New to this & very confused!

[uriee]

I am from England and want autographs from actors in both America & my own country.
I have read a lot of the topics already on here, but, I'm still confused!

I understand that I need an envelope, a self-addressed envelope (self stamped when sending to people in England) and a lovely letter asking for an autograph
My self-addressed envelope needs to be at least 8x10 right?
But can my original envelope, the one with the fan address be any size & I just fold everything up and put it in?
If I want one from the UK I need to send IRC which I can get from the post office right? I don't understand how many I need to get it sent from the US to the UK though.

And do I need to send a picture? Some people say yes and others no and I am confused!

Thank you for your help,
and sorry if this is covered in other topics, I've tried reading them but none of it is making me confident enough to go out and send some fanmail.

[charliestcloud]

It depends. Who are you planning on sending it to??

[osiris]

I understand that I need an envelope, a self-addressed envelope (self stamped when sending to people in England) and a lovely letter asking for an autograph

Correct!

And do I need to send a picture? Some people say yes and others no and I am confused!

No you dont have to, but it increases your chances sometimes, especially if you're sending Via Venue (i.e. to a filming/performing venue rather than an agency). Most stars have photos which they can send you, but it does obviously mean you can chose which picture to send, and also the size. Which moving on...

My self-addressed envelope needs to be at least 8x10 right?

It needs to be 8x10 if you want 8x10 pictures back. Very few people in the UK send 8x10s. The majority send 6x4s and a few send around A5 sized. Many US stars do send 8x10s. If you write to the US and include your own photos as mentioned above, your SASE would only need to be big enough to fit the photo in.

But can my original envelope, the one with the fan address be any size & I just fold everything up and put it in?

Yes it can. I personally suggest folding the SASE more than once though. I use A5 envelopes and fold my SASE once and put it inside that. You could use an A4 envelope for your SASE and fold it twice to fit in your A5 outer envelope though.

If I want one from the US I need to send IRC which I can get from the post office right? I don't understand how many I need to get it sent from the US to the UK though.

Yes, or use American stamps which you can get in trade from some of our members. For an envelope with one or two photos in, I would send 2 IRC. These are not stuck to your SASE but included with it for the recipient to trade in their post office for stamps.

[twilightlover0607]

I live in the US and I don't send IRCs when I sent out of the country I just go to the post office and they do it for me ( just the out of country ones). Yes send an SASE (stamp both of the envelopes). I always send a picture or more. I suggest you should send a picture. Glad your taking up the hobby....hope I helped!

[osiris]

I live in the US and I don't send IRCs when I sent out of the country I just go to the post office and they do it for me ( just the out of country ones). Yes send an SASE (stamp both of the envelopes).

If you send out of the country, how do you pay for return postage without using IRC?

uriee, I suggest you dont stamp both envelopes, your stamps will not pay for the SASE to return to you.

[twilightlover0607]

I live in the US and I don't send IRCs when I sent out of the country I just go to the post office and they do it for me ( just the out of country ones). Yes send an SASE (stamp both of the envelopes).

If you send out of the country, how do you pay for return postage without using IRC?

Maybe the post office guy uses IRCs...I don't know?

[osiris]

If you send out of the country, how do you pay for return postage without using IRC?

Maybe the post office guy uses IRCs...I don't know?

If you used IRC, they wouldnt stamp the SASE.