Really, what they call "editors" at medium should be called curators. Because that's what they do. They pick and choose among submissions to curate the publication they want to build. And it would be a crap ton less work to be an "editor" if every submission that doesn't have image credits or follow the guidelines was just rejected. lol
LMAO. It is. But I figure it describes what I try do with History of Women, so maybe I can be a little generous. But sure as heck closer to what they do than "editor" lol
Yup. I agree with your prediction Paul. I haven't commented on any of those posts for the exact same reason. It feels like being the grinch, but where do people THINK the money is going to come from? Back a couple of years ago, Ev had done an interview with verge. He spilled all the wrong things Medium had done and where their traffic actually came from. It was hugely enlightening. Not that anyone is paying attention.
It is kind of exhausting, isn't it? They just keep trying to mold Medium into something it's not and I don't really get it. But I guess that's their prerogative. And thanks for the last paragraph. Totally agree -- the people we met because of Medium are one of the best things, ever. :)
Very true. It is theirs to do as they wish. This being the sad reality at a lot of businesses.
And this also is so sad: because it IS possible to do a TRUTHFUL win-win for “consumer(writer)” and business owner. The thing is the win/win can be profitable (as it should be) but it won’t be stupid profitable at the expense of its client base. Example: grocery store insane record breaking profits amid pandemics, supply chain problems and shrinking customer incomes
For far too many owners of these operations, greed is the only thing that matters and it’s a smoke and mirrors game to falsely snag the hopes and loyalty of the customer(writer).
I think for many of us, me included, we just have to stop believing the bull and get strategic about how we each go forward. No question, if one chooses, Medium can be part of the plan, just not the entire focus. And expectations and time commitments vs return need to be managed.
Your essays are important to help facilitate this, Linda.
I'm honestly not sure if it's possible to do a win win for writers and business owner. I'm really not. I mean, if I post a new story on the same day that Barack Obama posts his opinion on something, there's no way I'm getting any reads. lol. You know?
Corporate greed is an issue and everywhere, that's for sure. But there's one other thing that we writers need to really truly SEE. And it's this. If I have a mailing list of 17,810 people, know how many people see what I write? 17,810, that's how many. But if I have 17,810 followers on Medium (and I do) know how many see my writing? Well, that's up to Medium on any given day. That's the real difference.
You are 100% correct when you point out that the money is going to come out of writer’s money pool (however THAT is decided, since the rules are fluid on Medium platform).
Perhaps they’ll be introducing advertising with tiers of membership with or w/o it. You would pay more If you don’t want to see advertisements? Just a wild guess on my part.
I’m not excited to read this news, even though I am one of two editors on a very small pub: Dog Tales. Money doesn’t motivate me as it did even 20 years ago.
I know I am blessed and in a good place, financially. I also know that many are not (as I live in a major city with THE highest poverty rate @26 percent).
They've always said they aren't going to do advertising, and of course they could change their minds but to me it just seems like the obvious place for editor pay to come from is writer pay. I'm glad you're in a good financial place, but at the same time I know that half of America isn't. Maybe they'll eventually learn that good writers leave when they don't get paid well. More likely it will become a place for people to shill their businesses even more because that's the only way to make a decent income from the place. That would be sad, but probably inevitable.
lol, Katharine that first sentence was priceless. Thank you. You know, I tell people I work in design and marketing, but the key to that is seeing what's happening under the surface. Always feels good to be able to help others see. And you're so right. Some will be happy, others not so much.
it's been a while since I "appeared" in the online writing space. Wow so much has happened and still happening. LOL.
About Medium changes and paying publications, yes I agree, you pretty much nailed the crux of the entire situation so succinctly.
If Medium new CEO and team does not realize what made Medium wildly successful during the haydays, then all these tricks they are rolling out are just wasting time, resources and more hope-crushing on writers, like myself. Unless it's writers who are writing about finance and how-to-make-more-money-on-XYZ.
I am so glad you kept substack, nothing beats having your personal list.
You are so right about the hope crushing. I cringe to think how bad the pay will get once more of it is going to editors. Time for a lot of writers to find a new direction, I think. And it's sad.
Right? I've seen a lot of people make comments about Medium flattening the curve. As in, they are paying out more, but it's spread across more writers. I have no idea if that's true, but it would make some bizarre sort of sense. But it's like I said in a previous piece -- it's a totally different story to make $100 if you've only ever made $20 before, and to make $100 when you used to make $1000. Maybe they just want fresh blood. I have no idea.
I closed my publication, Indelible Ink, a year or so ago, with no regrets. I loved editing that pub, seeking out only quality work, and I appreciated every single writer who chose to post there, but as publication numbers grew my numbers dwindled. I recognized that unless I was one of the big ones there was no advantage for writers to post under my banner. They were better off on their own.
I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue from promising to pay every pub owner. It makes no real sense as a marketing tool and will only make earnings harder for individual writers. I hope he thinks it through and takes the advice you and others are giving him.
I should add that I rarely post on Medium anymore, mainly because the changes are dizzying and almost never to my advantage. I'm at Substack now and loving it.
I just checked out your publication. So great to know you're here too, Ramona. I've read that with most Substack pubs offering both paid and free, usually around 10% go paid. Do you find the same? I've considered offering a paid option, but I sometimes wonder if I should get more specific about what I write first. Seems to me the paid pubs on Substack that do well tend to be really niche focused and not as rambly as mine.
I'm constantly surprised whenever I get a paid subscription, since all I offer them is my undying gratitude. My paids aren't anywhere near 10% yet, but I consider all of them perks. There are fewer monthlies than I would have thought. Most are annual, and I have one Founder! I have two Substacks, both with around 200 subscribers and with a handful of paids.
My posts on Constant Commoner are all over the place, so don't have a niche, either, but I want it that way. I try to stick to writing and creativity on Writer Everlasting, and, for the most part, I get more comments there than on the other. But they're usually from the same few loyal followers, so I know my reach doesn't go far.
I’m not optimistic at all. Recently, Content VP Scott Lamb posted a telling remark: “We’d love to know your thoughts — we’ve invited the Medium community to share their thinking over on our company blog. Would be curious to hear from members as well, so leave a comment there or reply to this email, and help us shape our path forward.”
As a member and contributor on Medium, I foolishly assumed I was a member of the Medium community, but Scott considers me an afterthought. In his mind, members aren’t all that important. If your not on the payroll, you’re just another sucker playing at being a writer to them.
Tony’s thoughts on publications and editors indicate to me that he has no idea how Medium should work. If he doesn’t know a good story when he sees it, what the hell is he doing heading up a publishing platform?
I'm not optimistic either. Not one bit. I just got an email from Lamb asking for our feedback on whether people should be allowed to post AI written posts on Medium. Except he point out they already are. That makes me so mad, given that AI scrapes the internet for content and then rephrases it to pass plagiarism checkers. It seems to me they don't even know what Medium is. Is it a place for writers? Or not? You know?
And apparently they now allow AI, too. On a writing site. Wtf? I am curious which competitors you think have seized the day. Is there somewhere I don't know about? lol
wow, did these words strike me: Might be time for writers to start seeing Medium as just one more place to build our own audience instead of seeing Medium as our audience. Because my followers there aren’t even my followers. They’re Medium’s. Same applies to you.
Right, Jen? The distinction is a smack upside the head. At least it was for me. Doesn't matter how many people went to my profile and click follow if Medium chooses not to show them my writing.
Exactly my thoughts about Editors of Publications being paid. What if your publication has only your own stories? Are you the "Editor" of those stories?
Not enough facts yet to understand this "hopeful" announcement.
Right? Exactly. Seems to me that volume has to factor in. Because if an "editor" with a small number of writers or just their own stories got paid the same as the editor of a big publication, there would be even more bitching. So it seems to me volume is going to be the win, and that doesn't favor quality like Tony seems to think it will.
A month or so ago - I now wished I'd saved it- a post on issue of Medium changes, declared that going ahead, emphasis would be on "good writers" and better pay to writers. I did a hmmmmm on that one. That would seem to go with more publications and curating, wouldn't it?
Tis wise, to spread out to other platforms perhaps?
I'm not sure good writing is necessarily tied to publications. Lots of great writers don't care about publications. Either way, I agree, time to diversify.
I also felt very suspicious when I read about editors will now be paid. Which editors? Those of the top 10-20 publications that Medium itself sponsors in some way? Been there, done that, haven't we? As you point out, the money has to come from somewhere, and I can barely even imagine a way that an editor of any publication that doesn't have a huge readership is going to get paid by Medium. I wish that was my lack of imagination, but fear that is not the case.
Right? There's no way all editors will get paid the same and it makes most sense to favor the big ones. So yeah, been there, done that. And the money has to come from somewhere. The only question will be how they dole out the pay. By followers? Or by reads?
This is interesting, but the question is: will all the editors be paid the same wage?
I run a one-man operation on Medium. Is my worth as an editor equal to the battalion of editors at ILLUMINATION, or not?
It would be nice to earn extra money, but, as you say, we have to think about where it may come from.
In any event, I'm going to paraphrase The Staple Singers: when will we (all of us writers and editors at Medium) be paid (justly and fairly) for the work we have done?
Right? Same, David. My little pubs sure aren't going to earn what the big ones do. As for the last paragraph, I guess we'll finally get paid when we build something that lets us earn what we're worth. I'm beginning to think no corporation is going to do that for us.
If I had to guess, editor pay will be in the form of a “cut” from a story’s earnings. I can’t imagine how else to make it equitable- or even manageable.
That’s all well and good, but I’m curious what some of the 2nd order effects will be. Will everyone just form their own pub? Will this mean the (re) rise of gatekeepers at some of the old guard pubs? Will the “well lit” pub flood the zone with even more sh*t? Who knows?
Right? Good question. Also makes me wonder if it will backfire and have people just publish in the wild more. Because when the details come out, if they say editors get a cut of the stories they publish, I will go back to my own publications entirely.
Really, what they call "editors" at medium should be called curators. Because that's what they do. They pick and choose among submissions to curate the publication they want to build. And it would be a crap ton less work to be an "editor" if every submission that doesn't have image credits or follow the guidelines was just rejected. lol
LMAO. It is. But I figure it describes what I try do with History of Women, so maybe I can be a little generous. But sure as heck closer to what they do than "editor" lol
Yup. I agree with your prediction Paul. I haven't commented on any of those posts for the exact same reason. It feels like being the grinch, but where do people THINK the money is going to come from? Back a couple of years ago, Ev had done an interview with verge. He spilled all the wrong things Medium had done and where their traffic actually came from. It was hugely enlightening. Not that anyone is paying attention.
It is kind of exhausting, isn't it? They just keep trying to mold Medium into something it's not and I don't really get it. But I guess that's their prerogative. And thanks for the last paragraph. Totally agree -- the people we met because of Medium are one of the best things, ever. :)
Very true. It is theirs to do as they wish. This being the sad reality at a lot of businesses.
And this also is so sad: because it IS possible to do a TRUTHFUL win-win for “consumer(writer)” and business owner. The thing is the win/win can be profitable (as it should be) but it won’t be stupid profitable at the expense of its client base. Example: grocery store insane record breaking profits amid pandemics, supply chain problems and shrinking customer incomes
For far too many owners of these operations, greed is the only thing that matters and it’s a smoke and mirrors game to falsely snag the hopes and loyalty of the customer(writer).
I think for many of us, me included, we just have to stop believing the bull and get strategic about how we each go forward. No question, if one chooses, Medium can be part of the plan, just not the entire focus. And expectations and time commitments vs return need to be managed.
Your essays are important to help facilitate this, Linda.
I'm honestly not sure if it's possible to do a win win for writers and business owner. I'm really not. I mean, if I post a new story on the same day that Barack Obama posts his opinion on something, there's no way I'm getting any reads. lol. You know?
Corporate greed is an issue and everywhere, that's for sure. But there's one other thing that we writers need to really truly SEE. And it's this. If I have a mailing list of 17,810 people, know how many people see what I write? 17,810, that's how many. But if I have 17,810 followers on Medium (and I do) know how many see my writing? Well, that's up to Medium on any given day. That's the real difference.
You are 100% correct when you point out that the money is going to come out of writer’s money pool (however THAT is decided, since the rules are fluid on Medium platform).
Perhaps they’ll be introducing advertising with tiers of membership with or w/o it. You would pay more If you don’t want to see advertisements? Just a wild guess on my part.
I’m not excited to read this news, even though I am one of two editors on a very small pub: Dog Tales. Money doesn’t motivate me as it did even 20 years ago.
I know I am blessed and in a good place, financially. I also know that many are not (as I live in a major city with THE highest poverty rate @26 percent).
They've always said they aren't going to do advertising, and of course they could change their minds but to me it just seems like the obvious place for editor pay to come from is writer pay. I'm glad you're in a good financial place, but at the same time I know that half of America isn't. Maybe they'll eventually learn that good writers leave when they don't get paid well. More likely it will become a place for people to shill their businesses even more because that's the only way to make a decent income from the place. That would be sad, but probably inevitable.
I keep discovering you are the writer, when I read something good. ha!
Happy-sad news. Someone, somewhere, is always glad. Same for the other.
Thanks for delineating all the hidden things. <3
I'm so bad at all the politics; you've opened my eyes. :)
lol, Katharine that first sentence was priceless. Thank you. You know, I tell people I work in design and marketing, but the key to that is seeing what's happening under the surface. Always feels good to be able to help others see. And you're so right. Some will be happy, others not so much.
Hi Linda,
it's been a while since I "appeared" in the online writing space. Wow so much has happened and still happening. LOL.
About Medium changes and paying publications, yes I agree, you pretty much nailed the crux of the entire situation so succinctly.
If Medium new CEO and team does not realize what made Medium wildly successful during the haydays, then all these tricks they are rolling out are just wasting time, resources and more hope-crushing on writers, like myself. Unless it's writers who are writing about finance and how-to-make-more-money-on-XYZ.
I am so glad you kept substack, nothing beats having your personal list.
You are so right about the hope crushing. I cringe to think how bad the pay will get once more of it is going to editors. Time for a lot of writers to find a new direction, I think. And it's sad.
What struck me the most from his article is, "Medium revenue is up."
I highlighted it and asked him if revenue is so up, why is writers pay SO down? Is revenue up BECAUSE our pay is down??
Right? I've seen a lot of people make comments about Medium flattening the curve. As in, they are paying out more, but it's spread across more writers. I have no idea if that's true, but it would make some bizarre sort of sense. But it's like I said in a previous piece -- it's a totally different story to make $100 if you've only ever made $20 before, and to make $100 when you used to make $1000. Maybe they just want fresh blood. I have no idea.
I closed my publication, Indelible Ink, a year or so ago, with no regrets. I loved editing that pub, seeking out only quality work, and I appreciated every single writer who chose to post there, but as publication numbers grew my numbers dwindled. I recognized that unless I was one of the big ones there was no advantage for writers to post under my banner. They were better off on their own.
I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue from promising to pay every pub owner. It makes no real sense as a marketing tool and will only make earnings harder for individual writers. I hope he thinks it through and takes the advice you and others are giving him.
I should add that I rarely post on Medium anymore, mainly because the changes are dizzying and almost never to my advantage. I'm at Substack now and loving it.
lol. You got that one. So funny.
Lol. “Lighted pubs.” Perfect. 😂
Right? lol
I just checked out your publication. So great to know you're here too, Ramona. I've read that with most Substack pubs offering both paid and free, usually around 10% go paid. Do you find the same? I've considered offering a paid option, but I sometimes wonder if I should get more specific about what I write first. Seems to me the paid pubs on Substack that do well tend to be really niche focused and not as rambly as mine.
I'm constantly surprised whenever I get a paid subscription, since all I offer them is my undying gratitude. My paids aren't anywhere near 10% yet, but I consider all of them perks. There are fewer monthlies than I would have thought. Most are annual, and I have one Founder! I have two Substacks, both with around 200 subscribers and with a handful of paids.
My posts on Constant Commoner are all over the place, so don't have a niche, either, but I want it that way. I try to stick to writing and creativity on Writer Everlasting, and, for the most part, I get more comments there than on the other. But they're usually from the same few loyal followers, so I know my reach doesn't go far.
I’m not optimistic at all. Recently, Content VP Scott Lamb posted a telling remark: “We’d love to know your thoughts — we’ve invited the Medium community to share their thinking over on our company blog. Would be curious to hear from members as well, so leave a comment there or reply to this email, and help us shape our path forward.”
As a member and contributor on Medium, I foolishly assumed I was a member of the Medium community, but Scott considers me an afterthought. In his mind, members aren’t all that important. If your not on the payroll, you’re just another sucker playing at being a writer to them.
Tony’s thoughts on publications and editors indicate to me that he has no idea how Medium should work. If he doesn’t know a good story when he sees it, what the hell is he doing heading up a publishing platform?
I'm not optimistic either. Not one bit. I just got an email from Lamb asking for our feedback on whether people should be allowed to post AI written posts on Medium. Except he point out they already are. That makes me so mad, given that AI scrapes the internet for content and then rephrases it to pass plagiarism checkers. It seems to me they don't even know what Medium is. Is it a place for writers? Or not? You know?
And apparently they now allow AI, too. On a writing site. Wtf? I am curious which competitors you think have seized the day. Is there somewhere I don't know about? lol
Will be really interesting to see what happens with the copilot lawsuit. Your last paragraph about team Human -- wow. Painful, but probably true.
wow, did these words strike me: Might be time for writers to start seeing Medium as just one more place to build our own audience instead of seeing Medium as our audience. Because my followers there aren’t even my followers. They’re Medium’s. Same applies to you.
Right, Jen? The distinction is a smack upside the head. At least it was for me. Doesn't matter how many people went to my profile and click follow if Medium chooses not to show them my writing.
Exactly my thoughts about Editors of Publications being paid. What if your publication has only your own stories? Are you the "Editor" of those stories?
Not enough facts yet to understand this "hopeful" announcement.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hugs
Linda
Right? Exactly. Seems to me that volume has to factor in. Because if an "editor" with a small number of writers or just their own stories got paid the same as the editor of a big publication, there would be even more bitching. So it seems to me volume is going to be the win, and that doesn't favor quality like Tony seems to think it will.
Bottom line? It sounds too good to be true, so that's whait it is.
A month or so ago - I now wished I'd saved it- a post on issue of Medium changes, declared that going ahead, emphasis would be on "good writers" and better pay to writers. I did a hmmmmm on that one. That would seem to go with more publications and curating, wouldn't it?
Tis wise, to spread out to other platforms perhaps?
I'm not sure good writing is necessarily tied to publications. Lots of great writers don't care about publications. Either way, I agree, time to diversify.
I also felt very suspicious when I read about editors will now be paid. Which editors? Those of the top 10-20 publications that Medium itself sponsors in some way? Been there, done that, haven't we? As you point out, the money has to come from somewhere, and I can barely even imagine a way that an editor of any publication that doesn't have a huge readership is going to get paid by Medium. I wish that was my lack of imagination, but fear that is not the case.
Right? There's no way all editors will get paid the same and it makes most sense to favor the big ones. So yeah, been there, done that. And the money has to come from somewhere. The only question will be how they dole out the pay. By followers? Or by reads?
I guess writers and content creators are entirely different things. Is AI okay? No. It's cheating and an elaborate form of theft.
Right? I was so mad when I read that email I think I'm going to write about it over the weekend, post it next week.
This is interesting, but the question is: will all the editors be paid the same wage?
I run a one-man operation on Medium. Is my worth as an editor equal to the battalion of editors at ILLUMINATION, or not?
It would be nice to earn extra money, but, as you say, we have to think about where it may come from.
In any event, I'm going to paraphrase The Staple Singers: when will we (all of us writers and editors at Medium) be paid (justly and fairly) for the work we have done?
Right? Same, David. My little pubs sure aren't going to earn what the big ones do. As for the last paragraph, I guess we'll finally get paid when we build something that lets us earn what we're worth. I'm beginning to think no corporation is going to do that for us.
If I had to guess, editor pay will be in the form of a “cut” from a story’s earnings. I can’t imagine how else to make it equitable- or even manageable.
That’s all well and good, but I’m curious what some of the 2nd order effects will be. Will everyone just form their own pub? Will this mean the (re) rise of gatekeepers at some of the old guard pubs? Will the “well lit” pub flood the zone with even more sh*t? Who knows?
Right? Good question. Also makes me wonder if it will backfire and have people just publish in the wild more. Because when the details come out, if they say editors get a cut of the stories they publish, I will go back to my own publications entirely.