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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
many
of thee questions relate to the Ultimate Celebrity Address & Phone
Book
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| Where
do you guys get the information (addresses, phone numbers, etc.) for The
Ultimate Celebrity Address & Phone Book? |
Well,
frankly.... from *many* different sources! It's basically a full time job
researching for the data included in The Ultimate Celebrity Address
& Phone Book. A few of the sources we use are the internet, alumni
associations, high schools, colleges,record companies, actors guilds, hall
of fames, former and current employers, and phone directories. Using fairly
advance techniques in these medias, we're able to get access to a lot of
information that normally isn't public domain. But, the most important,
and the best, way in which we uncover some of this information is through
the many personal celebrity contacts we've made over the years. Through
years of autograph collecting, being in the industry ourselves, writing,
and research, we've been able to make personal friendships with many in
different celebrity and sports arenas. You'd be surprised what you can
find out and get done if you know the right people!
| Can
I really call celebrities? I mean, isn't that stepping over the bounds
of a fan? |
Believe
me, we've heard from many out there that phoning a celebrity is not proper
etiquette in trying to receive an autograph. We believe there are times
when this is acceptable. Why can I call you at home doing some telemarketing
for an off-brand credit card, and I can't call someone whom I admire to
ask for permission to mail an item to them for their signature? With
personal experience, we've found that many celebrities don't mind hearing
from fans. They answer fan mail, they exchange e-mails, and they don't
mind an occassional 2 minute phone call from "the guy in Nebraska." Now,
please know we do not condone invasion of privacy, harassing, stalking,
phoning with rude comments, etc. If you do use the phone numbers in our
directory, please use them in a professional and respectful manner. There's
no reason not to accept the word "NO" if the celebrity says they can't
sign an autograph, or answer your questions, etc. Phoning also has useful
needs too! Many that buy our book are promoters, etc., looking for a musical
gig to book at their casino, or writers or radio personalities looking
for interviews, etc. We personally use the phone numbers to call to ask
permission to send a particularly valuable item for their signature. We
also use the phone numbers to follow up on important packages mailed through
the mail. There's a thousand reasons for celebrity phone numbers .... but,
there are no reasons for abusing the information you have!
| What
should I say when writing, e-mailing, or calling a celebrity? |
This certainly
can't be stressed enough: just be yourself! When writing, e-mailing,
or phoning a celebrity, make sure to tell them who you are and the main
reason you are contacting them. You'd never send a letter with nothing
to say, so don't phone without something pre-planned as well. When we write
or call someone, we always tell them who we are, where we're from, our
occupation, and why we're calling. Then, at the conclusion of the message,
tell them we admire their work, with a quick detail or two, and thank them
for their time.... it's really that simple!
| Do
celebrities really read their fan mail? |
Yes! Er.....
No! Well, that really depends on the celebrity. Many celebrities do indeed
set aside time to read and answer their fan mail. Especially those that
are retired and you reach them at home. Others, read a small sampling of
their mail. In many cases, secretaries and assistants sort the mail, have
the celebrity sign the incoming items, and get them back out. The celebrity
may not actually know what you wrote. In other cases, the celebrity may
just have signed a stack of photos, etc., and the assistant sends those
out to you. Remember, many celebrities, especially those that are currently
working, do not have the time to sort through thousands of letters responding
to autograph requests. Many have a strict policy on when and where they
read fan mail, and how much. These practicies often change over time. Judging
by the over 1,000 personally written letters we have in response to questions,
etc., to celebrities, we can safely say that many celebrities do indeed
personally read and respond to fan mail.
| Do
you guys actually collect autographs? Do you sell autographs? |
We certainly
do collect autographs. As for many years, we still collect autographs
for one reason: because it's fun! We don't sellmany autographs. If
you've downloaded our catalog, you will see that there are not even prices
listed by the items in the catalog. But, there are instructions that say
to offer a price for the item, or a fair trade, etc. We don't do this to
get rich. We do this because it's fun, and maybe someday my son and daughters
will have the collection, and they can pass it on down the line.
| Can
you get something autographed for me? |
While
you probably think the answer is no, actually it is yes... or at least
we will try. If you are trying to reach a celebrity and aren't having any
luck... let us know about it. We may be able to pull some strings for you.
We charge $10 for each item we successfully are able to get signed.
We see a lot of celebrities in person and actually do this quite a bit
for folks. Plus, via the mail..... *we have a lot of friends in entertainment
& sports*
| Do
you sell celebrity merchandise? |
Yes. In
addition to the autographed items in our catalog, and those on our website,
we also have exclusive "fan clubs" where you can receive autographed items
you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. These select celebrities have
become some of our closest friends and have agreed to distribute limited
edition and hard to find merchandise through us. Many of these are performers
and athletes which we represent through Celebrity Dirct Entertainment,
an entertainment management company and booking agency. Additional merchandise
can be found at www.CelebrityDirect.net
| Do
you use any sources for the book or for adding to your own collection I
couldn't find elsewhere? |
Yes, we
do! Refer to another question that asks about sources for the book. Our
greatest advantage is many in-person meeting with celebrities, celebrities
we've gotten to know through the years, and many others close to celebrities
that have agreed to help us out. Heck, we've even gotten to know many hotel
receptionists that pass along letters, items, etc., to celebrities while
they're staying at the hotel. Often, we receive a packet in the mail containing
autographs or contact information from contacts made years ago that we'd
forgotten about.
| Hey,
dude.... how much does the book cost? ( <= verbatim note received via
e-mail :-) |
The Ultimate
Celebrity Address & Phone Book is now just $39 with shipping charges
included. Refer to our book's page for more details.
| How
long have you collected autographs? How long have you researched celebrity
contact information? |
The answer
to both questions is 15 years.
| What
else do you do other than collect autographs and research for your book? |
Well,
in addition to collecting autographs and researching, writing, and publishing
the Ultimate Celebrity Address & Phone Book, we also: have a computer
hardware and software company, do celebrity photography, research and write
about celebrities, web page design, and have a celebrity promotions company.
| Could
you design a web site for me? |
Sure could.
Let me know what you're looking at getting and we can get you set up almost
immediately. Plus, our rates are guarenteed to be lower than *anyone* else.
| Hey,
I bought the book, and I found a bad address.... now what? |
Just send
us the returned, dated, envelope or your yellow return sticker and we'll
credit your account or send a refund for that bad address.
| Do
you have "John Doe's" address? Could you find it for me? |
Most of
our time is spent researching and compiling current addresses. If you're
looking for someone let us know. We strive to have everyone you'd want
included in the book, so it let us know who we're missing. When we
find it we'll let you know.
| Where
are you located at? Do you have a store? |
We're
located on the Gulf Coast of Florida.... and recently opened a new office
back in the Midwest (Kansas). We currently don't have a store open to the
public, but you can take a tour of our memorabilia collection and our facilities
if you call in advance.
| Is
Celebrity Direct going to publish any other materials? |
Yes! Right
now we're working on several books related to celebrities and autographs.
We also have plans of reintroducing our autograph collecting magazine.
| How
can I get a catalog of autographed items you have for sale? |
Click
the link on the left-hand-side to download our autograph inventory catalog
in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
| I
see you have several addresses listed for "John Doe." Should I write to
his office, home, or what? |
This really
varies for the individual celebrity. Feel free to e-mail us with the particular
name and we'll let you know which address we recommend using. Also, in
the book, there are designations for attempts/successes for particular
addresses. Many prefer to get mail in care of their agency, at home, or
at their current business. Also, it never hurts to try all available addresses.
But, again, we'll offer advice free of charge. :-) |
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