Tips for receiving autographs
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:21 pm
These tips are from the web (I forget the website) They're he;pful!!
Do not type your letters!
Most common mistake made by beginners and experts alike, in my opinion. The celebrity does appreciate the time you've taken to write them and the fact that they know you sat down and handwrote a personal letter yourself can make all the difference. If you type they may assume that you're using a form letter that you've also sent 100 others celebrities, now would that make you feel very special? I didn't think so....
Form Letters Will Not Save You Time!
Now right now you're thinking "of course they will! I can just fill in the blanks instead of writing a personal letter to each and everyone on my list." Wrong, wrong and wrong again! You may think the more letters you send out the more responses you'll receive. As I mentioned before the celebrity wants to feel special, they want to know why you enjoyed a certain project they were involved with. A celebrity can spot a form letter from a mile away, there's no sincerity whatsoever. If you send out 100 handwritten personal letters you should expect a fairly high success rate, yet if you do the same but instead you send form letters you will be looking at 20% return if you're lucky.
Do your research!
I can't stress this point enough, this is the most key part in being successful in the hobby. I once did an interview with an actress, I won't mention names, who was kind enough to oblige all autograph requests that were sent to her. Not only that, but she also paid the provided postage, photo and answered any questions with a handwritten reply. After the interview was published she received an overwhelming request for autographs, unfortunately half the collectors had no idea who she was nor had they bothered to try and find out. People mentioned how much they loved her in movies that had never been released, how they loved songs that weren't sung by her and so on... She was extremely hurt by the letters and completely stopped signing for over a year. This should be an important lesson to us, do not take this hobby for granted. Not only does it ruin it for the rest of us, but it also upsets the person reading the letter. Take the time to know your celebrity!
Send something extra!
Maybe it's their birthday or it is just around the corner! Now wouldn't it be wonderful if someone was such a big fan that not only did they take the time to send you a wonderful handwritten letter, but they also sent you a lovely birthday card as well. It's also very inexpensive, just buy the cards in bulk and write a little message inside. This is the easiest way in my opinion to make you stand out from the rest, it doesn't have to be their birthday maybe it's Christmas, Easter or any holiday coming up just send a small little card along in your letter and you'll be shocked at how many celebrities will actually take the time to thank you for the card.
Always send an S.A.S.E.!
This is going to make all the difference in the world! Now you're thinking "why should I have to pay for postage, they've got money I can only dream of!" That's not always the case, many celebrities can not afford all the postage it would cost to answer ALL of their fan mail, why not make it as easy as you can for them? If you have a picture you'd liked signed even better! Now not only have you provided the postage, but you've sent the picture as well. Now all they have to do is sign and stick it in the mail. Piece of cake!
Keep it short!
A celebrity does not have the time to read a 5 page letter, so keep it short and make it count. Your letter should be no longer than a page, no exceptions. If you love everything they've done and you want to let them know how they've affected your life, pick a couple of key topics and stick to them. It's better to praise one project then mention 15.
The Letter!
I've never agreed with the idea of writing an example letter for everyone because that almost defeats the purpose of making it original and I have made no exception to this rule today either. However, I have decided to give you an example of a form letter. As I mentioned earlier it is the most common type of letter used by collectors, beginners and experts alike. I've added some notes so you can hopefully learn from other's mistakes.
Dear Ms. Drew Barrymore,
Hello, My name is Melanie. I'm from Canada and I'm a very big fan of yours. I really like your work in 50 First Dates, Charlie's Angels, The Wedding Singer, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Scream, Boys on the Side, Batman Forever (Don't bother mentioning a project the celebrity had a 5 minute role in unless there was some sort of impact) and Never Been Kissed (Was it really necessary to mention all those films?!?! Stick to focusing on a couple and what you enjoyed about them). I was very impressed with you in all those films (Why?!?!!?). You're an amazing and very beautiful actress and I can't wait to see you in your next project (Personalize it here! Do your research, find out what her next project and wish her luck with it) Could you send me an autographed photo (Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners! Say please when requesting and thank them for their trouble at the end)?
Signed
Your name here
I hope this article helped you out a little. Now, go put what you've learned to the test! Here's hoping we'll all be more sucessful in the future!
Radical cky
Do not type your letters!
Most common mistake made by beginners and experts alike, in my opinion. The celebrity does appreciate the time you've taken to write them and the fact that they know you sat down and handwrote a personal letter yourself can make all the difference. If you type they may assume that you're using a form letter that you've also sent 100 others celebrities, now would that make you feel very special? I didn't think so....
Form Letters Will Not Save You Time!
Now right now you're thinking "of course they will! I can just fill in the blanks instead of writing a personal letter to each and everyone on my list." Wrong, wrong and wrong again! You may think the more letters you send out the more responses you'll receive. As I mentioned before the celebrity wants to feel special, they want to know why you enjoyed a certain project they were involved with. A celebrity can spot a form letter from a mile away, there's no sincerity whatsoever. If you send out 100 handwritten personal letters you should expect a fairly high success rate, yet if you do the same but instead you send form letters you will be looking at 20% return if you're lucky.
Do your research!
I can't stress this point enough, this is the most key part in being successful in the hobby. I once did an interview with an actress, I won't mention names, who was kind enough to oblige all autograph requests that were sent to her. Not only that, but she also paid the provided postage, photo and answered any questions with a handwritten reply. After the interview was published she received an overwhelming request for autographs, unfortunately half the collectors had no idea who she was nor had they bothered to try and find out. People mentioned how much they loved her in movies that had never been released, how they loved songs that weren't sung by her and so on... She was extremely hurt by the letters and completely stopped signing for over a year. This should be an important lesson to us, do not take this hobby for granted. Not only does it ruin it for the rest of us, but it also upsets the person reading the letter. Take the time to know your celebrity!
Send something extra!
Maybe it's their birthday or it is just around the corner! Now wouldn't it be wonderful if someone was such a big fan that not only did they take the time to send you a wonderful handwritten letter, but they also sent you a lovely birthday card as well. It's also very inexpensive, just buy the cards in bulk and write a little message inside. This is the easiest way in my opinion to make you stand out from the rest, it doesn't have to be their birthday maybe it's Christmas, Easter or any holiday coming up just send a small little card along in your letter and you'll be shocked at how many celebrities will actually take the time to thank you for the card.
Always send an S.A.S.E.!
This is going to make all the difference in the world! Now you're thinking "why should I have to pay for postage, they've got money I can only dream of!" That's not always the case, many celebrities can not afford all the postage it would cost to answer ALL of their fan mail, why not make it as easy as you can for them? If you have a picture you'd liked signed even better! Now not only have you provided the postage, but you've sent the picture as well. Now all they have to do is sign and stick it in the mail. Piece of cake!
Keep it short!
A celebrity does not have the time to read a 5 page letter, so keep it short and make it count. Your letter should be no longer than a page, no exceptions. If you love everything they've done and you want to let them know how they've affected your life, pick a couple of key topics and stick to them. It's better to praise one project then mention 15.
The Letter!
I've never agreed with the idea of writing an example letter for everyone because that almost defeats the purpose of making it original and I have made no exception to this rule today either. However, I have decided to give you an example of a form letter. As I mentioned earlier it is the most common type of letter used by collectors, beginners and experts alike. I've added some notes so you can hopefully learn from other's mistakes.
Dear Ms. Drew Barrymore,
Hello, My name is Melanie. I'm from Canada and I'm a very big fan of yours. I really like your work in 50 First Dates, Charlie's Angels, The Wedding Singer, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Scream, Boys on the Side, Batman Forever (Don't bother mentioning a project the celebrity had a 5 minute role in unless there was some sort of impact) and Never Been Kissed (Was it really necessary to mention all those films?!?! Stick to focusing on a couple and what you enjoyed about them). I was very impressed with you in all those films (Why?!?!!?). You're an amazing and very beautiful actress and I can't wait to see you in your next project (Personalize it here! Do your research, find out what her next project and wish her luck with it) Could you send me an autographed photo (Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners! Say please when requesting and thank them for their trouble at the end)?
Signed
Your name here
I hope this article helped you out a little. Now, go put what you've learned to the test! Here's hoping we'll all be more sucessful in the future!
Radical cky
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![[uk]](./images/smilies/flag_uk.gif "UK"){kind=small}
![[us]](./images/smilies/flag_us.gif "USA"){kind=small}
