Samuel Chell

Not long ago I read a news story about an Amazon reviewer who, though "# 2" in Amazon's rankings, was abandoning the chase because of the (then) new policy allowing readers to address written commentary to the reviewers themselves. I couldn't care less about the rankings, but as someone who's posted over 2500 reviews (many of which I've removed), I simply request that those who write to reviewers--whether posting an addendum to a published review or writing directly to the reviewer's mailbox, and whether it's a criticism or a simple question--first consider: 1. Date of the original review. (When was the review written? Would you be able to answer a similar question about something you'd written several years ago? Are your tastes and ideas exactly the same as back then?); 2. Audience. (As a reviewer, I mentally "construct" different audiences for my reviews and write accordingly. I can't and don't presume to know the identity of the writer who sends e-mail, much of which does not even begin with a conventional salutation let alone personal introduction. To answer responsibly and sensitively I need to know (briefly) who you are--a general reader, a professional in the same field as the review, the author/artist herself, a family member of someone perceived to have been criticized unfairly. 3. Finally, a reviewer's "outside" work-load and family duties along with the time required to "experience"--attentively, fully, carefully--a single book, film, or record album simply make it impossible to receive the majority of new items offered by frequently talented, deserving individuals for review, regardless of the merit of the text or product. Don't take a decline as a personal "rejection," and feel free to ask again at a later date.