I get lots of emails from people asking what I send so I thought I would put it all here!
Stamps & Envelopes
I seem to get emails alot about this section, asking me if using my own countries stamps really works? Yes for me it does OR I would not have written it here! So please do NOT email me and ask me that question! This is purely what I do and works for me in my country! For the year 2011 I got 211 responses returned to me in my SSAE with my aussie stamps on them!
I ALWAYS enclose a SSAE, I use Jiifi rigi photo mailers #4 with my name & address clearly printed on the front & do not bend. I always stick on 1 air mail sticker for all international replies and use
4 x .60 cent Australian stamps. I use my own countries stamps as the replies have come back to me with them NO problems, I also think it is less trouble for the celebrity - they can just stick it in the mail and not have to worry about using an IRC or exchanging foreign money, not every celeb has an assistant to do this for them. I have never used IRC's nor do I send cash.
4 x .60 cent Australian stamps. I use my own countries stamps as the replies have come back to me with them NO problems, I also think it is less trouble for the celebrity - they can just stick it in the mail and not have to worry about using an IRC or exchanging foreign money, not every celeb has an assistant to do this for them. I have never used IRC's nor do I send cash.
I never write the celebrities name & address as the sender on the envelope as you never know who might want to help themselves to your mail if they see a letter marked with Elton John as the sender!
I enclose this with my letter & photos in a B4 size envelope with air mail sticker and 5 x .60 cent stamps for all international requests. I have address labels printed for myself that I put on the top left of the envelope.
Letters
I only ever write to people I am a fan of, I am not into collecting 'numbers' & will not just write to anybody so I can say I have one more signature for my collection. It is a waste of my time as if I am not a fan, I would have no idea what to write & it is also a waste of that artist's time as they could be reading a letter from a true fan who really loves them. Please do not contact me and ask me who to write to or who replies quickly or for email addresses (which I rarely use). You write to people you are a fan of, then do some research to see if they do actually sign fan mail etc... thats where you start. I have never written to someone because they will answer quickly & when I do use email it's always to enquire what address I can send my letter to, sometimes they respond asking for my address & send me a photo.
I type all my letters, my writing is pretty messy as I have been typing since I was in high school but I always handsign my name. I always try to keep letters no longer than 2 pages, and pretty much tell the person why I am a fan of theirs, what work of theirs I really like, what their work means to me personally (for instance I might have played their song at my wedding or a movie I have watched 20 times etc..) sometimes I will share personal information if I have something in common with the person. Be sincere & be honest, don't write them you have 3 months to live! (unless its true).
Photos
Unless I have read online that the celebrity won't sign what you send and they always send out their own photograph I always include my own. I never send more than 2 - 3 photos/items for signature. Again do your research as some celebs will only sign one item for you & some will not personalise no matter what you ask! I like to have my photos personalised so I always stick a post it note to the photo asking them to sign it "To Nicole" it works really well. The post its leave some sticky residue so I have learned to place the sticky part on the back of the photo and fold the rest over the top OR not to crop my photos I print and stick it to the border I will crop off later!
I get the majority of my photos online, I use google images (set file type to large) and have joined several free forums that have many HQ photos. If I can not find anything suitable I then buy a photo either from ebay, movie market or starstills. I also have many items & photos of my favorite performers I have collected over the years.
Well that's what I do & have always done, I think thats about it so good luck & happy collecting!
