Writing in Medium
Medium Question: Which Publications Should I Publish With?
How I choose which publications to publish with and recommended publications.
I have recently written a post answering a question about publications:
In the comment section, I found an interesting response from MuddyGirlWrites: “Now, if I could just figure out which pubs to try for! 🧐”
A few people have previously written me a message asking me the same question: which publications would you recommend?
I will share with you here how I choose publications I publish with and my recommended publications.
#1 — A Loving Supportive Community
I am currently a writer in a number of publications. I have both approached publications I’m interested in publishing with and accepted offers from those who reached out to me personally.
Most of my pieces are housed by small to medium size publications, which I tend to submit to.
Although I do submit to big publications, I don’t do it too much these days.
(When I say big publications, I’m referring to the publications listed in Smedian’s Top 10 Medium Publications, publications with gigantic following and have been here for quite some time.)
I never publish anything with Medium’s in-house publications. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the publications owned and run by Medium.
I’ve seen pieces that are doing extremely well in small and medium size publications. I’ve also seen pieces tanked in big publications and Medium owned publications.
A couple of years of reading and observing extensively, I came to a conclusion.
As much as the publications help in dispersing our content, in the end, what determine the success of our writings are our content and the community we are a part of.
Pieces that thrive tend to be pieces that offer valuable knowledge/information or pieces written by people who already has a large readership or both.
It’s the reason I tend to publish with publications with a strong sense of community. The support makes a huge difference.
Although I’m writing for quite a number of publications, I choose a few around which I build my own little Medium family. I make sure I have a good relationship with people in the publications I’ve chosen to immerse myself in.
Tip #1 — Choose publications with strong sense of community. Build your own little Medium family.
#2 — Caring Editors
This is very important for me.
I like having a good relationship with the editors of publications I publish regularly with.
I’m an editor of 2 publications and I try to be as supportive and caring as I can be (however much time permits) to my writers.
You can tell when editors really care about you and your writings.
I’ve met quite a few wonderful editors here. We occasionally chat and they help me with my writings every now and then. Their publications are the ones I publish with the most, which are also where I build my little Medium family.
Of course, when the publications are big, the editors can’t really care for everyone. They have their own thing to do too.
I would still submit my stories to the big publications. Just not much because most of the times, the small and medium size publications tend to help me better in exposing my content to wider pool of readers.
Tip #2 — Choose publications with editor(s) who care(s).
#3 — Response Time
I’ve briefly touched this subject in my first post about publication. When it comes to being published, I am a very patient person. I can wait forever for my pieces to be published (faster is better of course, but I understand why sometimes I need to wait for a long time — long queue and all that).
I understand that big publications will have longer waiting time because everyone submits there. I also understand that I might get rejected after a long waiting time because well, lots of submissions = tougher competition.
It all boils down to my need at the time of submissions.
If (like now) I’m in the middle of a one-month writing challenge, having to publish everyday, naturally, I will submit to publications with fast response time (I’ve submitted and withdrawn a few times in order to stick to my commitment).
If I have a piece that I think has to be submitted to big publications and I have all the time in the world to wait, I will submit to my intended big publications.
Tip #3 — Choose publications according to your needs and patience.
Recommended Publications
If you’re new here and you’re wondering which publications to approach first, these are the publications I would personally recommend. You can find out what topics/subjects/genres they publish and how to submit from their submission guidelines, which I will also share:
Scribe
Editor: Thomas Gaudex
Weeds & Wildflowers
Editor: Dennett
A Few Words
Editors: S. Stefan Karabacak, Kristen Wilson, yours truly.
Blue Insights
Editors: Øivind H. Solheim, Francine Fallara, Thomas Plummer
Assemblage
Editor: Jonathan Greene
The Bad Influence
Editors: list
Publishous
Editors: Nicole Akers, Clay Akers, renee tarantowski, George J. Ziogas
Change Your Mind-Change Your Life
Editor: Dr. Christine Bradstreet
Vagabond Voices
Editor: Trisha Traughber
The Post-Grad Survival Guide
Editors: Stephen Moore, Tom Kuegler
Flicker and Flight
Editor: Whitney Rose
Literally Literary
Editors: Heath ዟ, Indira Reddy, Jess Kaisk
P.S. I Love You
Editors: Kay Bolden, Tre L. Loadholt, Dan Moore, Scott Muska
Snapshots
Editors: Dennett, Sherry Kappel, Allan Rae (alto), David Montgomery
The Writing Cooperative
Editors: Jessica Jungton, Sand Farnia, Joanna Jane Pool, Justin Cox
The Junction
Editor: Stephen M. Tomic
Pickle Fork
Editor: E.R. Ellsworth, Shawn Keller, J.P. Melkus, Nicholas Colitzas
Jane Austen’s Wastebasket
Editor: Kyrie Gray
Illumination
Editors: list
The Startup
Editor: Ali Mese, Caitlin Raux Gunther
Warm Hearts
Editor: yours truly
Final words
This is by no mean a comprehensive list.
There are many many great publications out there.
If I’m a writer in your publication and have not included your publication in this list, know that it is not because your publication is no good. I have to pick and choose the ones I think the most suitable for newcomers to submit to and I can’t squeeze too much in. I choose the ones who have been with me a long time throughout my Medium journey.
Or I’m just a forgetful goldfish, which in this case, my sincerest apology.
I hope this post is useful for those of you who just joined the wonderful Medium family. Welcome!
This post is a part of my October writing challenge:
If you have a burning question(s) you think I can answer (it can be about anything), feel free to pop the question(s) in the comment section below or e-mail me the question(s) at agneslouis3108@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading and being a part of my journey!
