Every Thing I Know About Marketing Magic
Murphy, Maxwell
Penguin Magic
"This is the book I wish I had 10 years ago."
- Uday Jadugar
"A highly recommended read and study. If every inventor, artist, and producer read this it would help them be more successful while raising the bar in magic."
- Tim Trono
"I'm in awe of your candor and mastery of the inner-workings of the magic industry. I think this book will improve the quality of marketed magic and maximize an individual's ability to profit from it. Bravo!"
- Joshua Jay
"Essential reading if you're interested in selling a magic trick you've invented."
- Acar Altinsel
"The magic industry is different than any industry on earth. It took me 10 years to figure it out. This little book contains everything I wish I'd have known from the start. There's a ton of information and strategic advice in the book. If by the end I haven't answered all your questions, the book comes with unlimited email support."
- Maxwell Murphy
How do you make the most with your ideas?
For 10 years, Maxwell Murphy led Penguin Magic, the largest magic retailer on the Internet. He sold millions of dollars of magic, produced dozens of best-selling products, worked with many of the top inventors in magic, and even lived on top of a magic factory in India. There is no one who knows more about marketing magic than Maxwell Murphy.
Historically, magic inventors haven't fared well. Dealers and distributors have had an information advantage, and often times, they've used it. Countless inventors have settled for 1/10th of what they could have earned. This book levels the playing field. Maxwell opens his playbook and his Rolodex, so you can succeed as a magic inventor and help take the industry to the next level.
You'll Learn:
- How big is the magic market?
- How many units can I expect to sell?
- How does pricing work? Wholesale? Retail?
- What kinds of deals are out there for magic inventors?
- Should I self-produce?
- What product format should I choose?
- How can I bring my idea to life?
- Who should I work with?
- The Six Different Magic Customers
- What the Big Name Magic Inventors Did
- How to Maximize the Size of Your Deal
- The Most Important Terms in Any Contract
- Three Questions to Ask During Production
- Why the Smallest Ad is Often the Best Deal
- Strategy for Maximizing Sales of a New Item
- What's the Magic Market Going to Look Like in 100 Years?
- Profiles of Key Players in the Magic Industry
"In magic, small decisions can make a huge difference in how much money you make from your product. The difference can be tens of thousands of dollars. I've seen it happen time and time again. But it doesn't have to happen to you. Give the book a chance, and if I'm wrong, take me up on my 100% money-back guarantee."
- Maxwell Murphy
Contents
- Chapter 1: Magic is Different
- Chapter 2: The Magic Market
- Chapter 3: The Deals Available to Creators
- Chapter 4: Key Decisions
- Chapter 5: Manufacturing Physical Items
- Chapter 6: Video Production
- Chapter 7: Marketing
- Chapter 8: Advertising
- Chapter 9: Sales
- Chapter 10: Manufacturers
- Chapter 11: Magic Factories
- Chapter 12: Specialty Magic Factories
- Chapter 13: Production Companies
- Chapter 14: Distributors
- Chapter 15: Retailers
- Chapter 16: Magazines
- Chapter 17: Discussion Forums
- Closing
- Resources
"I want to thank you for your last book, this is one of the best contributions to magic (as an art) I have read for years."
- David Stone
Pages: 228 - 5.5" x 8.5" - Softcover
Reviews
(Top ▲)
So there's a guy named, Maxwell Murphy, another guy named Mike Maxwell and a third named Mark Murphy. They're all big players in the magic world: Penguin Magic, A-1 Multimedia, and Murphy's Magic Supplies, respectively. I've heard all of their names many times over the years. It wasn't until last year that I realized that they're are three distinct individuals. It's a very confusing batch of names to keep track of. I finally figure out (Thank you Royal Bliss) who's who. It's the first one on the list, Maxwell Murphy, that we'll be discussing for task at hand.
Marketing Books in General
Over the years, as a man of the close (i.e., sales), I've read a ton of books on sales and marketing. They're usually not cheap (the good ones anyway); they're usually very broad stroke, and they're usually very much worth reading. They typically cover information that can be used in a broad range of industries. Much of what I've read could be applied to our wonderful world of wonder.
But . . . what happens when you get a guy (the first M.M.) who has spent the past 10-ish years applying these principles and gaining experience and learning via trial and error in one specific niche industry? You get an incredible book called Everything I Know About Marketing Magic.
What's it About
This book covers everything you need to know, complete with contact information, to go from an idea to cash in your pocket. This is not some pipe dream that's impossible to reach because of some convoluted process involved. Nor is it some get rich quick scheme about how to become a millionaire by creating magic tricks. It's a step by step guide and reference book that covers all the components and all the very hard work you'll have to go through to take your idea to market.
Take a look at the ad copy, particularly the bullet points and the chapter titles. It's all in there. It's well written; it's quite comprehensive; and I really believe that Maxwell Murphy was telling the truth in his title. I really believe that he held back nothing, that he truly does share everything he has learned. Books like this are worth their weight in gold.
Producer's Point of View
I've published 3 DVDs, 3 e-books, 1 packet trick and 5 instant download videos over the years. Without having read this book, I followed some of the procedures taught in the book just by happenstance. At the same time, I can also see places where I made mistakes that I may not have made had I read the book. So, as a reviewer and as a guy who has brought some of his ideas to market, I see great value as well.
Final Thoughts
If you have a magic product that you want to bring to market then you must buy, read, study, digest and apply this book. However - and this is a big fat HOWEVER, keep this in mind: if you've read my reviews, you know that I believe that there is a cubic butt-ton of crap on the market in our world, and the last thing we need is a bunch of crap ideas making their way to market because they read this book. My hope is that if you follow the book, the crap will get weeded out along the way, but I can't say for sure. So I should add a caveat to the above sentence . . . if you have a magic product THAT DOES NOT SUCK that you want to bring to market then you must buy, read, study, digest and apply this book.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM
(Top ▲)
I guess my first dilemma is: “Who is going to buy this?” Most magicians probably won't, and that's who I'm usually writing for. Most magicians buy products because they don't want to develop, and certainly not market, their own products. If you're one of those, you may want to skip to the end of this review for a side-note.
So I guess it's meant for that breed of guys and gals that have bought into the notion that every “new” idea they come up with should be sold. If you've ready any of my previous review (I know, there are a lot), you'll know that this sort of thing really makes me crabby. Sure, there's a lot of new and upcoming talent out there. Some of them are even working. But why would they be so eager to sell their creations for a couple $K. Why not work them for a decade and make 100 times that in gig fees?
Let me step off of my soap box for a minute and try to review this book...
First of all, there's no question Maxwell Murphy knows what he's talking about in this area. He was one of the founders of Penguin Magic. Without question they are one of the highest-grossing magic dealers in the history of magic.
If you're reading this review, you're probably informed enough to know that Penguin has had some “reputation problems” in the magic community. I'm not going to go into it here. But I will say that the first chapter of the book, “Magic is Different,” really goes into detail about the mistakes they made and the lessons to be learned from them.
Back to the book...
It's a very broad book, but not particularly deep. The author really covers all of the bases. And some of them are covered in some detail. But there are a lot of details missing, as well. With a book of 225 pages and small format, you can't really cover everything. You'll probably need to do some additional research on your own.
However, the book really does cover everything you need to be thinking about and what options are available to you in terms of manufacturing, marketing, advertising, sales and distribution.
If you're serious about putting your material on the market, there's no doubt in my mind that you should own this book.
Side-note to “regular” magicians
I wish this book were a bit cheaper because I would recommend it to every magician that spends more than $100 a year on magic. If nothing else, it will open your eyes to how this market works and what you need to be looking out for when researching and purchasing magic.