Writers Can Expect Exciting Changes in August
Changes are coming because changes are always coming
Hello Everyone,
We’re entering into the final third of summer. It’s been hot here in Northern Wisconsin. I’ve been trying to spend at least an hour every day in the river. I kind of feel it’s a waste of a summer day if you don’t get out and float. It doesn’t matter if I swim or if I just dunk my head, I always sleep better if I’ve dunked my head into flowing water.
I’ve just finished up my 4th month in Medium’s boost program. I’m still on the lookout for great stories, and I’ve spent a lot of time chatting with writers about what kind of work the program is looking for. I’ve been out of boosts for a couple days, so I’m looking forward to start nominating again on the 1st.
Boost is the direction, not the destination
One thing I like to emphasize is that the boost is not a “be all, end all.” It is possible to build a following that ensures a lot of eyes will be on your work with or without the boost. Some of my most profitable stories from last month weren’t boosted.
I say this because sometimes I spend a lot of time on an article. I ask the author to make a lot of changes. The author gets the boost, and the article only earns $35 or something. It’s important to remember that writing is always a process. You have to constantly go forward. There isn’t a “magical pill” that miraculously makes you achieve all your goals.
The value of learning how to write a quality article for Medium is that it will also be a quality article for any other platform. When you produce work at that level, you’ll have greater success and continue to build an audience.
Medium is becoming a first choice
In the old days, I used to use Medium as a place to publish my slush pile. If I couldn’t find a good home for an article (because the article was rejected, or I didn’t hear back from wherever I submitted it), I’d place it on Medium so I could earn something and forget about it. Today, I’m more inclined to write specifically for Medium. I think this is the deliberate change the platform has been working towards this year. They want to be a first stop publication option.
That being said, things are about to change in August. I expect the changes will be for the better, but until you see them in practice you don’t know for sure. This represents one of the exciting things about writing: you always have to be on your toes.
The point between extremes
When a platform announces a list of changes, you have to sit up and take note. That being said, you can achieve a status where changes don’t affect you too much. If you have a loyal group of followers, your work is going to be seen. But if you’re new to the platform or still building a following, make sure to familiarize yourself with boost and with the updated partner program requirements.
I feel like a pendulum today swinging back and forth from extremes:
Boost is important, but don’t be too hyper-fixated on it
Listen to the requirements of a platform, but build a following so the requirements will have less influence on you
Provide what the platform wants, but be true to your own voice
There have been a few times over the last few months that I was concerned Medium would just go away. It’s not unprecedented that social media platforms disappear (Myspace anyone?). But I think Medium has a good team with a solid understanding of what their potential audience is looking for.
Finding quality, independent writers
The truth as I see it is that there are a lot more great writers out there than anyone knows. It’s sort of like how you watch American Idol and in every city they visit there are tremendous talents. I like finding these writers, and I do my best to promote them.
This week, I’ve been reading The Data Raiders by Joan Fletcher. I’ve been slow this week (it’s summer), but I should have a review up next week.
I’ve been thinking of writing an article featuring some sort of pledge for all new writers to sign. The idea would be that if any of them “made it big” they’d use their platform to promote one independent writer a month. Imagine if we had a community that had an even greater commitment to supporting each other.
Medium day
Medium has gotten back to me on the details for my talk on Medium day. Here you go:
Creating a Landing Spot for Independent Book Authors, from 5:30PM-6PM ET on August 12.
I expect to have some time at the end to answer some questions, a half hour isn’t very much time. I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. The last I heard, Medium day had something like 13,000 sign-ups so there should be some nice crowds at the presentations. Justin Cox of The Writing Cooperative is doing a talk, and that should be valuable too.
Good luck with the new changes!
For right now, the assignments are to continue to familiarize yourself with the new partner program requirements, and to keep polishing off human interest stories for Medium. I’ll be happy to work with you if you have something you want me to take a look at.
Next week, I’ll be able to give my first thoughts on what effect (if any), the changes to Medium are having on how my work is received. July was a big month for me, I nearly doubled my followers. My views were up too, but not to the level that suggested my followers would double. I had one article get over 20k external views (somebody keeps adding my stories to something called Flipboard).
If there’s warm weather where you live (as there increasingly seems to be throughout the world), get out and get on the river!
As always, leave your comments below!