Frequently Asked Questions
(Please Note: these answers are only my opinions, I cannot speak on behalf of any celebrity, I advise you use your own judgement when writing to ask for an autograph.)
Q: What do I write in my letter to a celebrity/ How long should my letter be?
A: I suggest you keep it simple. Say who you are and why you like their work. Also don’t forget to request an autograph at the end. I always make a point of thanking them for taking the time to read my letter. I usually keep it to something as short as this: “Dear Actor, I think you’re amazing in... , you are my favourite actor and my favourite episode is… Please can I have your autograph, it would make my day. Yours sincerely…” Remember, they read lots of fan mail, so unless you have anything that is really important to you and you have to tell them, keep it short and easy to read. (But this is just my opinion, its up to you what you want to write.)
Q: What do I need to send? Do I need to send a photo? Do I need to send an SAE?
A: You do not need to send a photo/postcard of the celebrity you are writing to as they always have their own publicity prints to send out to fans. However, if you have something, like a DVD sleeve, you desperately want them to sign you can send it with a request for it to be autographed. However, you always run the risk of your own items going missing in the post , so send it at your own risk. (And some actors don't sign anything you send anyway.)
You should ALWAYS include an SASE (Self Addressed, Stamped Envelope). This means the celebrity can reply to your autograph request without having to run around looking for stamps. You will get a faster response if everything is made as easy as possible to process your request. Whilst some actors may be fine with going to the post office and buying hundreds of stamps for fan mail, you can bet not many of them will put themselves out to do that, so always send your own stamped envelope to help ensure a positive response.
Q: Do celebrities sign autographs themselves?
A: A lot do, but some autographs are signed by secretaries or are reprints. In one case, I even got an autograph from an actor that was signed by there mom! Don’t worry though, most celebrities will hand-sign their autographs themselves as most actors/singers appreciate their fans and take pride in responding to fan mail personally. You will also be able to tell the clear difference between real pen and autopen.
Q: How long does it take to get a reply?
A: The quickest response I got was three days (Christopher Eccleston, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy if I remember rightly) and the longest almost two years (Noel Clarke, John Barrowman and John Simm). What I’m trying to say is you can expect to wait any amount of time for a reply, it all depends on how busy the celebrity is and whether they hand sign the autographs themselves. If it is an autopen or a secretary doing the autographs, it will take a couple of days (Christopher Eccleston’s is autopen but Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were personal responses) if the celebrity hand signs the autographs it will take longer but so much more worth the wait. In my experience, you can expect to wait an average of six weeks for a hand-signed autograph.
Q: Where do you get the addresses from?
I nearly always use www.fanmail.biz to get a celebrity's contact details, however usually a celebrity’s official website will give you the information details to request an autograph.