When is it Okay to Pull Your Story from a Medium Publication
By: Pamela Hazelton
Tags: Marketing, Writing, Publishing, Content, Writing Tips

When is it Okay to Pull Your Story from a Medium Publication

Learn the process and avoid knee-jerk reactions

Photo by tiko33 — licensed via Freepik

Publishing via Medium is different from writing for hire. Unlike traditional publishing, whereas the publisher and writer have a contract, having stories curated through Medium publications relies on little more than a few private notes. Still, following guidelines and the rules of etiquette are paramount.

Recently one of the publications I founded invited the submission of an already published story. I made sure to keep the writer informed of the process and when to expect to see the story featured. After an hour of editing, adding tags, and SEO metadata, we clicked publish. And the screen went blank.

During the final moments of tweaking, the writer removed the story. He’d later explain that he didn’t realize submitting gave us the editing capability, and didn’t like the grammatical fixes made to his work. While I can empathize, writers need to understand editors’ roles and the reasons behind specific changes. // Read: Why You Should Always Listen To The Editor

Here’s what to consider before opting to pull a story from the submission or acceptance queue, or from published pages.

Guidelines are there for a reason

Step one in the submission process is reading the guidelines. I know they can be drawn-out and tedious. Unlike website terms of service, publication guidelines outline precisely what the outlet publishes, how content should be formatted, style rules, and other expectations.

Writer guidelines aren’t new. Every print and online publisher accepting submissions has them. The writer’s responsibility is to read them thoroughly to ensure the best possible chance of work being accepted.

If guidelines sometimes seem to lecture, it’s only because of the number of writers to ignore them. Don’t be one of those writers. Know what you’re getting into.

The curation process relies on mutual respect

Writers and publishers should take note: the process of curating content via publications must rely on professional mutual respect. Without this, we might as well pack up our writing tools and red pens and move on.

Regardless of length and topic, any story can take a significant amount of time and effort to write. But that’s not where the process ends. Actually, there’s a great deal more work to be done.

Once you click the submit button, it’s your job to sit back and wait for one of three things to happen:

You receive an email that your work was accepted. If it’s not being published immediately, it is likely scheduled.

You receive a private note asking for changes or clarification.

You receive a rejection notification.

Until one of the three above occurs, you need to exercise patience. Stay out of your story while it’s being considered — you run the risk of changes being erased and frustrating the publisher.

Respect the editor’s time

Perhaps many writers don’t realize the extent some publications go to ensure stories have the best chance of being read. Most Medium publications are run by volunteers. Others use paid freelancers. Yet, few receive any type of funding from the platform. The majority of publications operate because of its founder’s appreciation and advocacy for specific topics.

Editing a five-minute read can take an editor 30-plus minutes. Sometimes much longer. Writers should consider investments of time and money when working with publications.

Editing is always necessary

As much as writers don’t like being wrong, there are always mistakes. If you want to grow as a writer, submit to publications that edit your work. Trust me, the alternative can lead to embarrassment.

It doesn’t matter if you started writing this year or 30 years ago; your work needs editing. Sorry, a 99–100 Grammarly score doesn’t make you exempt. Fact is, not a single AI editing tool catches everything. Nor does it know about any proprietary style guidelines the publication requires.

Editors also have to spend time fixing issues with quotes and pull quotes. Even experienced writers tend to get the purpose of these confused.

Most publications don’t profit off writers

The idea that publications make money off writers isn’t realistic. Most editors are also writers, producing and improving content that may or may not generate money. While managing a popular publication may result in more views for one’s own stories, it doesn’t necessarily translate to big money.

True, some publications have become brands that offer services or sell products. Most of the time, this is barely enough to offset the costs of running the publication. In the majority of cases, running a publication isn’t a side hustle. It’s a thankless job that nets zero.

Reputable publications don’t poach

I’m aware some writers have pulled stories from one publication because another has expressed interest. Respectful publishers don’t try to shift stories. And writers shouldn’t get involved with this practice, either. If you’re thinking about switching a story to a different publication to get more views, know that it’s an excellent way to ruin relationships.

Note: Publications cannot see if you already submitted to a different one or if another publisher has already contacted you. They only see that a publisher curated the story when it goes live.

Communication eases most concerns

What to do when you disagree with an editor’s changes? Simple — express your concerns in a professional manner. Communication is the foundation of any successful relationship. If you’re professional enough to follow guidelines and submit to a publication, you should be respectful enough to reach out to address serious concerns.

Virality is a crapshoot

Some writers think getting curated by certain publications is a slam-dunk. That’s so not the case. I’ve seen stats for stories published in some of Medium’s largest publications; some receive thousands of views within hours while others receive only dozens in the first few days.

The popularity of a story is based on many factors, including what’s going on in the world at the moment it’s published, as well as news and trends long after it first went live. How much other content is published across Medium also affects readership. As does your number of loyal followers.

My point is, a publication alone doesn’t determine whether your story makes money. Low readership isn’t indicative that moving the story elsewhere will do anything more than damage your reputation with the publisher.

When pulling a story makes sense

Few circumstances justify pulling a story. The action should be a last resort and should be done only after communicating with the publisher.

A significant change of scope or misrepresentation

A few months ago, I removed a story due to the publication’s extensive editing and insertion of multiple advertorial statements. The formatting change, which occurred well after initially published, transposed the piece in such a way it appeared it had been written explicitly as a marketing tool for the publisher’s services. Any reasonable reader would think I was paid to write something while vouching for the publisher’s product offerings. Changing the story wasn’t an option, so I pulled it outright.

If someone turns your curated story into a mouthpiece for their brand, that’s not okay. Advertorials are work for hire. If your story is rewritten from a different perspective, so it changes your platform? Nope, not okay.

When the source of the material is found to be inaccurate

Should a writer find an entire story false due to fake sources or lying interviewees, removal might be the best option. Then again, editing the whole story to reflect the inaccuracies could lend more credibility to both the author and the publisher.

In 2016, Mark Hughes was mistakenly identified as the suspected killer of five Dallas, Texas police officers. While some online news sites removed the story and posted retractions, others rewrote the story so the correct information would appear on the same web page.

When legally bound to remove offending content

Should a writer be ordered to pull a story for libel, defamation, or other legal reasons, complete removal makes sense.

When the publication is abandoned

Sometimes publication managers leave the platform, abandoning all the content. Whether or not you should pull the story depends on the traction it currently has and if there’s another outlet available.