How to Use Medium to Build Authority and Sell More Books

Medium Isn't Dead — It's a Distribution Channel Authors Are Missing

Medium has over 100 million readers. Its algorithm surfaces articles to readers based on interest, not follower count. You can publish your first article today and have it read by thousands of people who've never heard of you.

For authors, that's a remarkable proposition. Here's how to use it.

What Medium Is and How It Works

Medium is a publishing platform where anyone can write and publish articles. What sets it apart:

• Built-in distribution — Medium curates content and distributes it to readers based on topic interest. A well-written article on Medium can get 10,000 views from people who don't follow you.
• Partner Program — Medium pays writers based on reading time from paying members. Not life-changing money for most, but real income that adds up.
• SEO value — Medium articles rank in Google. Content you publish there gets indexed and discovered through search.
• Professional credibility — Being published on Medium (especially in curated publications) is a legitimate writing credential.

How Authors Should Use Medium

Publish Excerpts and Companion Content

Don't republish entire chapters (that creates duplicate content issues and undermines your book's value). Instead, publish companion content: expanded essays on topics from your book, the research that didn't make the final cut, or applications of your book's ideas to current events.

End every Medium article with a bio that mentions your book and a clear link to buy it.

Write About Your Expertise

If you've written a nonfiction book, you're an expert on something. Medium readers are hungry for substantive, experience-based articles. Write what you know from a place of genuine expertise — not generic advice, but specific insight from your actual experience.

Share Your Publishing Journey

Articles about the writing and publishing process perform exceptionally well on Medium. Behind-the-scenes pieces about getting published, the realities of book marketing, what you wish you'd known — these attract readers who are writers themselves and who become natural evangelists for your book.

Feature Your Reviews Strategically

A Medium article that references or quotes professional reviews of your book adds credibility to your author voice. When you cite a review from AccessoryToSuccess.com within a broader essay about your topic, it reads as validation rather than self-promotion.

Getting Your Articles Curated and Distributed

Medium's editorial team curates articles for wider distribution. To increase your chances:

• Write long-form content — Articles over 1,000 words tend to perform better. 1,500-2,500 words is the sweet spot.
• Use a strong headline — Specific, benefit-driven headlines outperform vague ones. "How I Sold 5,000 Books Without a Publisher" beats "My Self-Publishing Journey."
• Submit to publications — Medium has publications (curated collections of articles) in every niche. Getting accepted into a publication instantly expands your reach to their subscriber base.
• Post consistently — Medium's algorithm rewards active writers. Publishing two to four articles per month keeps you visible in the distribution system.

Building Your Author Following on Medium

Medium followers receive email notifications when you publish. Growing your Medium following means growing a direct notification list — without the spam filters of email or the algorithm interference of social media.

Engage with other writers by leaving thoughtful comments. Follow writers in your genre and niche. These small acts of reciprocity grow your following faster than any shortcut.

Medium as a SEO Asset

Medium articles frequently outrank dedicated websites in Google search results because Medium has massive domain authority. An article you write about your book's topic on Medium may rank higher than a blog post on your own website — at least initially.

Use this strategically. Write articles targeting the keywords your ideal readers search for. Include links back to your author website and book page. That search traffic flows from Medium to you.

The Author's Medium Strategy in Practice

A sustainable Medium strategy for authors looks like this:

1. Publish two articles per month on topics related to your book
2. Submit each article to relevant Medium publications
3. Include a consistent bio with your book link at the end of every article
4. Cross-promote your Medium articles on social media and in your newsletter
5. Track which articles drive traffic to your book page using UTM parameters

Over time, your Medium archive becomes a permanent body of work that demonstrates your expertise, drives book discovery, and generates passive reading income.

For more on content marketing strategies for authors, our Book Marketing 101 guide covers the full picture. And the foundation of every content strategy is credibility — professional book reviews give you the third-party validation that makes your Medium author bio land with authority.