About a week ago I decided to pick up Jamie’s book, “The Approach.” While is not cheap for a book, I thought Jamie had shared so much information for free over the years that it was a fair asking price.

I finished reading the book in 2 days and I think I can sum it up in one word…”Enthusiasm.”

Jamie’s enthusiasm and love of performing magic pours out of the pages of the book. When reading it, you can’t help but to be excited as well. There is TONS of valuable information packed inside. Some things I already knew but there were so many things I had NEVER thought of! There will probably be some things you disagree with…that’s ok. As Jamie says (I’m paraphrasing), “We’re all different.”

I put “The Approach” in my top 5 magic books I’ve read (please don’t ask me the other 4 right now). If you are a magician (close-up, stage, whatever), you should read this book. I’ve never met Jamie before but if we’re ever in the same place, I’m going to buy him a beer or 3 because 1) he seems like he’d be awesome to hang out with and 2) he deserves it for all he’s shared with the magic community, including this book.

This is the book that has got me to think differently about magic. Not only is Jamie's conversational tone easy to read, the information about magic performance and business is gold.

I place this up there with my love for Royal Road to Card Magic.

If you know a few good tricks that people like and think "I might want to perform for people" this is for you! Or if you are thinking "I want to perform for MORE people and get MORE gigs" this is also for you. Since reading I've been offered a bunch of great gigs and even had to turn some down.

If you have the book and have a question, shoot Jamie an e-mail! He really is the nicest guy in the industry and giving away all of his secrets.

I have booked 2 gigs and already completed one since getting this book and I have just scratched the surface! The ad copy is no lie. He really does cover every little detail. Most chapters are also really short. This way, if you have a question that pops up before getting to it while reading from beginning to end, you can look it up, jump ahead, read it really quick, and then go back to reading the book in traditional order. This seems like a small bit but it comes in handy when you are in the middle of starting a career but have not finished the book yet. For example, I was only on page 50 when I got my first paid gig lined up. I was able to skip ahead to the "getting ready for the first one," chapter to get some quick advice before I headed off to the gig. Little touches like that prove that from the very beginning Jamie intended to make a practical guide other magicians could use!

From this book I learned: 1. the vast effort required to become a paid magician and 2. that Jamie's approach is to facilitate social connections. Jamie shows how to develop rapport, to make people feel great, and to leave the audience more connected and friendly toward each other.

This book is the total package to becoming a working magician, starting from the inside of ones self. Before reading this great courageous book I had no clue on how to put all of my skills, talent and magic all together but now I know from the knowledge I have gained from this book that's virtually pointing in the right direction to take my mime and magic to an ultimate performance audience pleasing level.
Jamie D. Grant leaves no stone unturned giving what it seems like everything he has ever learned (tons of books, tons of performances, tons of life lessons) about becoming a great magician or better yet, a great entertainer. From the business/paperwork part to the how to introduce yourself to a group of spectators I can't think of anything that's not covered in here.
Overall, this book is a MUST HAVE FOR ANY MAGICIAN that simply wants help to Improve their life and magic show biz.

This book is amazing! I purchased a draft copy of this book at Magic Live from Jamie and have read it 3 times already and referenced chapters many times over. Invaluable advice from a working pro that will positively change your magic performance and business and simply make you AWESOME! Jamie's infectious passion for sharing and helping shines through in this book and every detail you can possibly imagine is discussed. BUY THIS NOW!!

This is a great book. There are plenty of good things said about this book and I agree with them. I was a little disappointed in the presentation / production of the book. I understand that it is valuable information, but I agree with another review that the formatting and liberal use of white space makes it seem like less of a value. I just kept thinking of David Regal's wonderful hardback with photos "Approaching Magic" that sells for the same price. I think though that "inspiring" is a great word to describe the book. It provides some very practical information that makes you believe that you can go out and work professionally as a magician and gives you specific steps to make that happen.

This is a good investment for the stated purpose and should be helpful if you really want to push forward to semi-pro/pro-work. I am not sorry I bought the book. Others here have expounded at length about the book's strengths, so I won't dwell on them.

I didn't rate this book higher because of the extremely goofy way the book is typeset. It looks like it was printed by a manic high school kid who just discovered how to insert various fonts into his work and just couldn't control himself. Hugely unneccesary and distracting. Makes it hard to concentrate, frankly, and imho weakens the message. Also, the lines are widely spaced throughout. That plus the spacing required by larger fonts = padding and more blank space/page than you would expect for a book this size. What this means is that you are paying for a lot of dead trees and aren't getting the same value as you would expect from a normally produced book of this size. The material is actually worth the price WITHOUT the goofiness and padding. Heck I'd have paid more if it were produced in a mature and standard fashion and it would have been cheaper to print.

The Approach by Jamie D. Grant

A Complete guide to becoming a Working Magician - Incredible Workbook format!
(yes you will actually be writing and taking some notes to better yourself...imagine that. The fact that I am an educator...I love this aspect. Now by all means if you want to keep your book all nice and blank, then don't.)

Page Count 286

Chapter Count 103 - For all of you who are doing the math....you guessed it. Most of the chapters are 1-2 and a half pages long. What? That's bull crap. Why would Jamie cheat us on information. Jamie has not done this, I assure you. His writing style allows him to be brief, yet convey his message in a short, concise manner to deliver the goods.

Speaking of writing style. This is the first book I've ever seen where the author changes some fonts on certain words to show emphasis and break up the monotony of a lot of text on a page. He also uses highlighting on key points to remember. Well done Jamie and this makes the readability flow nicely and not seem like you are reading a huge novel.

I read the entire book in a few hours and I am not a speed reader by any means. This is a book that you can and will go back to over and over again for reference.

Cost: $75.00

Now, before some of you start throwing your hands up in the air and screaming that you would never pay that kind of money for a softcover book....please don't. Do NOT buy this book! I wouldn't want too many guys with this kind of knowledge in their magic arsenal. There is way too much real working advice that Jamie has poured into this from his blood sweat and tears. 10 years of trials and errors in the trenches is real work. I'll be honest in that I wouldn't have wanted to share all of this information myself so he is being VERY generous. Some of the items / ideas that he shares are worth the cost of the book alone by themselves.

I am so mad that Jamie did not release this book 10 years ago when I was first starting out in magic. This book is like a swiss army knife / survival guide for beginners, hobbyists, and semi professionals looking to improve every aspect of their walk around and close up work.

Questions you may ask prior to purchasing.

I wonder if Rick is saying all of this because Jamie Grant sent him a book for free? Nope, I paid full price here at Penguin Magic.

I am a beginner and don't have the first clue what I am doing. Is this book for me?

YES, YES, and YES. The information contained on these pages will save you numerous headaches and move you up the learning curve very rapidly. It is imperative that you gain an understanding of how and why Jamie's information and hints work.

What if I am already working gigs and making good money?

My advice to you is that you will find yourself agreeing with most of the information on these pages because if you were like me....you to were thrown into the trenches and learned on your own by failing. Do you still need this book? I think you will still find a few items / suggestions given by Jamie that you will want to test the waters with, however, I think you will find it difficult to find yourself justifying paying $75.00 compared to a beginner that doesn't know hardly any of this information. It is still a fantastic book and probably in my top 5 out of 75 books I own.

Am I going to learn magic tricks in this book?

Nope. This book is all about the nitty gritty real working knowledge that is a must have that you need to know before you even pull a trick out of your pocket and try to entertain an audience.

I am a stage worker. Does any of this information pertain to me?

Some of it will, but this is most definitely geared towards the close up, walk around, table hopping type of performer who works receptions, cocktail parties and the like.

What if I own David Stone's Close up Book that is only half the cost of this book? Are they different enough?
Yes. I own both books and they are both necessary for your repertoire.

Well Done Jamie...thanks for sharing your expertise with our community. Loved it!

This book is fantastic!
It inspired me to better myself physically but also think twice about simple things about nails.
Jamie goes straight to the point, most books take 3 or 4 pages to convey a point, Jamie does it in half.
He puts deadlines and gives you some tips that you would have never thought were necessary, but in actuality, the tells you they are important and why.

I can only give this my highest reccomandation