Q&A Thursday: Community Edition

Hello friends,

I'm having a productive week. Huzzah! I'm also making a concerted effort to take it easy in other areas of my life so that the high of productivity doesn't bleed over into everything else and I end up burnt out. Balance! We should all try it some time. Anyway, let's answer some questions. As always, if you are a paying subscriber to this newsletter, you can ask a question through this handy dandy form. So let's get to it.

BB asks: I have a memoir about a family of barred owls that has nested in my yard and helped me survive multiple losses over a seven-year period. I don't have a large platform, just growing Substack and Medium platforms (one for the owls and the other for my spirituality blog) and a healthy group of Facebook and Instagram followers. What should I emphasize when I query the agents I've carefully chosen?

First off, extra points to you just because I love owls and I'm so jealous you have a family of them nesting in your yard. There are not many owls in Brooklyn and I'm mad about it. But most of all, I'm glad they could help you during some really tough times. There's nothing owls can't do.

In your query letter, you're going to highlight everything you can in regards to your platform, no matter how small. Every little bit is going to help. Yes, that means social media and websites, but be sure to think about other things, too. Professional organizations? Birding groups? Writers groups? What else can you include?

I'm afraid it will be an uphill battle, though.