What is a newbie to do :(

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StopherJJ
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What is a newbie to do :(

Post by StopherJJ »

Okay, so way back in May, I sent out 13 autograph requests.

SAS cardboard mailer, Letter, two nice photos in each sealed in a heavy duty plastic envelope. Most were sent to agencies, and now almost eight months later the only one I received back was from Jennifer Lawrence (which from what I've seen is probably a secretary).

I saw averages from three to six months (am I wrong in thinking that?)

I don't want to go through the cost to send out more for the same result. I also didn't get any return to senders, and none of the USPS tracking numbers on the SAS have any statuses. They also all arrived at their locations.

Asked for Melissa Benoist, Megan Boone, Lauren Cohan, Peter Dinklage, Emily Kinney, Andrew Lincoln, Rose McIver, Katharine McPhee, Hayley Orrantia, Daisy Ridley, James Spader and Maisie Williams.
Hartster
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Re: What is a newbie to do :(

Post by Hartster »

Autographs TTM are a waiting game. Some reply right away, some take long (and longer), and some not at all. It's a luck of the draw.

That and the chance of getting an autograph is proportional to their status. That is, an A-lister will be busy at their day job and not have a lot of time, if any, to respond to requests. Someone who is retired will have more time.
Space enthusiast w/a Sharpie! Ex-journalist. Published in British Interplanetary Society's Spaceflight and National Geographic Traveler magazines; also NASA's Scientist-Astronauts, Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard books and contributor to The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future and the A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon among others. Follow me at @HBSastrowardoyo, check out my astronaut and other space travelers autograph collection at https://www.flickr.com/photos/45855752@ ... 973452526/
kimmylee
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Re: What is a newbie to do :(

Post by kimmylee »

I think your 3-6 months estimate is very optimistic.

Personally I would be counting in years and not months.

Have you researched each person you sent, looking at average response times, if any reply at all?

A couple of your names are top stars whom are going to be very busy, and getting a ton of requests like yours every day.

Don't be disheartened though, the fun of fan mail is getting a reply when you least expect it!

You could also keep an eye out for venue addresses and try those.
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StopherJJ
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Re: What is a newbie to do :(

Post by StopherJJ »

Thank you guys so much! It's really nice that this community is so supportive. I'm also glad to see that I was overly optimistic on my returns, I guess I'll reevaluate my list and aim at some of the lesser current celebrities so that I can have a nice mix, maybe I'll get some of the A listers mixed in with the rest.
danielchance
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Re: What is a newbie to do :(

Post by danielchance »

StopherJJ wrote:Thank you guys so much! It's really nice that this community is so supportive. I'm also glad to see that I was overly optimistic on my returns, I guess I'll reevaluate my list and aim at some of the lesser current celebrities so that I can have a nice mix, maybe I'll get some of the A listers mixed in with the rest.
That's the spirit! I've been collecting for a good couple of years now (closer to ten) I still haven't reached 100 sigs yet. This is such a fun and under appreciated hobby, but also so rewarding! Best of luck! BTW many of my favorites in my collection are not A listers, but folks who are famous for other reasons (war heroes, childhood authors, figures of interest, etc.) They often reply much quicker and sometimes are quite personalized (I've gotten personal letters from some!) Think outside the box a bit! Enjoy, and remember- patience is a virtue!
StopherJJ
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Re: What is a newbie to do :(

Post by StopherJJ »

danielchance wrote:
StopherJJ wrote:Thank you guys so much! It's really nice that this community is so supportive. I'm also glad to see that I was overly optimistic on my returns, I guess I'll reevaluate my list and aim at some of the lesser current celebrities so that I can have a nice mix, maybe I'll get some of the A listers mixed in with the rest.
That's the spirit! I've been collecting for a good couple of years now (closer to ten) I still haven't reached 100 sigs yet. This is such a fun and under appreciated hobby, but also so rewarding! Best of luck! BTW many of my favorites in my collection are not A listers, but folks who are famous for other reasons (war heroes, childhood authors, figures of interest, etc.) They often reply much quicker and sometimes are quite personalized (I've gotten personal letters from some!) Think outside the box a bit! Enjoy, and remember- patience is a virtue!
"Think outside the box a bit! Enjoy, and remember- patience is a virtue!"

I love this! That really puts things into perspective! I really do think I'll go check my list and target some lesser known or celebs of a different type.


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