writing style and what topics to write bout to have the desired effect on your audience.
Medium is a growing platform that has free and paying members from all walks of life. They won’t hesitate to provide you with feedback on your post.
It will be up to you to analyze the feedback and make the most of it. Remember not to take negative comments too seriously. Analyze them with an open mind and take whatever advice lies within, just as you do with the positive comments.
4. Get Paid
Yes, I saved the best for last.
Getting paid is the ultimate goal for all professional writers.
Medium’s partner program pays writers when persons read your post.
Remember the hundreds of thousands of subscribers that publications have. Now compare that to the twenty-three friends that subscribe to your page. Keep in mind that your twenty-three friends only subscribed because you ask them to. They aren’t interested in reading that much.
The hundreds of thousands of subscribers to the publications are persons who love reading.
Now, which group do you think has the potential to provide you with more profit?
You can do the maths later, for now, just believe me when I say, it’s the publications.
The first time I published in a publication on Medium, I made $1.28 in the first day. This may not seem like much but I was ecstatic. This represented hope. I hadn’t made a dollar before that.
There are writers out there who report making thousands of dollars per month from writing for Medium. While they are in the lower percentile of earners, they at least stand as living examples of what this platform offers.
There is no reason why you cannot work hard enough to achieve this level of success or even go on to break records.
The sky is no longer the limit.
So, were my arguments strong enough to convince you to post your articles with Medium publications? Which point is your favorite and why?
I’ve set a personal goal to be among the most read and highest-earning authors on Medium. I welcome you to join me on this journey.
Until next time, take care.
