What a great thread....
Please, magicguy, head the advice given here, especially the long ones give early on....Peter M. is very correct as well, and as usual.
I did shows for free for 5 years before I ever charged a dime. Even after that I charged VERY LITTLE, basically gas money and for new small props, to get there. And I even feel now like I should'nt have charged then, even though people said I was "good".
Magic is an ancient art form, and any art only becomes that once you have mastered it....and what's great about art is the fact that you never will!
I am considered a "living master" when it comes to oil painting. I studied drawing and painting my entire life, went to college for it, and one of my professors once said "no school or teacher will MAKE you become a master, you have to achieve it on your own, and for yourself."
People pay me thousands for a painting that I honestly am not that happy with. In fact, my magic business, since going full time, has taken me completely away from painting. Some of my closer friends have been kind enought to be honest and tell me they wish I still painted. When I am a little more satisfied with my business going as well as it should I will be more than happy to paint again.
This is my point. Get over the greed for making a few hundred here or there. Get over the "easy money" fantasy. Do it for the passion you have for the art form, do it for the love of entertaining people and making them smile.
Please don't make it hard for someone like me to book shows. I not only went to school to paint, but also studied the theatrical arts intensely, as well as folklore and english, just so I could also be an actor that could do everthing from Woody Allen to Shakespeare. On top of that, I've been doing magic since I was ten. I also have marketing and sales training from the art world that I've earned the hard way over 10 years and apply to my magic business.
By the way, I've invest thousands of hours and dollars into getting my business off the ground. I work over 65 hours a week, this week I worked all week and topped 70 hours. Just so you know what us full timers go through....
It's not easy to master this craft, if you consider it to be one. At the same time, it is EXTREMELY fun!(Of course, by the sound of this post, you probably think it's not! After all the hard work, I HAVE FUN! That's why I got into this in the first place....that and the panic attacks I had at my stressed out radio sales job that made me wake up and realize I needed to do something that brought me more joy and less stress. The hours I put in fly by!)
The "fun" and the money is probably what your attracted to.
Be attracted to the other....
Just a thought.....
Chris

P.S. Magicguy...
I'm not saying "don't do it", I'm saying.....do your work first, you'll reap great rewards later!
Applause is all the payment you need when you're starting out!
Good luck!
Chris

You have a wonderful opportunity oh Mighty Fool! You have a budget ... $600. Book a friend or colleague to do the show part of the gig. Make sure the event is a success on your part.

Kevin

Mighty Fool,

Kevin has the right idea - Just what I've just done. I was booked to give a show for 50-odd children and they wanted stage and close-up. Now, after 5 years of successfull resteraunt and corporate work, I had the close-up down pat, but the show was a whole different deal. So...with only a couple of weeks, I realistically looked into the time and effort I have had to put in to make my close-up work worth what it is today....and promptly called in a friend who specialises in stage work for kids. We split the bill. The client is extremely happy (2 for the price of one - and both excellent) and we walk away with about 3 bookings a peice.

Winners all round.

Don't make the mistake of throwing it together in 2 weeks, unless you ar 100% confident in your ability to sell the stage work (which it doesn't sound like you are)

On the flip side, I am now scouring the forum here for any information to help me start working on my own stage/party routines, as my audiences seem to get larger...and I start to recieve more requests for this kind of work. (plus, Kids are so much more 'switched on' than most of the corporate clientelle! They make it more of a challange - and I love that)

Mat

Well.....the show came & I'm still here. Turns out there was no real 'stage' to speak of, it was a rented park area complete with bouncy castles, a petting farm, pony rides, even a little carousel, and there were 6 other entertainers there besides me, and they were dismayed when they learned that the 'plan' was for us simply to meander about doing whatever whenever. A lot of the effects & props I'd just invested in were designed for stage, but they went over fine, and I have to give BIG kudos to that Silly-Billy book!!

Magicguy
It's not the tricks, it's what you do with them and how you related to your audience. Videos and how tos won't make you a magician over night. It takes time and practice and knowing how to put an act together. It takes work and that is the first thing you must do.
I've been involed in magic for over 30 years and I am still learning and making mistakes.
Walk before you run!

Well, I've spent more money than I've ever made with magic, so I may not be the best one to make recommendations. One of the biggest revelations for me to learn about magic over the years is the ability to sort between the crummy/overcomplicated tricks and great tricks that people will actually enjoy.

All the guys at my magic shop and magic club try to do all the crazy sleights and manipulation. I learned tons of different sleights and moves, but I always felt uncomfortable performing them in front of people, and I spent a lot of time being more self-conscious about doing the moves and never really connected with the audience. And the audience would always spend more time trying to figure out how it was done rather than actually enjoying the performance.

I've been changing my direction toward using more substantial props and spending more of my energy trying to have some fun and entertain rather than acting like 'hey look what I can do!'.

Anyway, I think having some discernment for selecting the best tricks may be one of the more important factors. There are some pretty awesome self-working props and tricks out there. It just seems like the hard part is sorting through all the crud (like the 500 different variations of 'pen through whatever') and getting something that will really make a memory. It may take research, trial-and-error, or you may just 'luck out' and find something fantastic.

Mike

I know I am ready to perform a new trick when I can do it as if I am showing and telling them something that I have known all my life. It's like giving someone a tour of the prop and I have all the gags and slights so well mastered, it's almost second nature. I must learn each routine and prop so well, that I feel comfortable doing it in all conditions. Only then, will it make it in my show. I have tried to show my family a new prop or routine after some time with that new piece and I normally find myself stumbling and bumbling and possibly even forgetting something. I need to learn how the universe affects my stuff before I can charge money to demonstrate them....which is exactly what I do when I perform..I am merely demonstrating something I have done ALOT and then I can concentrate on the entertainment portion during performance. If you have not rehearsed with a prop or routine to that point, you are not ready to perform for money. To reach success, you cannot take the elevator, you MUST take the stairs.

I say get your show ready and practice hard and only charge what you think your show is worth not what you want to get out of it. Because if you charge too much people want do it again or reccomend you to anybody. But if you charge little money they'll think that was pretty good for the price!!!

They're a lot of other ways to make money after your shows get goody bags ready and sell them for 2.00 a kid. You can think of other ways if not I have tons pm or email me!!! Good luck

Ok, SO I may not have prepared to do the show, BUT, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night..