First of all I adore that 'delicate balance' pic! Stunning - and perfect for your story.
I haven't had anyone begging me to follow them and refuse to do follow for follow. It's hard enough navigating the site without receiving feeds that you are not remotely interested in.
I don't get why some pub editors don't share the love right off the bat: I mean, they supposedly read your work and considered it good enough to publish so why don't they leave a comment and 50 claps? The only pub I excuse is Katie at the Cuppa as she gets 5 from me every week lol!
As for assuming - I always say doing that makes an ass out of u and me... (ass/u/me)