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Hey I'm new to the autograph collecting world but also very much hooked. Now I have made a small list of people I would like to write to, one of them being Maggie Smith, but before writing I am already stuck..

My question is whether I should write the letter in hand or type it on computer and print it out. I am much more for typing the letter, but I know that it seems much more personal if it is handwritten. What do you guys do and why?

My next question is; how large are the photos you send for them to sign? I was thinking about a 13 x 18 cm ( 5,1 x 7,1 inches) is that too small? I just think that it would be great for framing. But what size do you go with??

Oh and how long should the letter be??

Many people say that handwritten is better. I think that it matters what you write, not how you do it. I haven't written a letter by hand since my first 3 or 4 requests and still have a great success rate.

As for the size - it's for you to decide. Many people send out 10x15cm pictures. That's way too small for me but it's good enough for them. So it's totally your choice

Thank you so much for your answer. Do you know how I should address Maggie Smith? I live in Denmark and we don't say Mr. or Mrs....
Should I write 'Dear Mrs. Smith' or 'Dear Maggie Smith' or 'Dear Dame Maggie Smith' or 'Dear Mrs. Maggie Smith' ?

FiercePen wrote:Thank you so much for your answer. Do you know how I should address Maggie Smith? I live in Denmark and we don't say Mr. or Mrs....
Should I write 'Dear Mrs. Smith' or 'Dear Maggie Smith' or 'Dear Dame Maggie Smith' or 'Dear Mrs. Maggie Smith' ?

I don't think it matters I'd write "Dear Ms. Smith"

I used to send handwritten letters, because I thought it would increase my chances of getting something back. But now, I think it doesn't matter. In some cases typing letter is better idea (for example when your handwriting is horrible).
As for the photos, I send 15x21cm photos, but sometimes I also send 10x15cm or 13x18cm. It depends on the person I'm sending to.

I kind of HAVE to type up all of my letters because my handwriting is absolutely terrible, and if I wrote all my letters by hand, it would take them 5 hours to try to read it. I know some people think writing letters by hand is the way to go, but personally, I don't think it really matters, as long as WHAT you write is heartfelt, and doesn't seem like a form letter or something.

And as for photo size, I typically send (in inches) 8x10s, but I occasionally send 5x7s, and I have even sent 9x12s on a rare occasion. I know some people who send 4x6s, or 3x5s. Basically, you can send whatever size you want to, depending on how much you want to spend on postage, within reason of course.

And "Dear Ms. Smith" sounds good to me!

This is of course just my opinion, but I think that you should always send out hand-written letters. It may not be easy, but keep in mind that what the celebrity is doing for you is not "easy" either... especially with how immensely busy these people are (to spare 2 minutes for you is a miracle). So you should respect their time and put as much energy into it as you want them to!

Typed letters are much cleaner, though. Honestly, in this day and age, it makes absolutely no difference. If you want them to see a real heartfelt and personal message, then a clean typed letter is the way to go. Because no person's handwriting is as easy to read as a typed message. And instead of feeling touched, that celebrity is more likely going to try to decipher what you wrote. You do want to be considerate of their time. Handwritten or typed, the perfect fan letter can take an indeterminate amount of time, because making it perfect requires much more than what format it's in.

To say that a typed letter is "more heartfelt" is about as big an oxymoron as you can get. The only reason you should be typing up a letter is that you have a writing disability or some sort of disease that hinders your ability to write (i.e. Parkinson's). But everyone has their own opinion, so I will agree to disagree

P.S. When I started this hobby, I sent out around 35 typed requests between the years of 2004-2006 and only received two replies (Pierce Brosnan & Ringo Starr). Though, when I switched to hand-writing my letters in 2007, the replies started to flow in (I now have a total of 27 authentic signatures).

You should always hand write the letters, Not only because it really does increase your chances but that is half the fun of the hobby and if all you are going to do is send some typed out letter I don't really think that is worthy of getting a autograph... This is a hobby and not just about getting the autograph,It is the total experience and enjoyment you get from writing the letter from your heart. Them getting a typed letter compared to a hand written letter is like the diff between you getting a hand signed autograph and a pp auto...Do you want a pp auto ? I don't think so well most celebs giving you their autograph don't want a pp letter either lol Think about it. And 5x7 is a good size to send,I like 5x7 because its not too big and not to small..Just right.