ARTICLES
Making Money With Magic
By
Irv Cook
Daytona Magic has been in existence now since 1966. Harry has been my partner since 1976. He did work for me for ten years prior. We have been successful in the magic business only because we work at it twenty-four seven. One of us seems to always be doing something for the business. As I write this article it is Sunday afternoon and I am home. Harry works conventions and lectures sometimes seven days a week. Don't get me wrong, we take time off to be with our families and have fun, but the shop is never far from our minds.
So, you want to make money-doing magic. There are lots of ways. Performing, selling magic (dealer), inventing, teaching, even being an idiot and telling magic secrets on TV. I strongly do not recommend the last because most magicians I have met, have good ethics and wouldn't do such a thing. Let's examine each of the other aspects of magic briefly.
Performer: If you become a magic professional performer (you get paid) there are many avenues open to you. Birthday parties, clowning, local clubs, the school circuit, trade shows TV and the big time. Many of my friends in magic have made the big time and are now working full time in such exotic places as Las Vegas. I know quite a few performers who make big money doing trade shows. I worked the school circuit for a few years and did very well. Safety and anti-drug shows are big with educators. We have a few local magicians who pull in four or five hundred dollars a week doing party shows. In my area that is pretty good wages. They work hard at getting bookings. They always have fresh material. They are never offensive with their audience. The kiddie shows can make you a lot of bucks.
Magic Dealer: There are basically two kinds of successful retail magic dealers. There are the shops like mine. We retail, wholesale, manufacture and work very long hours and very hard. There are home dealers, however only about one in a hundred are successful. They work conventions and a few have managed to create small mail order companies. I don't know anyone in the home dealer category that I would consider wealthy, but a few of them make very good livings. Many home dealers still need their jobs and run their business part time.
Inventor: You can be an inventor of magic. Most of the magic that is out there today is the resurrection of items and principles that have been around for a long time. There are some totally new items around that are mostly invented by talented magic dealers. People invent things on their own but usually do not know how to market the items and a dealer usually helps them. Unfortunately there is a lot of "ripping off" in the magic business. I used to get mad when someone would steal one of my tricks, but now I'm too busy to bother. Many people claim things as their own that were marketed before they were born.
Teacher: I know a few people that make a lot of extra money by teaching magic in summer programs, schools and giving private lessons. There is a lot of money to be made here but few pursue this aspect of magic. I guess it is because most magicians don't want to tell their secrets. The most successful local teacher of magic (other than my partner Harry) I know, is Chad Long who does many lectures all over the world.
There are other ways to make money with your magic. You could get into the technical end of the business. I have a guy working for me that only makes coin and brass tricks. He is not really a magician, but he keeps busy making magic. Whatever field you go into, magic can be part of your life. I know dentists, doctors, lawyers, salesmen and teachers who use magic as part of their profession. Magic is a wonderful hobby. It is also a hobby that can pay for itself.
