Hello Substack!
I should have done this sooner!
*Updated 9–20–23*
I didn’t think this day would ever come. I signed up today. I’ve copied and pasted email addresses from subscribers at BuyMeACoffee as well as Medium. I’m not having any luck with importing anything as of yet. I created a specific list in Library on Medium and that import link isn’t working for me. I’ve shot a request to Substack so now I wait.
I’ve cleaned up my BuyMe page. I deleted anything that didn’t get any comments and left the rest. I won’t be writing there anymore but will keep it for tipping purposes.
Once I get Substack fully set up then I will write more here and less (and less) at Medium.
Why the change?
I’ve outlived three CEOs on Medium. I’ve hung in there for almost three years. Four years? I’ve forgotten now. They make minor changes such as changing “tags” to “topics” or ‘“lists” to “library”. Things that make zero difference to the writer or reader. We used to show five tags at the bottom of each post. Then the next CEO still required five but it only showed the first one. Now this CEO has all five tags, er uh, topics showing again.
But people, not writers, people are still posting garbage and there is no one policing the platform. Poorly written. Plagiarized. No references are listed. Images are either stolen (think watermark from some of the paid sites) or no citation is given at all. Crappy stories about how the “writer” can’t get paid because Medium won’t pay them when it’s Stripe that doesn’t participate in their country. Then it’s follow-up stories that are once again poorly written pronouncing how they “beat the system” and you can too and then they tell you how they did it.
The entire thing is appalling and sickening to those of us who are legitimate writers.
And don’t even get me started with the whole AI-generated caca.
Then there was my story that got pulled last year. First-person narrative about gender. Someone with purple hair who is married to a unicorn and wants to be identified as a martian from venus reported the post. So it got pulled. I posted it on BuyMeACoffee. Not only did they not have an issue with it I got tips out the ying-yang for that story. That tells me everything I need to know.
There was nothing wrong with my post. The issue was with the audience.
I wish I could pinpoint the exact time and place that we became a world filled with overly sensitive pansies. That way I could go back thirty minutes prior and stop it from happening. Whatever happened to just closing the X in the upper right-hand corner? Or muting the writer so you see less of their stuff? Or using your scroll bar and rolling on past their stuff?
I read an article from someone that used to be a writer here on Substack. They said they left because they found too many posts on here offensive and cited some examples. I had no issue with the “offensive” material. Maybe they’ll be happier on Medium since every reader/writer there gets spoonfed only the most palatable tidbits. Don’t agree with someone?
Report it.
Moving forward, what’s next?
Once I’ve gotten my self-curated material here, then I’ll decide. As I said, I’ve already shut down my BuyMeACoffee to everything but tips. Medium will be cut way back and if I do well here they will be cut out altogether.
I’m on page 28 of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Dog which was released at the end of January. I’m working on setting up book signing events.
I have several of my own books in various stages of development. There is more behind-the-scenes work/setting up that I need to do on my end to get them all moving forward once more.
I’m on Instagram and Facebook with a business page. I keep getting kicked off of liberal Twitter. When I’m ready I’ll open up a new account. Again. 🙄
I pulled all 61 of my books from Amazon (60 ebooks and 1 paperback) back in October. I have a new publisher that I will keep to myself until it’s time to hit the go button. But those 61 books are gone.
So here we are my friends. The next step in the adventure that is my life.
Welcome to the ride-along!
