“Explains how to use a magician’s tricks to make better, more winning presentations . . . This thoughtful and charming guide should win a crowd of readers.” —Publishers Weekly When you strip away the sleight of hand tricks, magicians are essentially masters of attracting and holding attention and impressing audiences, exactly the psychological secrets you need to be successful in life and business. In this book, Steve Cohen, master magician and star of the long-running Chamber Magic show in New York City, reveals the secrets of all great showmen and magicians—how to persuade, influence, and charm—and how you too can use them to accomplish the things you’ve always wanted to do. Discover how to take over a room, read people, and build anticipation to a feverish pitch so people can’t wait to hear what you have to say. Win the Crowd will teach you: How to Create a Magic Moment: Capturing people’s imaginations and attention so they listen carefully to every word How to Command a Room: Showing everyone in the room that you are speaking right to them, making them all feel unique—and completely focused on you How to Read People: Learning to sense what people are feeling and thinking as you speak, what they want from you, and how to make them feel like they are getting it Misdirection: The most important trick in all of magic—getting inside people’s heads, and directing what they are thinking at every minute

Are you ready for some magic? There are solo magicians today who are making over $20,000 per performance, while those in the big leagues routinely bring in over $20 million a year. How did they get there and what are the keys to their success? What skills and techniques do they possess and deploy that can be easily adapted for your own personal use? In this book, you will learn of the key attitudes and practices that propel their success, as well as the path they have paved for other magicians and performers hoping to gain an entry into this competitive yet lucrative industry. We look at the magic industry through the lens of two of its most celebrated performers, Penn and Teller, who are not just as magicians and entertainers, but smart entrepreneurs running a global entertainment business. In parallel, we look at how the field of modern magic has evolved since its inception, what the outlook is for its future in our global, interconnected, always-on economy. We consider the successful careers of legendary magicians like Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Harry Houdini, Dai Vernon, Doug Henning, and others, and how they have shaped the growing magic industry and made it a force to be reckoned with. Through shows like Penn and Teller Fool Us, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, and The World’s Best, and through social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube, contemporary magicians have an unprecedented opportunity to make themselves known to a global audience. The success secrets followed by the likes of Penn and Teller, David Copperfield, David Blaine, Criss Angel, and newer stars like Shin Lim, Dynamo, and Ryan Hayashi, both as professional magicians and business owners, can be applied by entrepreneurs, business people and self starters everywhere who want to make a mark in their careers. Through constant efforts at design, experimentation, prototyping, and field testing with peers and live audiences, these performers have been fine tuning their craft for decades. With their passion, perseverance, commitment, and unique and creative ways of identifying and solving problems, these trailblazers show the way for a better - and more magical future. In this book, you will not only learn how these stars successfully overcame their challenges, but also how YOU can transform your approach to magic and business. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MAGICAL A modern synthesis of magic that every conjurer should keep in their knowledge bag of tricks. - Ryan Hayashi, International Stage Magician, Motivational Speaker, Samurai Entertainer, and Winner of the FU Trophy, Penn & Teller Fool Us. Entertaining, fast-paced, and full of ideas that will challenge your assumptions and beliefs about magic, and it's connections to popular culture and business. - Laura Vanderkam, Bestselling Author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast and Off The Clock. A rollicking ride into the business of magic. The connections to innovation, creativity, persistence and service excellence are engaging and insightful. Every entrepreneur should own a copy. - Michael McGetrick, Founder and CEO, Spark 451.

In an alternate version of present-day Manhattan, magic is dying. To save her future, a magical thief must travel back in time to 1902 New York City to steal a mysterious book before it disappears into history.

This brilliant novel of new money and old manners introduces the Cole brothers, charismatic country boys with more money than God. The quiet center of the story is Mike Teague, the Coles' advisor, who knows all the family's secrets.

If you market a product, service, or idea in any business, industry or organization, you must read Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs, a guide to understanding and meeting the needs of consumers, whether or not they make those needs clear. An easy-to-follow six-step process developed over the past 15 years can help you address unsolved problems, recognize buyer personas, quantify impact and create breakthrough experiences. Stop wasting time by guessing what your market needs and start understanding consumer desire.