MagicGizmo

Let us assume that you have a meritorious act and that you now seek the ways and means of putting it on a paying basis. I hope that I have not assumed too much. Remember that all the advertising in the world will not help you as much as a good act will. Make sure that you have the goods to deliver, then go ahead.

The first thing to do is to get some literature printed. You will need a letterhead, envelopes, and a folder or two. A business card neatly printed is also a necessity. It is false economy to try and save on your printing. Go to the best printer in your town and tell him your wants. Tell him that you are going to cater to high class clubs and social organizations. Ask him to fix you up with a neat letterhead that will give dignity to your correspondence.

Do not use your letterhead for a sign board. Professionals have in the past littered up their letterhead with disgraceful "junk." Your name and address together with some simple title such as "Magician" or "Magical Entertainer" is all that is necessary. The simpler the better. Gaudy colors, fancy designs, and photographs are decidedly out of place on a letterhead. I know that a large number of performers use just such letterheads, but that does not make it right. They were in style ten years ago, but today simplicity means dignity.

A sloppy letterhead suggests a sloppy performance, while a neat, clean cut classy letterhead suggests an up-to-the-minute performer. Make your letterhead give the right impression. It is the first thing that many of your prospective customers will see, and remember that first impression counts! A good quality bond paper, white in color, is to be preferred to tinted and coated paper. Your printer will cooperate with you if you take him into your confidence and tell him just what you want.

Now as to the folder that advertises your act. Here, too, care must be taken to suggest dignity. The exact wording must be very carefully worked out. It is not easy to do this, and saying the wrong thing will spoil the entire folder. If you lack talent in this line, get an advertising man to fix it up for you. He need not be a magician or know anything about magic. Tell him what you do and he will fix you up. It will pay you in the end.

However, if you decide to write your own folder, here are a few suggestions. Be careful not to boast of your ability in your literature. It is better to have your clients surprised and pleased than to expect too much and be disappointed. You are not the "greatest" or the "best" in the world, so do not try to convey that impression. You might say instead that you have been very successful in the past, and that you feel fully capable of presenting a pleasing act that will make good.

Feature in your folder the great flexibility of magic. It is suited for all types and kinds of entertainments. Tell them that your program can be varied to fit the time and place and that everyone always enjoys mystery. Do not try and say too much. Long circulars are seldom read. Make it easy for the people to read your literature. Clear type properly spaced is a great aid to easy reading. Make it easy for people to reach you and engage you.

When discussing a prospective entertainment, don't be too fussy and particular and insist that certain details be arranged to suit you. When discussing such matters be diplomatic. Help your client to arrange his program for example, and in this way you can place yourself in the location you choose. See that your name and address appears plainly on your literature so that it does not have to be searched for. The mention of your name once or twice in the body of your circulars and folders will help people to remember your name.

Your literature must be worded so that it will appeal to all classes of people. If you feature the fact that you cater to club entertainments, then church people who read your literature will not think your act is suited to their particular entertainment needs. If you say too much about performing for smokers, you will not be regarded as suitable to entertain at a dance. The cleverest literature is that which makes the person who reads it, regardless of who he is, believe that you are catering to just the kind of an entertainment that he is interested in.

Remember people like to laugh. Let your literature show that you are not a sour performer. On the other hand, do not for the moment suggest that you specialize in low comedy. Tell them with suggestive words like "jovial," "humorous," and "merry" how much your act is generally enjoyed. Try and make your literature interesting. That is the secret of making it readable. Advertising men, even those who know nothing about magic, are used to writing things that appeal. They know the human mind, and know its weaknesses. These men can write good literature for you, if you will explain to them, just as I have attempted to explain to you, what style literature a magician requires. Your printer, too, is a man who will help you just as I suggested he could help with the letterheads.

The last item of printed matter is the business card. A neat attractive card that will be kept is most desired. Do not give yourself any high-sounding titles on your card. Remember what I have said about simplicity. Do not put too much on your card. Your printer has samples of professional men's cards that he will be glad to show you. Copy their style, and you won't go wrong.

Study the mechanical make-up of letters you receive. Notice how they are spaced, the general arrangement on the paper, the style of address and how they are closed. Your letter must be pleasing in appearance to be readable. Watch out for mistakes in grammar and spelling. If your letters appear carelessly written, people are liable to assume that your work will be careless also. Be sure that appearances are kept up at any cost.

Your letter should be brief and to the point. Do not attempt to tell your whole life story in a single letter. A simple letter enclosing a card or folder for future reference will be much more effective for your purpose than a two or three page letter saying what you can do and what you have done. Your letter should suggest that you expect an answer so as to make it an easy excuse to write again. Your second letter can express surprise at not receiving a reply to your first, and in this way you can keep Yourself constantly before the minds of those to whom you have written.

Several short letters are more effective than one long letter. If you write soliciting an engagement at some particular entertainment that has already been announced, mention that you are available at that particular date, and that you will hold it for them until you hear from them. Mention also in a letter of this kind that you believe your act is ideally suited for just their kind of entertainment. You must be aggressive if you want business, but remember that you never should attempt to force yourself on to people or pester them until you become a nuisance.

Construct sample letters suitable for a number of different occasions, each which its own style. The closing sentence of each letter should be a question such as "May I call upon you and discuss this in person?". Once you get a reply half the battle is won. The closing question urges an answer. If none is received you then have a very good excuse to write another. You can easily compose your own letters and remember to use liberal spacing and see how easy they are to read.

Before leaving this subject of literature, I want to say something about the use of testimonials from people and organizations for whom you have previously performed. Personally, I am opposed to their use. People know that it is very easy to secure testimonials, and that testimonial writers rave over the ability of a person without due cause. No one wants to read the exaggerated opinions that others hold of you. Use instead a simple list of people or organizations for whom you have already performed. Make it as select a list as you can.

Aim at quality and not a long list of unheard of names. Then your prospective clients will think to themselves that if you have successfully entertained those people, you will be successful at their particular entertainment also. That is just what you want. If some one writes a testimonial saying that you are the best performer that they have ever seen and then you should get an engagement on the strength of it and the people for whom you are performing do not think you are the "best" ever, then they will be disappointed. There is nothing worse than a disappointed audience. Don't talk too much about yourself. If you deliver the goods, the others will do the talking for you. Try at all times to surprise them. They will enjoy your act the more if you do.