THE VILLAIN OF THE PIECE

Why Certain Online Writing Platforms Simply Have to Piss Off the Writers

Here’s the absolute, mostly surmised, 100% truth about why you’re making less money writing

image generated by author (don’t hate me, I can’t draw a mustache)

This is an allegory. Every single thing appearing in this work, except the verifiable facts, is fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or companies, living or dead, is purely coincidental and probably nonsense.

Suppose we imagine a sizeable digital writing website with millions of users and an impressive number of dollars floating in over the transom. Let’s call it Giant.net. Of course, we could call it Substack, Vocal, Medium, Newsbreak, or even Bloviator.com.

Well, in our allegory, Giant, once profitable and in the black, seems to be headed for trouble, but probably not for the reasons hypothetical members and critics think.

Giant, like many online platforms, relies on a combination of user-generated content (writing), readers, and investors. Initially, Giant focused on attracting high-quality writers and a dedicated readership. They demonstrated concern and respect for writers and creativity in general.

This created a valuable platform that attracted tons of paying members. Writers were often…