Salutations Tips

Gender Unknown

Never, ever make a guess as to the gender of the person to whom you are writing the letter. If the name is not gender specific, or if it is an ethnic name that you do not know the gender rules, do not guess. There are many people named "Chris," for example, who are very annoyed by being called the wrong gender. When in doubt, play it safe and use the full name instead of a courtesy title.

Business Letter Salutation

Technically, in a formal business letter, the greeting or salutation should be followed by a colon. Therefore, "Dear Mrs. Brown:" is the correct option. However, you will find some businesses straying from this formal version and beginning to use to comma after the salutation.

Name & Gender Unknown

Dear Sir or Madam:
Dear Madam or Sir:
To Whom It May Concern:

Writing to Teenagers

Girls:
Address them as "Miss" or "Ms." and respect the individual's preference if you know it. For girls younger than 13, "Miss" or "Ms." may be omitted.

Boys:
Address as "Mr." For boys younger than 13, omit the title. ("Master" is now rarely used except with the names of very young boys.)

Several Persons

Dear Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Brodsky, Ms. Carmino, Mr. Dellums, and Miss Eustace:

Dear Friends (Colleagues, Members, or some other suitable collective terms):

Name Known, Gender Unknown

Dear Marion Parker:
Dear R. V. Moore:

Name & Gender Unknown

Dear Sir or Madam:
Dear Madam or Sir:
To Whom It May Concern:

Married Couple, Wife Uses Maiden Name

Dear Mr. (husband's surname) and Ms. (wife's maiden name)

Married Couple, Wife Has Special Title

Dear Senator and Mr. (husband's surname):

Two or More Women

Dear Mrs. Allen, Ms. Ott, and Miss Day:

Dear Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Kent:
Dear Mesdames Jordan and Kent: (more formal)

Dear Ms. Scott and Ms. Gomez:
Dear Mses. (or Mss.) Scott and Gomez: (more formal)

Dear Miss Winger and Miss Rossi:
Dear Misses Winger and Rossi: (more formal)

Organization of Men & Women

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Gentlemen and Ladies:

Organization of Men

If there are "only" men in the organization:

Gentlemen:

Two or More Men

Dear Mr. Gelb and Mr. Harris:
Dear Mssrs. Gelb and Harris: (more formal)
Gentlemen: (more formal)
Sirs: (more formal)

Name Unknown, Gender Known

Dear Madam:
Dear Sir:

Hyphenated Names

If you write to a person with a hyphenated last name, the complete name needs to be listed in the salutation.

Example (letter is to John Smith and Jane Jones-Smith):
Dear Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones-Smith

If the name is not hyphenated, treat it as a middle name.
Example (letter is to John Smith and Jane Jones Smith):
Dear Mr. and Ms. Smith

Married Couple--Husband Has Special Title

Dear Dr. and Mrs. ... (husband's surname)

Organization of Women

If there are "only" women:

Mesdames:

or

Ladies:

Married Couple, Both Have Special Titles

Dear Drs. (husband's surname)

or

Dear Major and Professor (husband's surname)

(or whatever the personal titles are)

Hyphenated Names

If you write to a person with a hyphenated last name, the complete name needs to be listed in the salutation.

Example (letter is to John Smith and Jane Jones-Smith):
Dear Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones-Smith

If the name is not hyphenated, treat it as a middle name.
Example (letter is to John Smith and Jane Jones Smith):
Dear Mr. and Ms. Smith

Name Unknown, Gender Known

Dear Madam:

or

Dear Sir:

Woman & a Man

Dear Ms. Kent and Mr. Winston:
Dear Mr. Fong and Miss Landis:
Dear Mrs. Kay and Mr. Fox:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Green:

Name & Gender Known

Courtesy Title Preference Known:

Dear Mr. Smith:
Dear Mrs. Gray:
Dear Ms. Simpson:
Dear Miss Wells:

Creating A Character

Have you ever been drawn to someone because of his or her personality? You saw something that you liked about a particular person, but you just couldn't place your finger on it. Maybe they were funny, sweet, exciting or charming. Maybe they were very intelligent, or maybe they could do something that you wished you could do. Whatever the reasoning, know your characters you are creating. Do you know their type of personality? There are many types. Let me list a few:

1. The person who likes to help others.
2. The person who likes to succeed.
3. The person who is romantic.
4. The person who must do everything right.
5. The person who must understand everything and its meaning.
6. The enthusiast person, they are happy about everything.
7. The person who makes peace with the world and its people.
8. A strong person. A leader.
9. A weak person, one who follows others.
10. A trusting person.
11. A person who is a skeptic.
12. A moody person.
13. A person who must be around others at all times.
14. A person who wants to be alone.
15. An animal lover.

When creating a character give them personality along with creating an image. You can use more than one personality type as well.

Looking For Reviews?

It is always a good idea to get reviews before the
publication process begins, but if you haven't, don't
worry, you can still get reviews. How do you get
reviews? That is the big question, but everyone uses
different methods. Choosing what methods work for
you is the best way to go. I will share with you how
I've been successful at gaining them.
It all started with my first book, THE GOLDEN
LOCKET, a teen novel. I happened to be in the mall at
the same time Mort Crim, an Author and News
Broadcaster was. He was at Waldenbooks signing his
book, SECOND THOUGHTS. I decided to go get a
copy, when I did, I handed him my business card and
told him that I had a book in the publication process. I
then asked him if he would kindly review it for me. A
few days later, Mort Crim took my husband and I out to
breakfast, he gave me a review, and also gave me a
signed copy of his new book. I was thrilled! I will never
forget Mort Crim and what a wonderful man he truly is.
It never hurts to try something like this. I just happened
to stumble across Mort's book signing event, but it's
also possible to just look up events and attend them as
well. Just remember to bring your business cards! There
are many authors out there who will support you and
give you a review, but you will never get it if you don't
ask.

Ask and you shall receive! This is what I did to get
more reviews. While attending Oakland University, I
had asked two of my professors to write a review for
me on my new release, ALL ABOUT ME. They did!
They read my book and gave me a great review. One
thing about professors, they will tell you the truth!
Now, I had three reviews for this book. Then I
remembered my friend from C&G Newspapers who
had written a review for me in the past for THE
GOLDEN LOCKET. I had asked her to write one for
ALL ABOUT ME. She did! Keep all of your contacts,
usually if they write a review once, they will more than
likely write you another.

Another great way to gain reviews is by email. Don't
waste time and money sending media packages out,
unless you get the O.K. first. There are plenty of ways
to get in touch with editors and review personnel by
email. Most marketing books have the names and
emails of book reviewers. Sometimes you can just look
them up under a specific website as well. Example: If
you wanted The New York Times to write a review, just
look up their website, find the editor's email and email
them. I have done this several times with several review
personnel. If I receive a response, then I will proceed
with sending them a package. This way you received a
response, and the reviewer is expecting your package.
No time wasted, and you have a better chance at
gaining that review.

Don't forget, even if you had your book published, still
fight for these reviews. Reviews can be printed up in
the news, announced on the radio, advertised at your
book signings; you can do all sorts of things with your
reviews. Once, I even made a plaque and placed it on
my table at my book signing event; for all to see. I had
received this review after my book had been published,
so I couldn't place it in my book, but I wanted to show
it off. Reviews are a great advertising piece; get as
many as you can.