It's actually really nice to hear that your Steemit success happened pretty slowly too. I think the right mindset for posting here is probably not "how much money can I get from this post?", but "how much influence in the network will this post get me in the future?".
So, rather than thinking about posting for rewards, you are really thinking about posting as an investment - at some point that balance might flip over but, even if it doesn't, you'll have produced writing that you're proud of and made a lot of new connections in the process.
I'll look forward to reading the novel.
Thanks, @sunjata. You have the right mindset. Once you find your passion it's a marathon, not a race. The goal for me has always been to made a sustainable living from my writing. The last few weeks' earnings have been a really blessing, yes, but I'm thinking long term. I'm excited to be on this platform and feel that there's a real future here. The engagement factor here is amazing versus Facebook. I got so tired of putting so much effort into posting content on my Facebook author page and my posts only reaching 2% of people who liked my page. Steemit is so much better. Thank you for all of your support. I'm thrilled to be able to share my novel here!