Start a New Fiction Publication on Medium
SOMETIMES IT’S NICE to do something on your own. While it’s perfectly fine to submit your short stories to the established publications on Medium, during the past year or so I have found that publishing short stories in publications with thousands or even tens of thousands of followers does not do a whole lot to increase the number of readers who eventually stumble upon my tales.
So, last year I decided to start my own fiction publications on Medium. It was quite easy. All I had to do with click on the little thingy at the top right of the Medium screen, then hit the “Publications” icon. From there, I simply clicked on “New Publication,” then got started. While it is true that some of the stories I post in my own publications do not get tons of readers, I generally get close to the same amount of readers as when I post my stories in more established publications. In fact, some of the short stories I published in my own publications last year were read by large numbers of subscribers (by fiction standards, at least).
Some fellow writers on Medium opt to create a single publication containing multiple tabs and categories (e.g. poetry, short stories, serial fiction). Instead of taking that route, I created multiple publications specifically tailored to my genres — horror, Westerns, ocean themed stories, stories for young readers, and articles relating to the fiction writing process. In the end, I cut things down a bit and stuck with just three publications:
Here’s a story from my publication KILLIAN STREET that folks seemed to enjoy quite a bit:
As a user of Medium, I spend more than a bit of my time perusing other fiction publications and finding interesting stories to read. I find this to be a much more satisfying method of finding stories than depending upon Medium’s algorithm to pre-select stories for me (I have no idea how all of that works). These publications are similar to online magazines, which I enjoy reading.
I recently started using all my own photographs when designing my publications and publishing my short stories. This makes the process of designing and maintaining my publications much more rewarding. I don’t really know anything about photography, but the new technology on smart phones is impressive. I find that if I just carry my phone around with me and keep my eyes open for interesting things to photograph, the results are not bad.
My publications are used only for releasing my own stories. The responsibility that would come with being an editor of the works of others does not interest me, mostly because I don’t have the necessary time to commit. But if you are up for the challenge and have the free time, being an editor of a fiction publication on Medium could be a fun endeavor. Many fiction publications utilize writing prompts and host writing contests every so often. These are nice ways to keep our little writing community interactive and provide interesting stories for Medium readers who are looking for some worthwhile fiction.
So, roll up your sleeves and march forward, friend! Don’t be afraid to create something new…
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