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Benmorrisrains New user 70 Posts |
Hi ,
Incase you all don't know me, my name is Ben Morris-Rains. I am 29 years old and have been involved in magic in some form since I was around 10. I am not like most magicians who were raised on the internet, as I never really turned to DVD’s or downloadable instruction; sure, I have a few DVD’s and some downloads, but majority of my money went to books, and it still does today. One of my favorite books is The Collected Almanac by Richard Kaufman. I loved the idea of having different tricks and ideas from a ton of different collaborators all in one tomb. Of course, The Collected Almanac was not the first magic magazine featuring effects from a variety of creators. Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne, The Jynx, The Phoenix, etc. all paved this path for what was to come (like Antimony) and what I am trying to accomplish today. With Magic magazine publishing its last issue’s, I wondered if something would take its place? There are quite a few magic magazines out there, but not many devoted just to tricks, sleights, theory, performance, and the business side of magic. I am setting out to create a magazine that is trick heavy, with a bit of theory, performance, or business added in. I am not out to feature a magician or write in detail about the history of magic (Genii and other magazines do that perfectly). I wanted to present a collection of great tricks at the cost of or less than a video download. I also wanted them to be published in a very exclusive and almost elusive media format: the written word. Enchanter is the name I settled on. Enchanter will not be in digital format, EVER (minus the sample). It will remain exclusively printed. You can not replicate the feeling of having a real magazine or book in your hands, nor can you conjure the excitement of getting a new magazine in the mail every month with 6-10 new magic tricks you can practice, perform, and even add to your act. Magic now is very different than when I was a teenager. I am surprised to see the sheer amount of one off tricks, downloads, and dvd’s being sold and bought every single day. One of my goals is to provide an avenue for those who have their own material that is not considered “marketable” by the bigger magic production companies. Hard and easy sleights are welcomed and wanted here. Ideas and tricks based on old principles that might not be "magician foolers" are also welcomed here. Opinion pieces are welcomed here. Anything to make us think and grow, not only as magicians, but as people is welcomed in Enchanter. Enchanter will be a once monthly publication and will run at about $80-90 per year with shipping included in that figure. That is a preliminary estimate and will change based on subscribers and advertising. The more subscribers, the cheaper the cost of printing. With at least 50 subscribers the cost goes down to $78, which is a very attainable goal. So with all that said (and I hope you are still with me), there is one thing missing right now: YOU! In order to publish a magic magazine full of tricks I have to have material to put in the magazine. I am aiming for 6-10 tricks per issue and I would like to have at least 3 months of the magazine done so I can be ahead of the game at all times. If there is ANYTHING you would wish to contribute, I would greatly appreciate it, whether it be a trick, a new sleight, a variation, an opinion piece, an essay on theory, or an essay on the business side of magic, it would be much appreciated. This material isn’t going to be published anywhere else besides Enchanter. You are free to submit something already published if allowed (maybe something people overlooked), and after it is published in Enchanter you are free to publish it anywhere but another magazine. So if you would like to put the trick in a book of your own, you can do what you want, I just ask that is is not published in another magic magazine. A short video is preferred but a written description will work. ***If you are interested in submitting and want to see a sample, please email [email] submit@enchantermagazine.com [/email] I appreciate your time, your submission, and your magic. Thank you so much, Ben Morris-Rains http://www.enchantermagazine.com http://www.modernconjurer.com |
The Duster Inner circle 1693 Posts |
I’ve had some history with publishing
Unfortunately what you plan is unlikely to succeed BUT I hope it does and wish you a lot of luck There is a reason magazines are dying off, and many of those were only a few years ago thought to be untouchable Can I [humbly] suggest you use the magic café for some market research, you say that you prefer to read about tricks and not watch a DVD/DL – are there enough of ‘you’ out there to make this viable [?] I hate PDF/eBooks – and always print them off to read But I much rather have a video tutorial – because I don’t trust myself to understand the written word. The whole a ‘moving’ picture is worth a thousand words. If you have a market, then you need to think about what you are offering contributors. As I doubt you can pay them… or if you can, not enough. So they get sales from being featured. This is again where digital print wins. As readers can click and go to the inventers website. Finally advertising. It’s what actually pays for editorial. Alas you can’t offer them enough readers, and again digital wins hand down [in return and trackable results] for advertisers I would suggest…. Again what do I know about magic/magicians…. I would suggest you either: Work on putting a book together, try to work with as many inventers as you can. Curate a book of tricks. Give it a cool name. Do it that way. Or make it between a book and a magazine – and call it xxx book of Magic 1 – and bring out 2 or 3 of them a year Nothing to do with your idea, just in general, bringing out a monthly magazine is such a bad idea. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Anyway, I wish you luck |
The Duster Inner circle 1693 Posts |
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On Nov 29, 2016, Benmorrisrains wrote: Ha, you didn't just do that did you? You say you are bringing it out in written word - as you don't like video/DL ... then ask for video of tricks from contributors I know why And that's exactly why video/DL has killed much of published magic effects It's so much easier to understand video whoops |
Benmorrisrains New user 70 Posts |
Alright, I am going to answer these, but out of order:
I think asking for a visual representation of a trick for a write up is different than charging someone $10 for a single video download of that trick. It would be like requesting photographs before video cameras were readily accessible. If it helps the write-up, then so be it. I understand your points and I get that we are in the digital age. I have put out ebooks that ended up on piracy websites. I understand that video is taking over. Why do college's still require text-books? I get that now a lot of people use digital text's, but compared to its tangible counterpart, it falls short in absorption and comprehension. Video might be easier and a more exciting media for some, and that is great. Again, I am not marketing towards that person and apparently not towards you since you stated books aren't your favorite form of learning. For me, a book allows me to interpret what the author wrote my own way. Maybe my sleight looks different than his, but if it works and still accomplishes the goal, then so be it. Why do we want a million clones of other magicians doing the same exact thing? No, I can not pay them, nor was I intending on it. One of my goals is to allow a platform for unknown and known magicians who have good ideas (that aren't marketable) to get their work published. Magic production companies today will not for the most part market something with sleight of hand (or with written instructions). Laziness has led to this want and need for the latest gimmick and hoping that the prop will do everything for us, you know, because real magic exists. I'm trying to not sound like an ass hole, but if you don't like sleight of hand or reading, then I guess this just isn't for you! This is an experiment and it may not take off at all, but I thought I would at least give it a try. Besides being a bit condescending (mm love that warm feeling the folks here at the Café give me), you have some good ideas and a more comprehensive volume might end up being a better idea, but time will tell. Without submissions there isn't anything I can do. I have always taken risks my entire life and this is no different. Luckily it is a low start-up. Again, I look forward to any submissions. -Ben |
The Duster Inner circle 1693 Posts |
Just to be clear - or needlessly repeat myself
I spent many years in publishing [writing for national publications] So, I would love your project to work I would love it to be a success Just thought I should state that, as sometimes my giving 'uncalled for' [mostly unhelpful] advice may make it seem like I was hoping for failure I hope that wasn't the case this time Anyway, best of luck If I think of an angle/interest - maybe I will send you an article one day in the future |
Richard Kaufman Inner circle 2532 Posts |
Genii already has 6 to 10 tricks in each issue and a subscription for 12 issues (printed) is $58; digital is only $35. We also make all 79 years of Genii, with thousands of tricks, available for FREE to all our subscribers online.
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fireisyummy Loyal user 206 Posts |
I wish you much success. I love Genii but the death of magic magazine still leaves a gaping hole in magic literature.
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BCE Loyal user 280 Posts |
1. Please reconsider the name. I know you already decided, but "Enchanter" sounds too much like "Enchanted" -- and if Disney lawyers also think it sounds too much "Enchanted," you could be getting a friendly c&d asking you to change it.
2. Please consider the zine (shorthand for 'fanzine') route in lieu of more mainstream distribution. I would routinely get my zine fix at Tower Records before it closed -- many brick-and-mortar record stores still sell zines, including non-music-related -- and some Towers did in fact carry Magic and Kaufman-era Genii alongside the Flipsides, the MRR's, and the Village Voices. You don't *have* to have the circulation of Genii -- you could easily have a circulation of 200 to 300, at most, skip subscriptions entirely, and sell them at a cover price of $10-$20 each. That's basically what a lot of "limited release" are already doing online. Why not just do the same thing for hard copy? Cuts down the expense, cuts down the expectation, and you create a collector's item in the process. So, yes, while many *mainstream* magazines have gone bye-bye, it has never been a better time for doing a *non-mainstream* zines with low circulation. Generally speaking, nobody except for Netflix likes "subscriptions" anymore. Abolish the word from your vocabulary. 4. Set aside a few review copies to send to Genii, M-U-M, The Linking Ring to review alongside the books. It absolutely amazes me that recent magic-related periodicals didn't even bother sending review copies to any of them. (There are people outside of the Café.) 5. For market research, don't rely on the Café (it's a terribly skewed view of things). A more well-rounded approach would be to post links Survey Monkey survey on Craigslist sites around the world. Everybody likes Survey Monkey surveys -- they're free, they're anonymous, they're convenient. 6. Watch David Corsaro's Penguin lecture -- a lot of what he covered, vis a vis marketing, dovetails with your plans. |
Benmorrisrains New user 70 Posts |
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On Dec 4, 2016, BCE wrote: BCE thank you I will take this all into consideration. I appreciate all comments both positive and negative. I have been getting a few emails about samples but I haven't seen much in way of material so that is going to be the main first hurdle. Thank you again. |
necro555 Veteran user 335 Posts |
A new magazine in printed form will be quite the challenge, but I wish you all the best with this endeavour.
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fireisyummy Loyal user 206 Posts |
Any news? Its been a while since we last heard anything.
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