I like this piece and I think it needed to be said.

I believe some people who say they make this kind of money but I really think others are posting their earnings as a way to get reads.

Everyone on Medium, (well the money hungry ones), wants to know how people do it, so when they see someone has done the unthinkable, they want to know how to do it too.

It is a way to get people to read all of your articles. That's just my opinion. I think it's wrong to give false hope to people and make them think anyone can do it. Its a combo of the right title, time, pub, and other factors.

I have a friend who recently found great success on here, she worked very hard, has been on here for a long time, and is not the type to lie. I think her writing among other factors, got her noticed. I'm happy for her :)

I call one guy "The used car salesman" of Medium. He is very new, constantly posting his large earnings on Facebook, and I think he's full of it. He writes in one niche.

Despite his shady vibes, he has legions of people following him to find out his secret. I can bet that most of his reads aren't because of his writing skills, but him posting his "earnings" every five seconds.

Not being a hater, but I do think most of these stories of grandiose earnings, minus a few people, is fraudulent.