Thought I\'d like to say s few words, hopefully helpful, with this discussion...even though it is a few days old.
I still occasionally do mass mailings, but as already noted they are pretty useless. I think the reply ratio, statistically, is about 2%, so if you\'re getting more than that you\'re doing really well.
The truth is over the years I have invariably spoken with many Agents & CD\'s (as I\'m sure we all have) and they do get about 100 letters from actors per week! That\'s a lot of mail to sift through while you are trying to find work for your current clients.
I have also been advised over the years to NOT call on a Monday and NEVER on a Friday as this is when they do most of their paperwork, or general \'catching up\'. During the week tends to be ok, and infact I have always found this to be perfectly acceptable.
I often will call an Agent and politely \'introduce\' myself and ask if their books are currently open. About 90% of the time they will say \'send me a CV and photo\', otherwise they will just say \'not at the moment\' and often THEY suggest trying again in a few months; at which point I thank them for their time.
The follow up call is a tricky one. Some say it\'s ok to call about 2 weeks later (allowing the Agent time to get through all the mail and actually get to see yours), others have suggested sending a notecard (with a small photo of you) asking whether they\'ve had a chance to look at your CV and/or whether you could call them on such & such a date.
The truth is if an agent is intereted in you they WILL get in touch. If they already have someone similar to you on their books they probably won\'t.
With CD\'s I have to say I have always found them to be really nice when I call them to invite them to shows, or even sometimes just for a \'chat\'. They may not turn up, but they have been nice on the phone. I also think some do turn up but don\'t tell you so as not to have you \'pestering\' them afterwards. If they are interested in you they WILL call...it\'s their job to find new talent.
Another note on Agents. I once called an Agent, many years ago, to invite them to a play, and was asked \'where is the play showing?\', when I told them they said \'oh...they don\'t have very comfortable seats there do they?!\' which I was a little annoyed at the time, but then having thought about how many invites they get, I said to myself well if it\'s a choice between two hours in a plush comfy chair with an air-conditioned theatre, or a dingy room in the back of a smoke filled pool hall with rock music coming through the \'sound-proof\' doors I know which one I\'d choose!
And yes I have performed in these places! I think they have a certain charm though.
Anyway, the main thing is to keep at it. No matter what. If we look at what EVERY successful performer has in common, it\'s not looks or a type, it\'s not background, whether they had a \'hard\' life or not or had money to spend on nice photos. The ONE THING they all have in common is \'PERSEVERENCE\'!
The truth is it\'s easy to give up. We could all do that, and get nice jobs in a nice office with nice stationery, and tell everyone it\'s too hard to be an actor...well, yes it is. But think about how you feel when you\'re not acting...and then think about how you feel when you\'re performing. There\'s nothing quite like it is there?!
