When was the last time you wrote a thank you to someone? A reviewer, editor, or publisher? It’s quite simple when you think of it. Only two words: “Thank you.” But how often do we say them? In a world gone nuts (quite literally), one can only wonder what would happen if we all showed a little courtesy to others daily.

Services rendered, of any sort, deserve both recognition and appreciation. Perhaps you paid for a reviewer to write a review of your book. The reviewer gave a positive review, and you were satisfied. Did you take the time to thank the reviewer? Yes, they were paid, but they deserve more than just payment. What if they gave a poor review, would you consider thanking them anyway? After all, paid or not, they spent time reading your work and writing about it. I feel it’s important to speak out in praise as much, if not more often than we vent our frustrations.

Sometimes the simple two-word praise of “Thank you” is enough. But, what about a more thorough note of praise and thanks? “I appreciate the time the reviewer took to read my book.” Or “The reviewer got my message.” Or “It’s apparent that there was thought put into the review.” As writers, we can be creative in our words of gratitude. And it doesn’t hurt. After all, it is the polite thing to do. Many of us were taught at a very young age the importance of please and thank you. We were also taught the importance of taking the time to write a thank-you note for a gift, or services rendered, or just because. I can remember being taught in school how to write a proper thank-you note. So, a simple thank you is the right thing to do. It always has been.

Saying thank you may be a powerful means of making someone else feel appreciated and valued, but it also says something about us as well. And, by making someone else feel good it helps us feel good, too. There is value to all that we do and even a reviewer, an editor, or a publisher, needs the occasional boost in their sense of value and self-worth.

Those two simple words (or the abbreviated simple “thanks”) are a boost to one’s positivity (both the one who gives thanks and the one who receives it). And, who knows, saying “thank you” to someone who did something for you (positively or negatively), may be the start of a positive feedback spiral leading to more positive interactions, perhaps even turning around the negative comments of the reviewer or editor and making them more positive. The two words may be simple, but they are very powerful.

So, I beg to ask the question again: “When was the last time you wrote a thank you to someone?” Would it be that onerous a task to write a simple ‘thank you’ to your reviewer, your editor, or publisher? It doesn’t take that long to write a few words. We can even be a little creative in our expression of thanks. After all, we are writers, are we not?