Hello Steemit!

I'm Robert Rister. My family pronounces our name as if we spelled it correctly, Rye-ster. I've been writing professionally for over 30 years, but I am a total newbie to Steemit. I'm looking forward to getting to know Steemers, and learning how to use this platform to do some useful things. My photo is at the end of this introduction.

I was what one of my publishers called a "modestly successful" author during the pre-Internet era. I wrote several books on natural health that altogether sold about 1 million copies. If you are writing on a modern Internet platform and your product grosses $25 million, people would probably think you are some kind of genius. I'm not. For years I wrote with the help of a New York City publisher who took a personal interest in my book, sometimes talking with me over the phone two hours a day, day after day, for months. I had one editor to help me develop ideas and write the first draft of my book. I had a different copy editor to check and double check spelling and citations. I had reviewers who raised questions about my books before they ever went to print. My publisher provided an artist and a book designer who turned my words into printed art. Then I had a publicist who promoted my book to the media, and of course my publisher had salespeople. We also made deals with chain bookstores to get my titles placed so shoppers saw them as soon as they walked in the door. Then I got mentioned in stories (just one for each of these) in Time and Newsweek and US News and World Report, and I did hundreds of radio and television interviews. I did book signings all over the country and served on charitable foundation boards and all the other things you would do to be an "author." You actually had to earn your authority slowly, carefully, and with a lot of help from face to face interactions with 3-D people.

With all that help, you actually need to earn that $25 million. My share was a very small fraction of that, but it's been enough to get by.

My experience as a modestly successful print author of the 90's and 00's is nothing like making a living by writing on the Internet, is it? With the old print publishing models that no longer work, I'm a real expert. With this platform, I'm just another newbie. But that doesn't mean I don't have any plans for what I'll do on Steemit.

(1) About 15 years I wrote a book called Healing without Medication. It's 753 over-sized, double-column pages on everything I could find to help people who just can't afford their medications. It's not anti-Pharma. It's pro-people. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and people tell me they used the print book until it just fell apart. I got comments from readers as far afield as Rwanda and Iran and Chattanooga, Tennessee. I want to make an updated version of my book available for free. I'm hoping I'll be able to do that on Steemit. Not only can I get good information out, Steemit can be a place where your comments make it better. I hope some of you will help me do that.

(2) I don't know diddly squat about Steemit, but I do know a few things about reaching people in ways that make life better. I'll be writing about writing hypnotic content. Seriously, I'll be writing about content traps us and how we can get out, and how to use the powers of persuasion respectfully as you write. I'll also be writing about "luck," reaching goals, and the woo-woo of writing well.

As you might have guessed, I'm almost old enough to be on Medicare. I have one of those new-fangled iPhone thingees, but it still mystifies me. I'm not going to be anyone's tech expert here. But maybe you all can help me--and I look forward to getting to know and, as much as I can, supporting you. Thank you.