What It Means to Be a Publisher

100-Hour Days in 24 Hours

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For me, last year was all about becoming a real writer, but this year is about becoming a real publisher. I use the distinction “real” because you can call yourself anything you want, but it’s the act of pushing your dreams into reality that makes something real.

A few months ago, my frustration with Medium and its shakey payment system drove me to a choice - leave Medium completely and go all in somewhere else, leave the boost nomination program and focus on writing, or “go big” and refocus my attention somewhere else while trying to dial down the time needed for my current tasks. Being a complicated person, I chose the complicated answer.

Two months and $700 later, I launched Project Jade - a fully professional online magazine for spiritual, philosophical, and religious content. Self-funded, I poured my earnings from being a member of the Boost Nomination program into paying the writers, hosting the website, and purchasing the domain name. I also invested in a great Canon mirrorless camera, green screen, and lighting for my weekly podcast series. Truth be told, my podcast started in September 2023.

On Monday, January 15th, I published the first paid article on Project Jade. After two and a half weeks, and at the conclusion of our first calendar month, I’m making progress. We receive daily visitors now, and I can see in the statistics that some articles work better than others. I’m using my previously learned skills on Flipboard, Mastodon, and YouTube to drive traffic into it. If P.J. (Project Jade) can take off, then I’ll be able to increase the amount I can pay each writer. I’m increasing the amount to $15 per article for February but cutting back on the number of articles to balance the budget. Eventually, I’ll create a positive feedback loop, but even loops need a beginning.

I keep convincing myself that 100-hour days are worth the sacrifice- anxiety, sleepless nights, and long days. The weekends are busy with volleyball games, karate tournaments, and winter-guard competitions, while the weekdays are empty and void of human existence other than the words on my screens. Zoom and Teams calls are not enough to make up for the physical presence of a human. Perhaps it’s the constant racing from 0 to 100 and suddenly stopping back down to 0 that causes this feeling. The feeling of pulling apart at the seams.

It’s such a strange world. Sometimes, I feel like I could shut down every internet-connected device, and no one would miss me. Other times, I feel like so many people need me or have a question that I can’t shut my devices off without letting everyone down.

The secret of being a publisher is to live 100-hour days in 24 hours. The CEO of Medium recently said they want more writers to open their own publications to help balance and broaden the scope of content available. After performing this role for nearly a year, I fully believe not everyone can run a publication.

Accepting, reviewing, commenting, staging, communicating, clapping, messaging, meetups, discord, slack, and boost nominating will drive you to the end of your patience and beyond. “But you don’t have to be here,” I hear when I complain. Yes, I suppose I don’t, just like I didn’t have to stick by my kids when they were sick, or I didn’t have to attend all of their games, but I do. I can’t explain what it is that drives me to do everything all at once. I don’t quit when my life is difficult or lonely, and I won’t quit here. I know readers care, and my team cares. My family is proud of me, and that’s enough for me.

Do we really want most Medium members to follow my journey? No, I suppose not, and that’s likely not what Tony meant when he wrote that article asking for more people to follow their dreams. Well, I followed mine, and it happened. However, there are only so many hours in a day, and you better be ready to get to work.