About Me, By Me (July 2024)
As I join the Substack platform, I reflect on my second year on Medium.
We often consider platforms as neutral spaces, mere vessels for our ideas.
But these platforms shape our work, audience, and even our identities as creators.
Today, I’m talking to you about my journey on Medium, a platform that has nurtured my writing for two years. Like most caretaker relationships, it is tinged with sweet and sour moments.
The Platform as a Garden
Q Medium has been a fertile ground for your writing. How has the platform’s ecosystem—its algorithms, readers, and curation process—shaped the evolution of your work? Can you pinpoint specific moments when the platform’s influence felt particularly profound?
Kay blinked awake. Her phone, a beacon on the nightstand, glowed with an email notification from Medium. A jolt of adrenaline shot through her as she read the words: “Your story has been boosted!”
What if the words you’ve poured your heart and soul into could change everything overnight?
For a writer, being boosted on Medium is akin to winning a literary lottery. It’s a coveted nod from the platform’s curators, propelling a piece to a broader audience. It’s a dream realized, a testament to one’s craft, and a golden ticket to a larger readership.
At least, that is the promise.
Kay’s heart pounded as she launched the Medium app. There it was, her story splashed across the homepage, its title bold and inviting. Comments were already flooding in, a chorus of praise and encouragement. The validation was intoxicating, a heady mix of pride and disbelief. The lines representing the story’s read rate and views stretch high, high, and higher still.
She’d always believed in the power of her words, but this was tangible proof.
Hours, days, and weeks had bled into one another as she crafted and refined her pieces. It was a labor of love, a garden tended with care, waiting patiently for its moment in the sun. Now, under the spotlight, she was basking in the warmth of recognition.
This wasn’t just about a platform boost; it was a celebration of perseverance, a vindication of countless hours spent honing her craft. Kay felt a surge of gratitude and purpose. Her voice was being heard, and it was only the beginning.
But this never happened. None of my stories have ever been boosted.
Cultivating Community
Q Beyond the algorithms, platforms are about connection. How has Medium helped you build a community around your writing? What kind of relationships have you forged, and how have these interactions informed your work?
Medium’s true power lies in its vibrant community of people who genuinely care for and support each other on and off the platform.
This community includes individual readers, writers, publication owners, and editors, all working together to create a rich and diverse ecosystem of content and connections.
Through my time on Medium, I have learned an incredible amount from the insights and experiences shared by others. I’ve laughed at witty anecdotes, cried at heartfelt stories, raised my eyebrows in surprise, and widened my eyes in wonder at the creativity and depth of the content.
Of note, these writers and readers have blessed me: A A McRae, Bruce Coulter, Miss Catherine La Grange, spinster, Toni The Talker, Toya Qualls-Barnette, Britni Pepper, Djeso, 🌬️Mitch, Benighted, ILLUMINATION, B.R. Shenoy, Jan Sebastian 🖐👩🦰 and others …
Responses to my stories that I adore!
I truly delight in the responses that my readers send my way. They are blessings.k-joseph.medium.com
This journey has not only enriched my knowledge but also transformed my perspectives.
A humongous thank you to the editors who have reviewed, polished, and published my written creations throughout my time on this platform.
Their dedication and expertise have been instrumental in shaping my work and ensuring it reaches its full potential. The support and camaraderie of the Medium community, coupled with the invaluable contributions of these editors, have fostered a sense of belonging and continuous growth for me.
This is a partial list of those fabulous editors (if your name is not listed, please know you are in my heart, and I appreciate you!!): The Sturg (Gerald Sturgill), Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech), Sandi Parsons, Mary Chang Story Writer, Jonathan Townend, RMN — Editor — Friend of Medium, Luay Rahil, Susi Moore, A Shayens Abran, Julia A. Keirns, Nancy Oglesby, Grandma Smillew, Smillew Rahcuef, and others…
My stories have found a home in these Medium publications over the last year: Illumination | Creative Collective | Six Word Photo Story | The Shortform | All Things Work | Be Open | The Challenged | The Pub ….
The Economics of Authorship
Q A platform's business model can significantly impact a writer’s income and creative freedom. How has Medium’s revenue-sharing model influenced your writing choices and your overall financial stability as a writer?
Thankfully, I do not rely on earnings from Medium to sustain myself and my life.
It has been exactly two years and one month since I joined the platform. I have published 308 stories, gained 1,280 followers, and followed (very poorly) 483 contributors, and every time I publish, Medium distributes my stories to 50 subscribers.
I earned $170 in my first year after qualifying for the partner program three months in. In the second year, my earnings increased to $270.
I made an average net income of $1.43 per story.
Eyes & Reads: July 2023 to June 2024
One hundred percent of my stories published between July 2023 and June 2024 each had less than 300 views.
“Unveiling the Nom de Plume” had the highest view count at 290.
“How to Navigate Employee Transitions” had the highest read rate but earned only 96 cents. My former leader and I invested more than four hours creating it, and 98 people viewed it.
“My Teacher Was Wrong…and Right” was my highest-earning story published this year.
In my second year, I also joined the Friends of Medium program. The idea of supporting fellow writers appealed to me, and I liked being able to share stories that I loved with colleagues and family who were not members.
Please check out my favorite stories:
However, Medium must clarify the specific impact of my additional $100 annual spending so that I can continue in this program. Having shared articles via the “Friend of Medium” since its inception, I would like to know that it has positively contributed to the writers I chose to raise. But I do not know. (I just realized I never got my FoM, early adopter, canvas bag either.)
I have decided not to renew my FoM level membership, as it will result in a net loss for my Medium investment, and I am not convinced it effectively supports the writers I promote.
Unrelated to the income, I shifted my focus from everything, including pancakes, to creative nonfiction and fictionalized business articles.
I want my writing to reflect my role as a Change Management leader and to use the platform to share ideas and experiences that help people navigate the world of work with our fellow humans.
Now, considering this is my goal and reflecting on the statistics for my stories in the last twelve months, I have to do something different. The creative non-fiction story about change management, Beyond Resistance, performed best but only attracted 131 viewers.
I want more for my articles.
Beyond Resistance: Unlocking the Human Side of Change Management
Inspire people to consider the change and why they should make it — calling them names based on their actions is never…medium.com
The Great Migration
Q You’re leaping to Substack. What motivated this decision? How do you see Substack as a different garden for your writing? What are your hopes and fears about this transition?
Yes, I will be transitioning off Medium gradually.
Several factors have influenced this decision, but ultimately, I believe it’s a positive step for my writing journey and my desire to make a difference for people in the work world.
Substack is not new to me; I’ve been cross-posting there since last year, although inconsistently and without monetizing my content.
Despite Medium’s changes and the departure of many of my favorite writers, I feel a deep connection to it. Medium was my first platform for expressing myself as a writer, so leaving brings melancholy.
However, Substack promises a different environment. As I often profess in my work on change management, embracing change requires learning new ways of operating.
This transition is an opportunity to practice what I preach: adapting and finding growth in new circumstances.
Unlike Medium, where people pay a flat rate for all content, Substack allows writers to be directly supported by their paid subscribers. To be honest, this aspect makes me nervous. It may pressure me to write and stop creating as freely as I do now. When writing feels like a job, I instantly get writer’s block.
Still, I aim to attract current and new followers who find value in my content.
I desire an outlet where my words can flow freely, be fairly distributed, and be appreciated as valuable.
Substack feels like the right place to cultivate this new chapter of my writing, offering a different garden where my creativity can truly flourish.
©K. Joseph. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This post is a product of my original thoughts, creative ideas, and boundless imagination. AI writing and editing assistance from Grammarly, Google Gemini and chatGPT helped my story’s birthing process.