I receive a lot of messages and have a demanding day job as well as multiple disabilities. To manage expectations on both your end and mine, here are the response times you can expect for communication from me, as well as things you can do to increase the likelihood that I’ll respond promptly to you.
Click on each item to show details.
Expected response times
Postal mail (personal)
- Account
- Personal
- Target Response Time
- never unless response is requested
- Typical Response Time
- ±2 weeks of respond by date
Postal mail (business)
- Account
- Business
115 W California Blvd #9168
Pasadena, CA 91105 USA
陕西省西安市长安区万科棉花15-1912号2069邮箱
邮政编码：710119
Forest House, 3rd Floor
16-20 Clements Road
Unit #2088
Ilford, IG1 1BA UK - Target Response Time
- never unless response is requested
- Typical Response Time
- not enough data
Phone (personal) – missed call
- Account
- Personal
- Target Response Time
- never
- Typical Response Time
- never
Phone (business) – missed call
- Account
- Business
(626) 869-6373 - Target Response Time
- never
- Typical Response Time
- never
Phone (personal) – voicemail
- Account
- Personal
- Target Response Time
- 6 hours
- Typical Response Time
- 1–3 days
Phone (business) – voicemail
- Account
- Business
(626) 869-6373 - Target Response Time
- 3 business days
- Typical Response Time
- not enough data
Text (personal)
- Account
- Personal
- Target Response Time
- 4 hours
- Typical Response Time
- 15 minutes–2 days
Text (business)
- Account
- Business
(626) 869-6373 - Target Response Time
- 1 business day
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- not enough data
Signal
- Account
- Signal
- Target Response Time
- 24 hours
- Typical Response Time
- 1–5 days
Discord/Slack
- Account
- Discord/Slack
- Target Response Time
- 72 hours only when DMed or pinged
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- Servers and channels never checked
Not enough data for individual message response times
Google Hangouts
- Account
- Google Hangouts
Only enabled for personal accounts and <[email protected]>. Disabled for magazine and other Gmail accounts. - Target Response Time
- 72 hours
- Typical Response Time
- 2–5 days
- Account
- Target Response Time
- 72 hours
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- not enough data
Basecamp
- Account
- Basecamp
- Target Response Time
- 48 hours only when pinged
- Typical Response Time
- not enough data
Email (personal)
- Account
- Personal
- Target Response Time
- 1 week
- Typical Response Time
- 1–2 weeks
Email (business)
- Account
- Business
<[email protected]> - Target Response Time
- 5 business days
- Typical Response Time
- 2–3 weeks
Email (magazines)
- Account
- Magazines
<[email protected]>
<[email protected]>
<[email protected]>
<[email protected]> - Target Response Time
- 2 weeks
- Typical Response Time
- 1–2 weeks
Direct message (DM) – Twitter
- Account
- Target Response Time
- 48 hours
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- 2 hours–1 week
Direct Message (DM) – Instagram
- Account
- Target Response Time
- 72 hours
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- 4 weeks
Mention (@) – Twitter
- Account
- Target Response Time
- 24 hours
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- Seen within 4 hours
Replied to within 12 hours only if I have something to say
Mention (@) – Instagram
- Account
- Target Response Time
- 72 hours
Business inquiries will be redirected to email <[email protected]> - Typical Response Time
- Post tags seen within 4 weeks
Story tags often missed because they expire before I see them (only up for 24 hours)
No replies unless requested
Accessibility accommodations
To improve the likelihood that I’ll respond promptly, you may do the following:
Multimedia summaries (video & audio)
- When to use
- When sending a link or embedding a video or audio, include a summary and/or why you want me to see it. I heavily dislike video as a medium and usually do not watch anything sent to me. I am more likely to click your link if I know what to expect.
- Examples
- [link to video] I think you’d love this video of a cat eating sashimi!
[link to video] This is a great summary of the history of the printing press.
[link to song] I love the bass in this song! It feels like a cross between metal and dubstep.
[link to movie trailer] This looks totally up your alley; it’s dieselpunk set in Hong Kong!
Descriptive subject lines
- When to use
- All emails and messages. I am far more likely to open your email if it has a summary of its contents, rather than a generic title.
Guide: How to write an effective email subject line for media requests by Gretchen McCulloch - Examples
- Not descriptive: Translation request
Descriptive: Translator needed for science fiction short story by [author] (# of characters)
Prefix email subjects with [URGENT]
- When to use
- ONLY when you need a response from me within 5 business days or 1 calendar week. You will be blocked from emailing me if you use this prefix for something that doesn’t require a response or isn’t urgent.
- Examples
- Subject: [URGENT] Invitation to speak on panel about decolonizing fantasy
Body: Hello, we’ve had a panelist drop out last-minute and wanted to see if you were available on [a date within 5 business days]…
Include key dates and times in subject line
- When to use
- Anything time-sensitive. The further toward the beginning of your message that you place the date, the more likely I am to pay attention to it and schedule it in my calendar.
- Examples
- Will be missed: Author event on Thursday!
Might actually attend: Author event on Thursday April 12 at 5pm!
End email subjects with <EOM> (End Of Message)
- When to use
- If the entire contents of your email can fit in the subject line, just put it there, end with <EOM>, and leave the body of the email blank. Typically used for announcements with no response needed.
- Examples
- Subject: Book club meeting postponed to Wednesday September 30th at 7pm <EOM>
Body: [empty]
Prefix email subjects with [NO REPLY NEEDED]
- When to use
- Use if you don’t need a response from me. I am more likely to open an email if I know I don’t have to take action on it.
- Examples
- Subject: [NO REPLY NEEDED] Agenda and Zoom link for next meeting
Body: [details]
Prefix email subjects with [RESPONSE REQUESTED]
- When to use
- Use if you need me to reply to the email or to a link within the email, such as a form.
Do not use if a response is optional.
Do not use if you are sending a query—use a descriptive subject and I will infer that you are looking for a response. This tag is more to distinguish emails that I may miss because they look like notifications, and to prioritize emails that I may mistake as not requiring a response. - Examples
- Subject: [RESPONSE REQUESTED] Publication contract for [piece]
Subject: [RESPONSE REQUESTED] Dietary restrictions for potluck
Subject: [RESPONSE REQUESTED] Scheduling our next meeting
Thanks for making my inboxes more accessible.