How to Submit to Medium Publications. 9 More to Try
Build your audience by using theirs
Many new writers on Medium ask, “Is it better to self-publish my work or submit it to a publication?”
If you’ve only been on the platform for a short time or are a relatively new writer, I would suggest getting into a publication as soon as possible.
Here’s an analogy to help you get an idea of how it works here on Medium:
Medium is like a large book store. It has some self-published writers — if you know who you’re looking for or they’re a “big name” you might find them featured in the window display.
The store is also full of hundreds of magazines. Some are popular and placed on the shelves near the door because the store owner knows people like reading these. Other magazines are very niche — covering topics like singledom, politics, or parenting — and are stacked in unmarked boxes in the back room. You can find them if you search, but there are lots of them all together so it’s not easy.
Unless you already have a big audience to share your stories with, it takes time to build up a following and get a window display spot. When you self-publish on Medium, it’s likely your story will end up way in the dusty back room. No reads, no claps, no views — that’s depressing after…
