Welcome to My Birthday Party (One Year as a Full-Time Writer)- You May Come In, Don’t Be Shy

The door is always open so you can come inside.

Hey, how are you?

Before you enter, let me tell you one quick thing…

One year ago, I was desperate.

Promises continued to be suspended in the air without being fulfilled.

My boss was now a tangle of broken promises. As a result, the company stagnated, and I stagnated with it.

Despite the real estate market in Portugal being full of opportunities, I worked at a real estate agency where my boss distrusted everything and everyone; the atmosphere was terrible, so I decided — I quit my job.

It was December 2020, and I was already writing on Medium since April, but in a very relaxed way, until I read Tim Denning and Michael Thompson, Jessica Wildfire, and Sinem Günel.

Until then, I was just a curious newbie. From then on, I became a believer.

Despite being a clumsy Portuguese who writes in a foreign language, I have always been passionate about digital entrepreneurship. And watching the stratospheric evolution of these indie writers, I felt able to take the risk.

I felt it was time to take that risky decision, that leap into the unknown, in an attempt to become a writer in the digital age, of being able to write every day, having a fan base that follows me but also building an ecosystem that would allow me to earn enough income to be happy.

Like Martin Luther King- I had a dream!

So, please, come on in. Welcome to my birthday party.

What’s your name?

Where did you come from?

Tell me a little about yourself.

Medium is a pure disappointment until you find out how much it really pays you back.

You’ve just entered my living room and saw several known faces around.

And the first question you asked me after you had the courtesy to compliment the Christmas decor in my house was about Medium.

You: Are you desperate with Medium too, or is it just me?

I respond: I’ve been talking with people from top to bottom, and they all feel the same way. But each of them has different approaches to this mess.

You: What do you mean by different approaches?

Me: Well, you know, some writers say if Medium continues to drop their views and earnings, they’ll quit. Others say they’ll continue to write every day with the same enthusiasm because this wasn’t the first time Medium made drastic changes.

You keep charging: Yeah, but this is a real lack of respect for those who have dedicated so much time and dedication to this platform. Is this their way of treating us? I’m earning a tenth of what I was making six months ago. I already had this money to live on, and now I feel cheated.

Me: Come on here, drink this with me…relax, will you?

You: What is this thing?

Me: It’s a warm drink from my country. It’s called Oporto wine. Give it a try. Come on.

You: Uau, it’s sweet, and it really feels cozy.

Me: Look, about Medium, I also felt disappointed at first. I mean, someone like me, a non-native writer, earning $1,500 in May was something unique, right? Yet, last month my paycheck was $231.22. So, I feel you.

However, as my anger dissipated, reason called out to me, and I realized Medium owes me nothing. By the way, this is probably the biggest or perhaps the only truth of this platform.

Medium owes us nothing!

Changes will always be happening and, no matter how many articles we write criticizing, the company will continue on its path, with or without us.

This is the only visceral truth of this platform.

Therefore, we have to look at Medium as our shop window. And in this window, we have to be smart enough to know how to create digital products to sell.

Looking at the spectrum of the best writers on this platform, some don’t depend on it to survive; others have businesses built around it. However, none of them rely solely and exclusively on this platform to live.

It would be a suicide.

And I learned this quickly.

You: Yeah, maybe I’ve been too hard on Medium.

Me: Maybe. But let me tell you another thing. In the amount of time you and many writers use to complain, true entrepreneurs continually produce excellent content on this platform, build new digital products, and make money.

All this while some continue to share hatred in the articles they write.

You: Really? What about you?

Me: As Medium has been paying less for my work, I’ve continued to look for clients, and right now, I’m writing for three fantastic clients who pay me good money. In addition, I’m building an online course and starting a book publishing business on Amazon.

Because Medium doesn’t pay me enough, I don’t write daily as I did six months ago. So my time is my energy. My time is my most valuable asset. Do you know what I mean?

You: I think I’m starting to realize that now. Maybe I’ve been on the wrong path all this time. I’m gonna think about it.

And hey, this wine is terrific. Thanks!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

In October, I started to watch my referral numbers when Medium began to share its subscription revenue with writers.

From October to November, I grew my referral earnings by 22.79%. In December, I have increased my earnings from the previous month by 41.91%.

It doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but I’m a long-term investor. And I’m not on Medium thinking about how much I will earn next month. I’m here to stay, and whoever abides will always collect the benefits of compounding.

Medium doesn’t want to harm us. But it wants to be here in ten years and survive, just like us. And for that to happen, it will have to do what it has to do. And we already know in advance that there will always be changes. But things will always be alright for those who don’t rely exclusively on Medium to survive.

I don’t forget that I’m a Portuguese dude competing with native writers worldwide. I also don’t forget that my first paycheck was $0.08 in April 2020.

We should never forget to look forwardly to where we came from and where we intend to go.

I’ll never forget Jim Rohn’s quote:

Our life as we now live it, is the result of seeds planted at an earlier time.

What were you saying about Amazon?

Right now, I’m very excited about a new project I’m investing in.

I’m creating a self-publishing book business.

But I wouldn’t be able to do it if I wasn’t a Medium writer. See, reading every single day content on this platform gives you gifts for free to build endless online businesses.

Why?

Every writer is proud to share their accomplishments. And more than that, they also share their tactics, business plans, and “what not to do” lists.

All of that for free.

Tim Denning and Sinem Günel are the ultimate exponents of this premise.

They built several digital businesses, always with Medium as the perfect showcase for their products.

In addition, Medium has paid them for the quality content they share with us readers every day.

And it was in Tim’s How to Publish a Book on Amazon course that I found a way to create another income stream.

Todd Brison and Tim created an exciting course to help Medium writers use their articles to build books to sell on Amazon. It was a great idea, and that’s why I immediately published my first book that will be live on Amazon at the end of this year.

Yet, you can always download this ARC link to have the free version.

Fortunately, I stepped on another in-depth course that showed me how to build a true ecosystem to create a publishing business on Amazon. I mean, a real deal. A business that can allow you to have a team working for you creating dozens of best-selling books in different niches.

Dane McBeth created the Publisher Supremacy course, a high-quality course that will help you build, step by step, a real business on Amazon (not an affiliate).

I’m about to publish my second book in the Business & Money category, outsourcing a cover designer, a ghostwriter, an editor, and an ads manager.

Of course, you’ll need some cash flow to start this kind of business, but if you can build a good team and produce high-quality books, you can have a 6-figure passive income supporting your writing gig.

All of these opportunities happen because I’m a frenetic Medium reader, and I stumble every day with new business opportunities shared by other writers.

Final Thoughts

You can cry, you can scream, but in this world, where everyone complains all the time, you are just one more.

There’s a Portuguese say that says:

While some cry, others sell Kleenex!

Life sucks. But it sucks to everyone, not just you and me.

Most businesses, most initiatives you’ll try, will fail.

Read that again.

Did you know that before creating a gigantic online business, the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma from Alibaba failed 30 times?

Why do you think it will be different for you?

You have to fail, my friend. Only by failing will you be able to learn.

We learn when we have blood on our hands. Blood of tears but also of hard work.

Complaining is a way to get attention, not success.

At 31 years old, I was bankrupt, so I know what I’m talking about.

I hope you’re enjoying my party.

Although I’ve been talking about Medium all the time, would you like to try this meatloaf my grandmother made?

Other writers have told me it’s delicious.

Enjoy the rest of the party!

Cheers.

If you like to experience Medium yourself, consider supporting me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It only costs $5 per month, it supports us, writers, and you have the chance to make money with your writing as well. You can cancel the membership anytime. By signing up with this link, you’ll support me directly with a portion of your fee, it won’t cost you more.

Get access to my free books here!