I’m not one of the “real” money makers, but I consistently fall in the top 8%. One of your commenters said corporate greed ruins everything — and it does, that’s for sure, but that’s not what’s at play here.

What’s at play here is that too many people were clapping to “show support” but not reading, and that wasn’t a realistic way to continue. It’s not corporate greed, though, because the money isn’t flowing to Medium, it’s flowing to writers who gets read.

As for me, I’m holding my own. November took a dive for the first half, but December looks like I’m on track to double November, knock on wood.

I’ve found the “daily payout” stats to be helpful. Not in looking at how much I’ve earned that day, but to see what’s paying the most. It gives me insights into what my followers actually read instead of scanning.