Alright, here’s one thing that isn’t like the old days when this place got started. Reader Mail on a Sunday when there’s supposed to be a big post, instead of on a Wednesday. Well, here’s something you may not have realized. The old schedule is as dead as Zed, baby. But we are trying to get you lots more content for now to make up for the Editor’s complete dropping of all slack for most of last year. Drew or Franklin or somebody will have some real magic content that isn’t so meta for you soon.

Anyway…

Over the past week, myself and Marty had an excellent conversation.

Yes, I know. I’m sucking Marty off again. It’s okay, he tastes great.

The point is, this conversation was enlightening even to me, so I can only imagine the depths it will bring to your shallow and feeble mind; crawling as it does up to the steps of this website and pleading weakly with its last gasps of air for a speck of insight to feast upon. So, here it is.

First, we had an exchange regarding a 25 dollar gift card for a non-Ellusionist store for a quality comment. This reply from the Editor to his thanks followed:

You’re very welcome. Prize winners can win prizes repeat times, we should note. However, if we start getting loads of amazing comments, we may have to tone down the rate at which we award prizes and heighten our standards.

Incidentally, Drew replied! Thanks again for the comment.

To which Marty then said:

Thanks again. I replied to the reply! I hope this, in a small way, encourages others to comment on your posts. I really do enjoy the material you all publish. We need more high-quality magic blogs; almost all the ones I used to read (All Magic, Online Visions) have disappeared or gone dark. Too often, blogs written by magicians are too focused on selling things (or services) rather than sharing ideas.

Then I myself, Jerry, chimed in!

Well, we certainly plan to sell things and services, but our marketing plan to get our name out there while remaining pseudonymous is simply just to post a whole load of good stuff first. So it’s complicated, I guess. 🤪 

Marty replies (Just a couple more after this one.):

Oh, no. You provide meaningful value in your newsletter and posts. I was referring to other people and producers in the magic community. There’s nothing wrong with selling products and services. However, I think it’s a problem when magicians and companies don’t give anything back to the magic community, especially when most tricks are based on someone else’s ideas. There needs to be a balance.

Most of the other magic newsletters that land in my inbox are very transactional. Yours aren’t.

To which I sez:

The funny thing is, people might wonder why we’ve spent so long doing so much expensive bullshit before even hinting at releasing a product people could spend money on.

The facts of the matter are this:

We didn’t want to sell something that was merely as good or worse than the stuff we’d already put out, even if it was a physical product; and we wanted to sell something considerably better, at that.

So it took us a long time, but now thanks to you we have an idea for a third worthy product along with the other two we’re working on (one a pipe dream, the [redacted] Book Test; and one the [redacted] Deck, very practical and coming soon) and the Brian Brushwood collaboration on [redacted].

To which Marty sez… (I promise this is the end now.)

This conversation also connects back to a longer post I never wrote. But I did pen a (admittedly terrible) poem inspired by the magic marketplace and T.S. Eliot: https://www.ruseletter.com/p/the-hollow-magicians

Hope you enjoyed this peek at a meeting of great minds. Myself and the Editor’s minds that is, with Marty’s. (I jest, he’s great.)

‘Til next time then. When, unless Franklin manages to stop me, I will be posting something unrelated to magic! Something more relevant to day-to-day life. Beware.