Unexpected Earnings Decline Concerns Writers. I invite You for Patience and Understanding
A quick editorial note for the writing community with some practical tips
Dear freelance writers,
I am the owner and chief editor of ILLUMINATION Integrated publications on Medium. Over the last few days, my Slack DMs and email inbox have been flooded with inquiries from writers who have noticed a significant drop in their earnings. Today, there were 4812 messages on Slack about this issue. I quickly browsed them but couldn’t respond due to my busy schedule, so I decided to send this short post.
Many writers have shared their frustration and disappointment, saying that their stories generated unexpectedly low income or ZERO earnings. This is not an isolated situation that has happened to many writers, so I can assure you that it is not an individual issue.
Unfortunately, I have experienced the same. I checked my stats earlier today and saw that my unique story, which was a book chapter from yesterday, earned only 13 cents — an unusually low amount that doesn’t make sense. Then I noticed that in the last three days, all earnings were around 20 cents. But it doesn’t bother me.
This doesn’t mean I undermine your pain. I know it is disappointing and frustrating for any writer. I read a story earlier, and many writers were cursing Medium. It is unnecessary. The wise thing is to accept the situation and show our understanding. Things will get better when you keep your optimism and authenticity.
In this case, I suspect it could either be a system glitch or potentially a new fraudulent activity similar to what happened last year. One of our editors wrote about such an issue then.
Here’s What Seems to Happen to Medium Last Week.
This is an update to my previous story, but I don’t write it in Aussie slang or humor anymore because Mr Algorithm does…medium.com
We accidentally found the situation from the former employee Ariel, whom I introduced in a story lately as a farewell to her departure.
A Heartfelt Tribute and Gratitude to Directors Ariel Meadow Stallings and Buster Benson, Who Left…
No one’s job is secure, and losing our jobs goes far beyond financial concerns, impacting our psychology, sense of…medium.com
Back then, Medium identified the problem, addressed the fraudulent activity, and compensated writers for their lost earnings. I believe the same will happen this time, so panic is unnecessary. Medium is not transparent about these issues but they remain fair to writers.
Please don’t take this situation personally. It has nothing to do with the quality of your writing. I have checked stories from many writers, and there were no quality issues.
Some writers are concerned that AI or fraudulent activity detectors might have flagged their stories, but Medium follows a different process for such cases. They wouldn’t simply reduce your earnings without proper investigation or letting you know the issue.
A few writers thought the issue might be related to my publication, ILLUMINATION, but I am also a consultant editor of many publications, and the situation is the same in all of them.
I trust Medium will provide an update soon. Until then, let’s be patient and show empathy toward the platform. As an open platform, it is naturally vulnerable to scams and cyber attacks, but Medium has demonstrated its commitment to resolving these issues in the past.
As a publication owner, I will create a support ticket and inform you of the updates when I learn the causes. I assume the support team is very busy, too, so let’s show our compassion to them.
If you are writing for money, please remember that Medium is not geared for that activity. Income is only a bonus on this platform. In that case, you need to diversify your content and look for other income sources. I provided lots of guidance to writers of my publications in many stories before.
Writing for Joy and Intangible Benefits
Medium is no longer a money-making machine.
As a writer, you can gain lots of intangible benefits from Medium.
It is a great platform to find your voice, grow your audience, and demonstrate your expertise to your potential clients. I wrote a story about intangible benefits a few years ago. I link it here to inspire you.
Here’s an Example of What a Good Story on Medium Can Do for Writers
A Lucrative Contract, a New Client, and a Soulmate Were Born Out of a Simple Yet Empowering Story.medium.com
I invite you to write from the heart for the enjoyment of it and to delight your readers, not for the money. When you do so, money will come to you from unexpected places.
Remember, the more you give, the more you receive.
It will be great to keep your expectations low from any platform and keep personal responsibility for your income. Expectations make us unhappy.
I personally keep no expectations from anyone or anything. It became my secret to joy and success in life. This approach will make you more stoic and spiritual.
Some Practical Suggestions
As a practical note, until Medium fixes these issues, you may focus on something productive, such as turning your stories into potential book chapters. A few days ago, I provided guidance on this, and you can follow the process in the story. Here is the link:
The Fastest and Easiest Way to Become a First-Time Book Author in 3 Months
A 10-step practical approach to creating a book in a niche repurposing your content without wasting your time and…medium.com
Last year my stories on Medium stopped performing. They were not distributed as they used to be. I accepted the situation and took personal responsibility.
So, in 2024, I wrote 4 books despite my busy schedule, and they brought much more income than what my stories used to earn on Medium. I wrote a story about it to give you perspectives and inspiration.
What Worked for Me in 2024 and What Didn’t, with Mistakes I Made and Corrected Timely
A quick annual update to inspire my readers and fellow writers for 2025 with transparency, joy, and humilitymedium.com
During this low-income period, you stop your Medium addiction as I did, and you may also consider creating a publication on Substack or building a website and putting some of your stories as blog posts.
Having an author platform will be a great investment for your writing business. I posted a story with a training video by Aiden earlier. It might give you some insights.
Special 20 Min Video/Audio as a New Year’s Gift for Substack Community for Sustaining Your Writing…
This educational video and audiobook chapter from Substack Mastery is essential for all freelance writers and Aiden…open.substack.com
I also invite you to check out this audio created by our editor introducing our new initiative for freelance writers integrating Medium with Substack for a competitive advantage. I believe this post can inspire you.
We Are Building a Creative and Empowering Support Path for Freelance Writers in 2025 and Beyond
We will offer customized services based on the needs of creators, freelancers, and content entrepreneurs with…open.substack.com
Another great thing you can do now is take a quick break, enjoy other things in life, do some self-care, and rejuvenate. Your health and well-being is more important than money.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
Get an email whenever Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes. He is a top writer and editor on Medium.
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