I Took a Loss on Medium Last Month
Is it time to start writing elsewhere?
Some writers say it’s gauche to share what you earn. Some writers say it’s fine as long as you’re honest. And some write clickbait nonsense with headlines like “I MADE 144K IN MY FIRST MONTH WRITING ON HOGWASH.COM! HERE’S HOW!” only to reveal after eighteen paragraphs of poorly spelled dreck that $143,999.95 of those earnings came from a Patreon tip from their uncle Elon.
Not sure if you can tell, but I have a low-ish opinion of the last category.
With this piece, I will firmly ensconce myself in the bad graces of those who occupy the first category. C’est la vie. You can’t please everybody all of the time. In fact, I’m not sure you can please anybody all of the time. But considering my preteen penchant for wearing socks with sandals, and my current insistence on wearing different shades of blue at the same time (what? It’s my favorite color!) I think I’ve been pretty well settled in the gauche department for a while.
In my Medium-writing heyday, I managed to earn about $50 per month in royalties earned through the Partner Program. In the last few months, I was lucky if I made $10. In October, I earned $4.57.
The problem with $4.57 is that it is less than $5, which is the monthly fee Medium charges for membership.
