by Hartster » Mon Aug 08, 2016 4:28 pm
Doesn't matter. I typewrite my letters, even if it takes up less than half a 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, simply because I want to make my LOR legible and understood. Most times they'll glance at your letter, find the item you want signed from your package, sign it and place it in your SASE. That's especially true when you're writing to someone not in their native language (e.g., writing to Russian cosmonauts in English.)
You don't have to make it too personal. That is, don't go on about how old you are, how old you were when you first saw them in whatever, and ask them six hundred questions. They don't have time for that, and most likely an assistant reads their mail anyway, setting aside your photo and SASE for them to sign. It may sound formish, but there's nothing wrong with, "Dear So-and-So, I like your last movie. Would you do me the favor of signing the enclosed photo from that film, and returning it in the provided SASE? This would be much appreciated. Best regards, /s/ Your name."
What they may not respond to are obvious form letters. I once had someone mistakenly send me a letter intended for a celebrity (at the time, I was a writer for an autograph magazine.) It was handwritten, but it was photocopied and the person name's name written in a different colored ink as the salutation.
Doesn't matter. I typewrite my letters, even if it takes up less than half a 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, simply because I want to make my LOR legible and understood. Most times they'll glance at your letter, find the item you want signed from your package, sign it and place it in your SASE. That's especially true when you're writing to someone not in their native language (e.g., writing to Russian cosmonauts in English.)
You don't have to make it too personal. That is, don't go on about how old you are, how old you were when you first saw them in whatever, and ask them six hundred questions. They don't have time for that, and most likely an assistant reads their mail anyway, setting aside your photo and SASE for them to sign. It may sound formish, but there's nothing wrong with, "Dear So-and-So, I like your last movie. Would you do me the favor of signing the enclosed photo from that film, and returning it in the provided SASE? This would be much appreciated. Best regards, /s/ Your name."
What they may not respond to are obvious form letters. I once had someone mistakenly send me a letter intended for a celebrity (at the time, I was a writer for an autograph magazine.) It was handwritten, but it was photocopied and the person name's name written in a different colored ink as the salutation.