I think the problems with fiction here on Medium are one issue where I tend to give the platform the benefit of the doubt. While the algorithm is very poor, I think even a system that effectively distributed non-fiction would struggle with fiction and poetry, for the reason that the tags 'fiction', 'poetry', 'short story' don't really mean anything. If I label something 'UX' or 'Python programming', it's not hard to find a readership who will find it broadly relevant. With 'history' or 'politics', it's harder, but still feasible.

But what do you like if you like 'poetry' or 'fiction'? And how often do you turn your nose up at the utterly unsuitable fare (for your personal tastes) that Medium serves up before you give up altogether?

I think it should work for dedicated fiction writers and their subscribers - it's that kind of personal style/writer relationship. You might love Philip K. Dick and despise L. Ron Hubbard (or even Arthur C. Clarke), for example - a 'scifi' tag doesn't really work as an algorithmic bridge.

I guess Substack is the right model for that - the question is: where and how to start, unless you're Chuck Palahniuk?

A small pub on Medium of like-minded fiction writers, if they could attract their existing followers/subscribers, and if one could subscribe to a digest of that pub's stories (a suggestion I've made to The Management), could work as a community-building exercise/writing club/reading club.

But in my attempts to find any such pub in 2023/24, I failed. And now enthusiasm is waning, it's perhaps not the best time to set one up.