Hello Laney! Welcome to Medium. Yes, it can be a little daunting at first. I had no idea how to join a publication when I first started so I will try to help.

They all have rules and guidelines that you need to abide by, but they help distribute your work to others and become part of the community here at Medium.

There are so many to choose from but best to choose one of two that suit your type of writing at first. The editors may make changes to your work, or make suggestions in private notes.

The way to join is to read the “How to Join” or “Guidelines” article for that publication and leave a comment with your Medium e.g. @Laney Mills … and say you’d like to join as a writer.

Here are links to some I belong to:

https://medium.com/read-or-die/read-or-die-publication-rules-03813fc16904

https://thehubpublication.com/write-for-the-hub-publication-submission-requirements-a61189d5e011

https://medium.com/catharsis-chronicles/write-for-us-f4b69e2ea4b9