HOW TO: AUTOGRAPHS
Autographs can be a lot of things. They can be momentoes of time shared with a celebrity. They can be captured energy that says I touched this person I admire, or at least touched the same paper/poster/doodad. They can be things to treasure, to collect, or simply to buy up and sell on eBay.
Just make sure you get the right ones.
What with PhotoShop and good, cheap printers, anyone can whomp up a fake autograph and get your $20. Make sure you know what you’re doing. Here’s some tips to help out.
The very best way to get an autograph from a celebrity is to ask for it in person. The Serenity stars and crew often appear at conventions around the world, check your local listings and your favorite Serenity forum for details. Be polite when you meet them and try not to gush. I’m not being snarky; when I met Neil Gaiman I had to go through the line three times before I said anything that wasn’t, basically, “Guh?”
They’re people, just like you, and they love Serenity just as much (if not more) than you do.
– Whatever you plan to have signed, have it ready when you reach them. If it’s a book or magazine, have it open at the right page. If it’s a poster, have it unrolled, and so on.
– Don’t be insulted if they ask how to spell your name. They have had to sign more names than you’ll ever hear, with some of the oddest spelling; they’ve learned not to assume.
– Don’t bring everything you could fit in your car; most conventions will enforce a limit of items, or may restrict autographs to photos they provide. Bring something that means a lot to you or that will display nicely.
– Or consider an autograph book. I bought a simple blank-page book from an art store but any blank journal would work nicely, and then you always have something to have signed no matter who you run into.
– Or something else entirely. At one con I was at, a friend with me realized she had nothing for the guest author to sign. I suggested she get a box of Captain Crunch and hold it out to the writer, saying “I admire your work.” Just to be weird. She did, and Terry Pratchett signed it “Yum, yum.” Not your average collectible! Since then she has hauled that box to dozens of cons and has gotten it covered with signatures from the biggest names in fantasy and science fiction. Someday she’ll break down and eat it, and then where will she be…
– Don’t be shocked if the celeb charges for their autograph. It’s a valuable commodity. If so, prices will be posted and it’s up to you if it’s worth it.
– Do not bring things for the stars. They appreciate it and they love you death for it, but they also have to fly back and don’t need the extra luggage. If you absolutely must bring them something, make it something that won’t make their traveling more difficult.
– Don’t mention how much this’ll be worth on eBay, even if that’s what you plan. Not only is it rude, but the celebrity will be that much less friendly to other autograph-seekers.
– Don’t hog their time. There are lots of other people behind you, and many of them are carrying replica weapons. You don’t have to run, but don’t chat. That said, if you’re the only one there, feel free to keep the celebrity company. Just be ready to politely take your leave if the celeb obviously has somewhere to be.
– Thank them! Seems obvious but I’ve seen people grab their autograph and turn away, looking at it like they were starving and someone handed them a candy bar.
– If you can’t make it to a con, try hooking up with a friend or a friendly soul in a Serenity forum that is going and will get you one. Some cons will even take requests and get autographs for you (usually for a fee); check their websites for details.
Or you can write the celebs for autographs. I personally have very little experience with this, but there are some excellent guides at starwarsautographcollecting.com, “Is the Autograph Real?”, and JJAutographs. The basics are: be polite, keep your letter short, provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope (a manila envelope folded in thirds fits nicely into a regular envelope), don’t be disappointed if you get a head shot or a picture of the star as a different character or just a signed white card, and expect to wait a while. See the bottom of this page for likely addresses.
If you decide to buy an autograph, the best way to make sure it’s authentic is to check the celebrity’s official site first (if they have one) to see if you can buy one directly.
If not, check around eBay and autograph sites, but be wary. There are a lot of fakes out there, and anyone can make a professional-looking website. How can you tell? There’s no foolproof method, but…
– Look carefully for words like “copy,” “reprint,” “preprinted,” “secretarial,” or “stamped.” Those aren’t “real” signatures.
– If the asking price seems really cheap, it’s probably fake. Authentic autographs are rarely cheap.
– Look for UACC affiliations. Doesn’t mean they’re not lying, but it can’t hurt.
– Check them against the UACC Hall of Shame.
Make sure the signature looks right. Below are verified autographs from the cast and crew of Serenity, so you can compare before you buy. Each one was acquired in person or from a reliable source.
(Provided by Angelina Starks)
(Provided by me, jetflair, and Angelina Starks)
(Provided by Angelina Starks)
(Provided by Angelina Starks)
(Provided by Inkworks autograph card and me) 
(Provided by Angelina Starks and me)
(Provided by me and Angelina Starks)
(Provided by Angelina Starks and me)
(Provided by jetflair)
(Provided by me and Angelina Starks)
(Provided by me)
(Provided by me)
You can expect some variations, of course, but the signatures should look very much like these.What to pay? That’s entirely up to you. What you’re comfortable with and how important the autograph is to you is how you determine the price. Shop around, there are lots of autograph sources online and off. And what the heck, write the celebs and ask while you’re hunting.
And say “thank you.”
Address for autographs, maybe
These are the addresses for the representative agencies for each Serenity cast member (and Joss). I’ve seen different addresses listed; where there is more than one address, the first one listed is the latest one I’ve seen. I have absolutely no idea what the autograph guidelines for each may be, or how quickly (if at all) the stars will get requests forwarded to them. But it’s a place to start.
| Cast
Nathan Fillion Gina Torres Gina Torres Alan Tudyk Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin Jewel Staite Jewel Staite Sean Maher Summer Glau Morena Baccarin Ron Glass Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Operative) David Krumholtz (Mr. Universe) Michael Hitchcock (Dr. Mathias) Sarah Paulson (Dr. Caron) Rafael Feldman (Fanty) (I don’t know Yan’s (Mingo’s) agency for sure) Nectar Rose (Lenore) Tamara Taylor (Teacher) |
Creator, Crew, Other
Joss Whedon Christopher Buchanan (Producer) David Newman (composer) Keith R.A. DeCandido (novelist) From Firefly Mark Sheppard (Badger) |
If you have updates or better information on Serenity cast addresses, please let me know.
