Support for Indie Authors discussion

Has anyone here used Medium, either as a writer or a reader? What are your thoughts on it? Is it worth publishing your stories on this platform?

I have been publishing short fiction on Medium since 2016. Although it is primarily a blogging platform, there are a lot of writers of short fiction and poetry. The writing community is very supportive. To get the most exposure for your stories, submit them to publications on Medium. The Junction (Stephen Tomic) has been supportive of my writing and has a large following. Medium is a social networking platform. To get the best results, read and comment on other's work. Medium offers payment to writers based on the amount of read time a story receives from paid members. You will need to put your stories behind the paywall to receive payment. Earning money is not the reason I publish on Medium. It is for exposure and the enjoyment I receive from the community.

I've been publishing on Medium for almost 3 years. Many things have changed between last year and this year in how writers are paid. Last year, you were paid by the number of claps you received for an article, poem, short story, etc. Now, you are paid by the time read, which is assigned by Medium. To put this in perspective, if you published a one-minute poem, 50 claps from many people could fetch you some good money. Now, you get pennies for that one-minute poem. If you published a 5-minute short story, the way it is now, you can receive one clap, but if that person read the entire story, then you get paid better. Most importantly you have to have a following. Remember, you pay a $5 monthly fee to be allowed to publish on Medium. Last year I was publishing an average of 10 poems a month and was earning $100 because so many people clapped for me. This year, I'm publishing less due to my difficulty typing and I've lost some followers, so most months I barely earn back my monthly fee. Some people have success because they publish every day, some more than once a day, but I simply can't do that. To sum it up, if you want to write a book and need to earn extra money, look elsewhere. Put your thoughts and energies into writing the book, as that is time better spent. If you want to write poems, articles, and stories on a daily basis, then maybe Medium is the place for you. Good luck.

Thank you K.C. and Sam. Do you retain the copyright, and can you publish your work elsewhere simultaneously?

We, the writer retains the copyright of all material. Also, you must designate where your photo came from. I take my own, so I state "Photo by Samantha Beach" underneath it. However, if you use Unplash, you would write "Photo by John Smith on Unplash." I know you cannot publish your work simultaneously on different publications on Medium, but I don't know about publishing on Medium and competitor. Sorry.

Yes, the writer retains copyright. Publications on Medium frown on simultaneous publication, but you will need to read the submission guidelines for each publication for any restrictions. Medium does not restrict simultaneous publication on other platforms. Many bloggers publish posts on their own blogs and on Medium simultaneously.

Worth giving it a shot, I suppose. Thank you both for sharing your insights.