i did my first magic show at 13, and for only a 30 minute show, i got paid $40! that's more than a dolar a minute. for a 13 year old in the 8th grade, that's REALLY good. if any1 needs help getting noticed/hired for a show as a teen i will be more than happy to answer any of your questions. i cna help with wat tricks to do, advertising, how to start, ect... lemme know if you have any questions

how many shows have you done? From your post it seems that you have only done one show and are now trying to give others advise.

$40 for 30 minutes is not worth the effort. I would be embarrassed to admit making that little. I think Glamourboy was right, how can you even think oof giving advice after one show.

first, you did not make even close to $1 a minute. Your show consists of the show itself including all patter and choreography (movements) plus rehearsal time (1 hour for every minute of the show,) plus practice time (one hour for every minute of the tricks,) plus time to write the bloody thing. The MINIMUM I( do a show for is $150.

I have a "charity rate" that I charge when asked if I will do a show "for publicity." I explain that "the only thing a free show gets is publicity for more free shows, but I will discount my rate to $200 for the show."

Paddy

How many weeks/months/years have you been into magic? Divide $40 into that and you'll have an idea of the real amount you made. Have you bought books, DVDs, cards, or props? Factor that in and you'll see how much you *lost* doing that $40 show.

If you treat it like a hobby that you sometimes make a little money, that's fine if that's what you want. $40 for a first show isn't as bad as it sounds. Just keep it up and eventually you'll get there. But in the mean time, don't even imagine that you're ready to give advice to others... yet.

Feel free to relate your experience here. I'm sure you're excited about it. We'd love to hear it.

I'm very curious...what advice would you give?

That's the key part man. I'm glad you had a good experience but Paddy is right. Keep working on your show, keep raising your prices. Someday maybe you'll get there.

Ok guys, let's take it easy on him, he's only 13 right?

I would also like to bring up one other point. The original poster stated that he could help others get noticed as a teen performer.
It doesn’t matter how old you are in referring to get booked for a gig the same strategy should be in place. You need to be the best you can and you need to have the right marketing strategy.

At 40 dollars I would have lost money on the show. There is gas, wear and tear on the props, and marketing expenses.

wow....mercy...one show, and we have an advertising expert...

That's his marketing strategy. Undercut the crap out of all the other performers. Yes you get shows that way, you just don't get repeat customers or referrals.

Paddy, he's 13. I'm sure he doesn't have a marketing stategy. Yes, he is poluting the market. He might not even know what that means. He will learn. Obviously you are right about repeat customers and referrals. Low price won't help at all with that!!

Magician178

If you are going to start performing for money you need to think very carefully about how you present yourself. You should try and put your best foot forward in everything that you do.

A good start would be to type carefully and capitalize letters where necessary. That way if you are ever in the position to start thinking about contracts you wont come across as a sloppy kid. Little things like that make a big difference in how people perceive you.

Ted

I do shows around Georgia (thought they have been REALLY slow lately) and don't know very much at all about advertising. I charge DEPENDING on the show.

I love doing shows, and I charged a similar price for my first one, and was SO happy to get paid that much.

I have done MANY more shows since then, of all kinds, and I can say that you shouldn't undercharge yourself, but do charge a fair rate. I charge what I think they can afford.

I plan to make a living off of magic, I do, so I figure all the time I have spent doing it and all the money I have spent on props is all going towards my future. I figure if I can make a little return now and then it works out great!

So... Yeah. It is certainly exciting, and I am happy for you that it went well. But try and hold off a little while, make mistakes, learn from them, and THEN give advice.

All the best.

Good point, Ted.

I was thinking the same when reading the TS's original post. Spelling and caps are very important when marketing yourself with the written word.

Amen! Especially, if you are out to make a name for yourself. Try not to look at the short end of things (the here and now) and instead look at it for the long haul and the image you want to create for yourself. If magic is something you are truly interested in, and something you see yourself doing 5 years from now, then be sure to promote yourself properly and make sure that you are thoroughly prepared for every gig you accept.

Being a youth magician is NOT easy, but it is doable. However, it takes a lot of hard work so if this is something you really want just be sure you are prepared to take on a daunting task and have a support system ready.