Fanmail.biz

I am new to this, and i have some questions

1. How long does it tipically take?
2. What does PP & TTM mean? I saw people using that, and I think something else, whats the difference between it all?
3. How can I make my letter stand out, so it will more likely be read & replied to?
4. Do I need to send my own picture if I want an autograph?
5. Is there anything I should know before sending my first fan letter out?

Well it readlly depends on the person you are sending to. It can take days, weeks, months or even years. What I tend to do is look at the feedback for a person and see generally how long they take. Sometimes you can get an idea that way of how long yours wait may be. But even so, you have to take into account family comittments or emergencys or people just taking a break from work.

A pre-print (PP) is a photo that contains a signature of the person, but it is just a print. The original authentic photograph has been copied numerous times, and these copies are the ones that are sent out to people. TTM means that it is an autograph that has been obtained "through the mail."

Well I know some people decorate their letters, and I myself use coloured paper to write on, but I think the best way to make your letter stand out, is to write the very best you can and be honest in what you are saying. If you let them know how much of a fan you are, and you're sincere I think that will be enough. A good, sincere letter should always stand out.

It's good to send your own picture if you can, as you then dictate what they sign (usually). Some people though will only sign the pitures they send, so again check the feedback of them first. Sometimes people send out really awesome photos that you would be happy to have, so see if they provide photos first before you print your own. And especially if you are sending via venue (a movie set or concert) it is best to provide your own as they probably won't have any pictures with them.

It's also a good idea to provide the celebrity with a SAE (self addressed envelope) at least or even better a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) so they don't have to pay for the envelope to send your autograph back, or even pay the postage.

Patience. You need to have patience and not get too disheartened if you don't achieve immediate success.

Hope this helps. :-)

The only thing I would add is this, when writting your letter, make it personal. Most celebs who read their fanmail really want to know about their fans, so you should tell them a little bit about yourself, your life and your interests. I also try to specific as to why I like them, I try not to just say "I like that one movie" but I'll go into a bit more detail as to why they stood out in a movie, and I also will look people up on IMDB before writting to them (I usually look people up on IMDB so I can follow their work as well) alot of times I'll forget a celeb was in a certain movie or tv show and it does change how I write my letters. When I was writting to Greg Grunberg (Heroes), I found out he was in Hollowman (a Kevin Bacon movie), so I rented it, and it was pretty cool to see him in it.

There really is no right way to write a letter, everyones LOR's are completely different, but the worst thing to do is write,

"Dear celeb,
I'm a big fan, loved u in that 1 movie, can I have an autograph?
sincerly
me"

Personally I'd rather write too much than too little

Check out players/people who you want on here by searching them, and see what kind of feedback is posted for them. For example, Peyton Manning. After searching him I see someone has sent a card to him and received it back signed in a self addressed stamped envelope that they sent. I see someone else sent him a photo, only to receive their photo back unsigned but with a photo of him signed that he included.
It varies, but base what you send out on what others have reported back to fanmail.biz. It's a great way to start collecting, that way you don't send out to 10 random people and have to wait a long time to get something back. A great way to start is to write people who are great with quick responses, [i.e. Donald Trump or Tom Izzo] that way you get some back and a collection begins to form.
Good luck!

For more informations refer to these stickies:
1. Waiting Time
2. Autograph Abbreviations - including SAE, SASE, IRC, AP etc.
3. How do I write to my favorite actor? Translations Also
4. What do I need to include in my envelope?
5. Refer to the stickied threads here

Khackdrums