The Thank You Experiment

How long does it take to answer an email? How long is a piece of string? (In the case of string, a quick tug will tell you something about it, whether there is something tied to the end. There will always be time to measure it and make a proper assessment later.)

So how long does it take to acknowledge an email? According to the Thank You Experiment it takes precisely 7.5 seconds. That is how long it takes to click on the message, type two words and press Send. Should you put the findings of the experiment into practice, you will discover that you can answer 40 emails in five minutes - while the kettle boils. Easy. Polite even.

Why then doesn't a literary agent send out a simple acknowledgement of short email proposals? Or at least set up an automated reply on a submissions email account?

Perhaps, I am being unfair.


The Thank You Experiment:

• Open your email.


• Compose short message.


• Email it to yourself.


• See how many times you can click on the message, type Thank you, & press Send in the space of a minute.

If my observations or calculations are wrong, please let me know. Send me your results.