avatarJessica Lynn

Summary

The article discusses the benefits and drawbacks of having one's own publication on Medium versus solely submitting to larger, established ones.

Abstract

The author reflects on the personal and professional growth achieved by running their own Medium publications, which recently reached 2000 followers. The piece underscores the advantages of having a personal publication, such as increased confidence, the ability to publish without delay, and the freedom from conforming to external editorial standards. It also highlights the potential for growth and recognition outside of well-known publications. The author notes that rejection from larger publications can be a catalyst for improvement and that creating a space on Medium for one's work can be beneficial for writers who face repeated rejections. However, the article also acknowledges the importance of constructive feedback and editorial guidance in developing writing skills and cautions against becoming a complacent writer.

Opinions

  • Having your own publication can enhance your confidence as a writer and provide a platform for immediate publication.
  • Rejection from larger publications can be turned into an opportunity for growth and self-improvement.
  • Personal publications allow for timely content release and freedom from external editorial constraints.
  • Constructive feedback from editors is crucial for a writer's development, and self-publishing should not replace the pursuit of feedback.
  • The article suggests that quality writing will be recognized by Medium and its community, regardless of the publication platform.
  • The author emphasizes the importance of practice and experience in writing, advocating for a balance between publishing in one's own publication and submitting to larger ones.
  • The article implies that the increasing competition on Medium, with more writers joining the platform, necessitates a strategic approach to publication and content distribution.

The Psychology Behind Having Your Own Publication Vs Only Submitting to Larger Ones

Having your own publication can build your confidence as a writer.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

One of my publications just hit 2000 followers. It’s a pleasant surprise. I ignore stats most of the time. The only reason I know The Happy Spot hit the 2000 milestone is Medium sent me an email saying “Congratulations.”

Which is nice of them.

Screenshot by Author

When I joined Medium, over a year ago, one of the first things I did was to start two publications, one focusing mostly on writing and writing on Medium, specifically. The other pub I run focuses on life, love, relationships, and the collapse of relationships, which can, in some cases, be for the best (and cause happiness once out of them). They’ve grown in followers steadily, and writers ask to be added as contributors.

There are many reasons why starting your own publication on Medium is a good idea. It’s easier to grow and stand out as a writer being the editor of one or more. Maybe not at first, but eventually. Plus, it’s easy. Unless you allow other writers to contribute, that would require you to put in time editing, rejecting, or accepting writers to maintain a certain editorial standard. When you have your own pub, it makes rejection on Medium easier to handle because you have somewhere else to publish your work immediately and organize it, with minimal effort using tags, for you and your readers to find and follow your work.

The first time impatience has benefited me.

I’m not sure why this is, but most of my viral stories were first rejected by major publications, large and small. They went viral after adding them to my own publications. No revisions were made to them before I published, I just hit publish, and they took off.

Here are a few:

Commonalities:

  • All curated.
  • All sent out via Medium’s Newsletter feature available when you are the editor of a publication.

You don’t need to publish in a well-known publication with hundreds of thousands of followers to go viral.

Failure

Failure is necessary for growth. It is a part of life when you dare to live it fully and take chances outside your expertise. When we fail or our writing is rejected, we must reassess our actions and find better alternatives to get better at writing.

If you’re often rejected from larger publications, it is a sign to take a hard look at your writing and maybe find feedback elsewhere before you submit again. Find an editor to work with or take a writing class or ask a friend (one who writes well) to take a look at your story to give you some constructive feedback.

If you’re lucky enough to have an editor of one of Medium’s publications work with you, it will improve your writing. Most of them know of what they speak. But sometimes, when pieces are rejected repeatedly, it can get to you and affect your attitude towards your writing and, thus, your output.

There are other reasons for getting rejected from a large publication that has nothing to do with your writing chops.

One sign that it isn’t your writing that’s getting you rejected is if you were accepted often in the past, but now your higher-quality pieces — compared to a year ago — are rejected. This could be a sign of other things happening that are outside your control. Medium has gotten a lot more crowded in the last year.

In 2020 65,000 writers joined the Medium Partner Program.

When we reach, there is the possibility of failure.

According to Peg Streep of Psychology Today, “failure inspires your efforts and that the more hard-won the prize, the sweeter the victory.”

She reminds us that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and Walt Disney was fired from a job because he lacked imagination.

Writing is a skill. With any skill, you can improve with deliberate practice.

Practice in your publication by writing and publishing while submitting to larger ones.

There can be other factors for rejection, like, two many stories on the same topic or the publication just posted a similar title a week ago, or the editors don’t have time to get to every story because there are just too many submissions. Medium has limited the number of editors publications can have.

Rejection can be a reflection of many things — don’t allow it to affect you, your attitude, or your writing.

Instead of throwing in the towel altogether and not writing, create another small space on Medium to focus your efforts on your publication. When I doubled-down on giving my two publications some love and attention, it kept me writing.

Pros to having your own pub

  • No lag time — I sometimes publish articles that are timely. Stories on topics that have political and pop culture references that are trending. I look at Twitter a lot for inspiration, to see what is trending, and sometimes write something in a day that needs to be published.
  • No pressure to conform to other’s editorial standards or the publication’s guidelines.
  • You can just hit publish and see what happens — which is great for beginners. As a beginner, your main goal should be to find your footing in this space. Get to know your way around. When you find your footing, your confidence grows as a content creator. The first feedback you get can move you in the right direction. Good writers have confidence, in their words, from their experience. Gain experience in your publication first.

Cons

  • It can make you a lazy writer. Some of the larger publications have a talented editorial staff. They know good writing when they read it.
  • A Medium in-house publication edited my piece with me for a few weeks to make it better. It helped me to better understand what they are looking for in later stories.
  • Your writing can’t get better without constructive feedback. You won’t grow in a bubble. If you don’t get feedback on your writing from a good editor and hey, no answer is still feedback, then you can’t grow. Feedback comes in many forms; no answer, make these edits, and although well written, it fits better in such and such publication. One editor really pushed me. I made every revision he asked. It was a lot of work, but it made the piece more professional.

Keep in mind

A good story is a good story, no matter where it’s published.

If it is a good story, Medium will find it.

I’ve heard a few people say they published a story, and one of the Medium’s in-house publications asked the writer if the story could be featured in their publication.

So the same story goes, focus on quality writing. You never know who is reading.

More inspiration…

Or follow me here.

Join my email list here.

Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering Type A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.

Writing
Blogging
Entrepreneurship
Writing Tips
Success
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