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How much time, on average, do Americans take to complete the following things: Write a book, Read the NYT cover-to-cover,Raise money to start a business, Train for a marathon
Hello! Thank you for your question about the average time it takes to achieve various life goals. The short answer is that an average American could write a book in 6 months to a year, and an average of 4 hours, 10 minutes is needed for a typical American adult to read the weekday version of the New York Times. Raising money for a new business runs 60-99 days, depending on the type of funding sought. Marathon training generally takes anywhere from 12 weeks to 6 months. A review of my findings follows.
WRITING A BOOK
A thorough search of research papers and academic databases did not turn up any definable time frame for writing a book. There are many factors that impact book writing time, including book topic, type of book and the author's level of experience, to name a few. For example, e- books, recipe books and children's books understandably take less time than books that require extensive research. A rule of thumb is that it takes a year to write a book. I subsequently searched for information from reputable associations for authors and writers, which showed that 6 months to a year is a reasonable time estimate for writing a book.
A writer's style, mood, and time availability also come into play. Some examples: Mickey Spillane reportedly wrote his first novel in just 19 days, while Earle Stanley Gardener was known to publish four books every year. In contrast, author J.K. Rowling said it took her 5 years to write her first Harry Potter book.
A panel discussion at the Newburyport Literary Conference in 2014 featured four popular authors who were asked how long it took them to write a book. The answers ranged from 4 to 10 years. Other bestselling authors reportedly spend 6 months to complete a book. However, the time for an "average American" (as opposed to seasoned authors) would likely be longer.
READING THE NEWSPAPER
According to a New York Times spokeswoman, NYTimes.com "publishes roughly 150 articles a day (Monday-Saturday)", not including wire stories. If we assume that each article is, on average, 500 words in length and know that an average adult reads 300 words per minute, the total number of words can be calculated as:
150 * 500 = 75,000 words
The amount of time to read all the articles for the average adult:
75,000/300 = 250 minutes = 4 hours, 10 minutes
RAISING MONEY TO START A BUSINESS
According to the U.S. Small Business Association, most new businesses are initially financed through a combination of owners' savings, friends and family contributions, bank loans, credit cards (used by more than 65% of small businesses), and lines of credit. For larger businesses, venture capital may be needed to launch. The average time to secure financing for a small business is typically 60 to 90 days.
Crowdfunding has gained popularity in recent years, and required about 6 months of preparation before launching a campaign. An analysis of 100,000 campaigns on crowdfunding site indiegogo found that 42% of funds are raised in the first and last 3 days of a campaign, and the most successful campaigns run 30-39 days in length. Adding the 60 day preparation time to the length of the campaign results in a 90-99 day time frame for raising money to start a new business.
TRAINING FOR A MARATHON
Running is a great form of exercise and can also yield positive social benefits. When choosing to running a marathon, an individual needs to choose the right shoes, socks and other running gear, consider and possibly alter their diet, sign up for a race, and commit to a training regimen.
According to Runners World, most training plans are 16 to 20 weeks in length and involve running 3 to 5 times weekly. For beginners, 6 months of training time is recommended, while experienced, fit runners need to train for 12 weeks. During the time, the number of miles run per day gradually increases as marathon day approaches.
CONCLUSION
To wrap up, an average American could write a book in 6 months to a year, while an average of 4 hours, 10 minutes is needed for a typical American adult to read the weekday version of the New York Times. Raising money for a new business runs 60-99 days, depending on the type of funding sought. Marathon training generally takes anywhere from 12 weeks to 6 months.
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