Thank you for this lovely, encouraging story, Joe.
I wrote a Christmas story soon after joining Medium and it got very few reads. About a year later a well known writer and editor on Medium read my story and suggested submitting it to Chicken Soup for the Soul. I took her advice and sent it in.

About 6 months later, I was thrilled to receive a letter from Chicken Soup for the Soul saying they had selected my story out of thousands! It was published in their 2022 book, "The Magic of Christmas". I received US $200 and 10 free books and was thrilled to surprise my family with them at Christmas.

Stories may not make much money immediately on Medium but once they're out there in the world, you never know who might see them.

Good luck fellow writers! 😃✨