Summary

The web content discusses the benefits of creating a personal publication on Medium that does not accept submissions from other writers.

Abstract

The article titled "5 Real Benefits of Having a Publication that Doesn’t Accept Submissions" addresses the common dilemma faced by new writers on Medium regarding the role of publications in their writing strategy. It emphasizes the advantages of maintaining a publication as a solo writer, referred to as a "writer showcase publication." The author, Justiss Goode, shares personal insights from managing their own publications and outlines five key benefits: increased visibility through dual follows, control over story organization and prioritization, enhanced story credibility, potential for accidental discovery by readers, and a possibility of Medium acknowledging the publication by featuring stories. The article concludes by reminding readers that while publications can be beneficial, the focus should always be on writing quality content that engages readers.

Opinions

The author believes that having a personal publication can lead to more followers, as readers can follow both the writer and the publication.
The author values the organizational control that a personal publication offers, allowing for strategic placement of stories on the front page.
It is suggested that a publication name next to a story can lend it more credibility and gravitas.
The author posits that even without actively seeking submissions, a publication can attract new readers who might stumble upon it and engage with the content.
There is a speculative opinion that Medium might feature stories from all publications to some extent, ensuring representation.
The author emphasizes that the primary focus should be on crafting compelling stories, regardless of one's publication strategy.
Readers are encouraged to consider their own publication plans and to read the author's related stories for further guidance.

5 Real Benefits of Having a Publication that Doesn’t Accept Submissions

Have you been wanting to start a publication but you don’t want to publish other writers?

New writers on Medium continually struggle with the question of what to do about the issue of publications.

Should they solicit to join them or not? If they solicit to them, which ones should they shoot for?

Should they aim for the stars and go for the big publications, or just concentrate on what they believe is the low hanging fruit.

Some wonder should they even bother with publications at all, while one of the biggest questions they ponder is:

Should I start my own publication, and if I do, should I accept submissions from other writers?

Not long ago, I wrote a couple of stories addressing this very issue, right at a time that I was making some drastic decisions about my own existing publications.

What I ultimately decided was to maintain my publications as writer showcases only.

Later, you can read all about how and why, and also why I decided I didn’t want to be a publication editor for other writers.

But for now, I just want to make sure you know about the benefits of having a publication, where you’re the only writer. From first glance, it might seem like there aren’t any advantages to having this kind of publication.

But look at things a little closer, and see.

5 Worthwhile Advantages to having a publication

Here are five ways that I believe what I call writer showcase publications are beneficial to the owner. I mention the things I’ve noticed first-hand, with my current 3 publications.

Since readers are able to follow your writer profile, and follow the publication, you will most likely get two follows per reader, at least some of the time.
Having the publication enables you to organize your stories and position them on the front page of your publication any way you want to. You create the layout so the stories and/or category sections you want to be prioritized can be.
When readers first arrive on your stories, they will see a publication name in the upper left corner, which makes your story appear to have a little more clout.
Your publication will be included in the list of Medium publications, so some readers will visit the page, even though you don’t accept submissions. By them stumbling on the page by accident, they may stay and read a story or two, and even become a follower as a result.
This one, I’m not certain of, but I feel like Medium tries to acknowledge all the publications to some degree, so they might be more prone to publish at least one story on a regular basis, for the sake of representing the publication.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about Medium, it’s that no matter how you choose to publish your story, everything still comes down to having it read.

Publications, not big ones, small ones, or even your own personal ones, are the sole answer to having people read your stories.

So regardless of what you decide about creating a publication, be prepared to give equal attention to writing quality stories that readers will want to read.

Please be sure to read the story about my experience as editor, so it can help you finalize your decision on the matter.

You should especially do this, if there is any possibility that you will be starting a publication like the others on Medium, and accepting submissions.

Check out these stories and give them lots of thought:

How Can You Benefit from Creating a Writer Showcase Publication? — You can create a simple publication to organize your stories before it’s too late!

20 Difficult Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Becoming a Publication Editor — If you’re thinking about starting your own publication, trust me and read this first!

Why I Thought I Wanted to Be a Publication Editor But Now I Definitely Don’ — Do you know what I discovered about being a publication editor?

Dear Reader: Would you like to read more informative, valuable, and entertaining Justiss Goode stories? Just click this Directory link: choose from my OVER 250 titles (by category).