talkmagic.co.uk

Hey!

I have a few effects that I have created and have been performing and perfecting for a few years. I'd love to sell/give them away as an ebook/PDF/Video but have literally no idea where to start!

I've performed for as long as I can remember but I love creating for others to perform.

I've just started to write down the method and sleights for the effects but I don't know where they're going!

Does anyone have any tips on the best way to release effects?

Many Thanks

Blake

Blake--First you HAVE to decide:
1. Do you want to try and make a bit of money out of them?
2. DECIDE on the format you will use. IF they can be explained in writing & illustrations then the pdf form is possibly best. & under your control!
3. Now selling is more difficult.Book form is too expensive so a market for the pdf would have to be found as:
Lybery.com
Talk to the owner--a lovely guy--Chris Wasserbery ( heck--I have corresponded with him a number of times and bought pdfs off him and I can never remember the
spelling of his surname!!
4.The next alternatives: Publish in a magazine.. as Mark Leveridge's 'Magicscene'. Possibly Stan Allen's Magic Magazine. I do not know if they pay you for material
5. With a pdf you can publish when and how many as you decide... So you can advertise the pdf -- preferably NOT on E Bay--too much magic is sold on this valuable site.
What a pity we lost Abra! THEN there are the Forums--especially Talk Magic!! Magic Bunny and of course Magic Week. No charge for the adverts!
6. More advertising could be done via demonstrations on You Tube--BUT NOT with any explanations. Too many magicians have lost their respect for Magic by exposing on
this source.
7 DON'T just give them away.

These are a few ideas off the top of my head

Allen Tipton

Thanks Allen!

I'm writing them and photographing them in PDF form at the moment which is taking a while!

I only want to release effects that I believe are strong enough which currently I have 3 of. Should I wait until I have more or release them seperately?

What have you released Allen? I'd be interested to take a look.

Thanks again

Blake

If I were you Barry-- I'd make it 6.
Makes a better bargain for today's magicians--will tempt them more.

I do not release any of my Magic. Stuff like my Floating Ball rig, method and routine, My Chinese Water Fountains, Invisible Ribbons, Comedy Horse Race (based on Ali Bongo but with my 'improvements') etc. etc. etc. have all been documented--DVD'd and sent to my son.

That way I know what I have worked on over the years is all in safe hands.

Allen Tipton

Hi Blake,

A lot of people send a review copy out to a few magicians so that any problems can be ironed out and you can discover if the effects you have are already released.

Finish putting the PDF together and then carefully select a few people from here, or magi you know, and ask for feedback.

This is a must before trying to release anything. You will get great feedback and if your material is good, some good reviews to whet the appetite of the magi who may be interested in buying your effect.

Alec

Thank you! It's taken me pretty much all day to hand write one of the effects so I may be a while!

I want to get it right though!

Blake

If you go to Theory 11 dot com they now have a page called The Wire, where you can upload videos of your trick and how to do it. You then decide on a price and make money from each purchase. You can even give them away for free if you wish.

Its an easy way to make a few bob if your tricks are pretty good, but obviously you'll need the camera and editing software for this to be an option.

Hi, I did look into the wire but the videos look of a far better quality than I could produce so I think I'll stick to the PDF version!

Thanks though!

Blake

One thing that I'd really suggest is that you try sending some effect off to magazines or see if you can get them included in compliations by other magicians. That way you can get your name out there so that when you do release something, you'll be taken more seriously. Otherwise you do run the risk of just being seen as another magician who's just put togather a PDF to make some easy money.

I agree with Lady Of Mystery. If you want to sell you need name recognition. Submit your ideas and routines to the magic magazines, Linking Ring, MUM, Magic etc...Offer them to the magic community that way. Show them at club meetings and the like. There is so much on the market, and so much of it is bad, why would I trust that yours is up to par.

Secondly you said you can't make the quality video that you have seen other make. Then don't do it! Hire somebody to produce it for you. It is your name out there, your reputation and your ideas. If somebody makes a purchase and even if the material is wonderful but the presentation is not professional you are going to kill future sales. And that person will tell other people and so on.

So.
1). you need to give people a reason to buy your ideas, (name recoginition)
2). You need a professional looking product. PDF Video pamplet whatever it has to be professional.

And three, have you done the research. Is it really yours. Unfortunatly just because you came up with it doesn't make it yours if somebody was out there and published first.

BlakeMore wrote:Hi, I did look into the wire but the videos look of a far better quality than I could produce so I think I'll stick to the PDF version!

Thanks though!

Blake

It was a criticism I put to Jonathan Bayme when he launched The Wire. He maintained that it would be the quality of the trick over and above the quality of the video, but looking at what's up there...I kinda doubt that.