Photo by Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash

Why I’m cancelling my Medium pubs, cancelling my newsletter, and unlaunching Patreon

Why and what’s next

When I started writing online earlier this year, I had ideas about what I should do. Those ideas were based on advice that I thought made sense.

The advice boiled down to three things:

First, start a one-person Medium pub to distribute my writing. Don’t get caught up trying to make money through the Medium writing, just focus on building an audience. (I started two pubs.)

Second, start building an email list. Provide them with value while building a product that solves a problem for them. (I built a lead magnet and started a newsletter.)

Third, start crowdfunding to start making money while building a product to sell. (I started a Patreon page and started working on a book.)

The result?

Photo by Luz Fuertes on Unsplash

I bit off more than I could chew, and now I’m choking.

Here’s what I think the problems are.

The problems

First problem: I didn’t take into account my limited time and attention. As the result of post-concussion syndrome, I have a couple of hours per day to devote to this writing thing.

Second problem: I have no traction yet as a writer, which I believe is key to the advice working. Part of that is I haven’t been writing long enough or producing enough.

Third problem: I’m spreading myself too thin, which is limiting my ability to build traction.

It’s time to pivot.

I’m cancelling my first Medium pub, True Crime Adjacent, which wasn’t the best fit for what I want to be writing on this platform. There are only nine subscribers.

I’m cancelling my second Medium pub, Nonfiction Crime Writing, which overlaps almost entirely with my newsletter. There are four subscribers.

I’m cancelling my newsletter, which I will relaunch when I’ve thought it through enough to do it properly. There is one subscriber.

I’m unlaunching my Patreon, which I haven’t really had time to figure out how to deliver effectively. I have no patrons and no doubts about why.

I’m launching a single Medium publication, called Understand Crime, focused on that sweet spot of what I want to do on this platform, can do well, and that I think readers will want to read.

Image by author.

Meanwhile, I’ll get back to writing my book, which was shuffled to the side while I tried to do too much. I’ll also get back to building an email list, this time centred around the book.