Why Do You Want to Run a Publication?
To run a pub, it helps to know your why
Let’s be very clear about this. Running a publication on Medium is not an easy task. Heck, writing is no easy task! Why should running a publication be easier?
I am the owner and editor-in-chief of Politically Speaking, a Medium-based publication where we cover politics and social issues. In the spirit of full disclosure, I didn’t start the pub. I was asked to take over the publication by Christina Marie Ward, who founded it in 2019.
Christina handed me a growing publication. She didn’t recruit writers for it. Instead, she relied on people finding the pub — I call this organic growth.
When I took over in November 2020, there were maybe some five articles submitted per day across 25 or so active contributors with 1,500 followers. It was quite manageable, and I was the only editor.
Today, the pub has 6,400 followers with average daily submissions of between seven and nine articles across some 60 active contributors. There are four editors, including myself, who manage the daily flow of work.
Now, just think for a minute. These are politically focused articles full of opinions, criticisms, emotions, and as you might guess, vitriol! It can wear a person down, and to be honest, I’ve had a few…
