I recently ordered, and received, Carroll Baker's "The Art of Teaching Magic Camps & Programs for Fun and Profit." I was able to purchase it on sale for $75, and I am not sure how much longer it is going on.

I had been trying to put together a magic class for years. It was one of those situations where I had done so much research, but I could not put all of it together. Carroll's book helped me pull it all together. He suggests ways to offer a magic class, a magic camp and some special programs and how to pivot those into other opportunities. This last aspect is very beneficial. Carroll is a full-time working pro in the Columbus, Ohio, area who does close-up magic in restaurants, magic shows and lectures, magic camps and magic lessons. He has found a way to build income and leverage existing opportunities.

Additionally, Carroll offers a bonus CD and a number of reports, all geared toward making you a better performer who is better paid.

For those of you who are concerned about the price (I believe it is $125; I got it for $75 on special), Carroll says you will make it back on your first booking. Let me tell you, he is correct. I took the information Carroll teaches in the chapters of his book, which are concise and to the point, and made an inquiry into a school official about how I might arrange such a class (mind you, this was not the sell, this was just tilling the soil, so to speak, getting ready for the pitch at a later time).

The conversation went well; the information was well-received; and less than a week later I get an email asking if I can perform a magic show at the school as part of the summer school program. That booking, and a purchase order is being requested right now, will more than pay for book, bonus CD and bonus reports, whether on sale or not. This also positions me to pivot to other opportunities, which Carroll outlines in the program.

The bonus CD allows you to print out sheets of the magic tricks you might want to teach during your lessons. The pages are in Microsoft Word format, and you can easily edit them to include your contact information. I should note these are the descriptions and the instructions to perform the tricks. While I am not sure if Carroll addresses this, it would be very easy to combine all of the separate tricks into one file, create a booklet, slap a cover on it, print it out at Staples and offer a customized booklet with the classes. If you wanted to, you could even customize each book for every participant.

Another helpful section in the book is what Carroll tells you not to teach. In music and in speech, the pauses add to it. Likewise, omitting some things from your lessons will make them better, and it could benefit some of the working magicians in your area.

One thing I might add, I was hoping Carroll would offer in his book a breakdown of what each lesson would look like. If they are 1 hour classes, I wanted to know what I should be doing for each minute of the lesson. This kind of detail is not in the book, however, when I sent a message to Carroll about this, he quickly responded and gave me some ideas of how to structure the class.

I know in this economy money is tight, but I am glad I decided to jump on Carroll's offer. I must say, I made the decision for a couple of reasons. 1) I have been working, unsuccessfully, to put together magic lessons, and 2) I personally know Carroll.

Carroll and I are casual acquaintances. It seems like every time I am at the Be Amazing Magic Shop in Columbus, Carroll is always there, whether buying decks of cards or bringing in a group of kids from his summer camps to buy some magic tricks and perform them on the mini-stage area in the back. We eventually struck up a conversation, which prompted me to write a story about him for the I.B.M. website (you can read the story here: http://www.magician.org/portal/node/1009 ). Additionally, unknowingly, Carroll, because he is a good magician and entertainer, landed me a gig 90 miles away (you can read about that here: https://www.magician.org/portal/en/node/1143 ).

But, let me tell you the kind of man Carroll is. He purchases his Bicycle decks from the magic shop to support a local business, even though he can get them cheaper at the big box mart. When other magicians lecture in the Columbus area, Carroll attends them when there is no conflict, and he purchases stuff. At a Michael Ammar lecture a couple of years ago, I saw him buying something, and I asked him why would a professional magician buy things he really did not need. Again, he wanted to support other magicians so they would keep on creating and teaching.

I know there is a lot to chew on here, but needless to say I am happy with the purchase. It has already landed me a gig, and I am certain there will be more coming. If you are interested in it, you can see Carroll's online shop here: http://www.carrollbaker.net/Carroll-Baker-Store.html

If you have any questions, you can contact Carroll. He is a member here, and he is on Facebook.

Thanks,

Bobby

The sale was to end on June 1st at midnight but due to a few special requests, I am carrying the sale date over to June 5th at midnight. This is your last chance at saving $50 off of the normal price.

Where on your site can the sale be found?

Eric send me either a direct message here or email me thru my site and ask for the program. I will send the discounted money request for $75 and after the payment hits, I ship priority mail to you (free shipping).

Thanks

Carroll Baker

http://www.carrollbaker.net

The sale was to end on June 1st at midnight but due to a few special requests, I am carrying the sale date over to June 5th at midnight. This is your last chance at saving $50 off of the normal price.

Send me an email or dir3ect message here with an email address to send the payment request to and I will even pay for the shipping.

carroll baker

showinfo@carrollbaker.net

Today is the last day to get the $75 sale price for the summer camp program.

Send a $75 payment to my pay pal email at showinfo@carrollbaker.net to lock in the price and I will even pay for the shipping.

Thanks!

Carroll Baker

I will be lowering the price of the workshop materials on starting your own magic camp to $100.00 later today. This is the lowest that it will be and will be the new permanent price.

If you have purchased one already, please submit your review for others to see.

Thanks for the support!

Sorry guys, that was a typo in my last post. it was meant to say that on my lecture tour, the lecture price will only be $100.00 I may be passing thru your area later this year so keep an eye out for me!

I would love to meet as many of you guys as I can while out on the road!

See ya!

Carroll Baker