First off, 40 years of 'somewhat serious' writing is a pretty big accomplishment, regardless of the earnings. Just continuing to stick with it is amazing.

Second off, thanks for running through the tips. There is more to Steemit than just 'the money' and there is actually long term rewards and satisfaction in 'building the brand.'

Most people who are only here for the rewards and not for the eyes on their content or engagement with others probably shouldn't be blogging. They should find another niche to work in, or maybe even wait a while until some other industry appears. Not everyone is going to do well with writing or creating, but that doesn't mean there won't be opportunities with other things. Even getting good at curation and commenting is better than going nowhere posting until you can build that audience and hone that craft.