At the end of each year, we cherish the opportunity to connect with our community of customers and recap our experiences. With equal candor, we will share what went well and what didn’t. And then–everyone’s favorite part–we’ll tease the upcoming releases we’re most excited about. You’ll hear about the fastest-selling book in our company’s history, and about the moment we almost lost everything. We’ll tell you about the most extraordinary moment of magic we experienced on our Retreat in Japan, and about a deck switch you have to (not) see to believe.
Let's jump in! |
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Connover: The Fastest-Selling Magic Book of All Time?
When Eric Mead announced that he was writing a book on the magic of the late, great Tim Conover, everyone who loves close-up magic gasped. We all recognized Tim Conover’s unique mastery and drive, but he published almost nothing in his lifetime. It took Eric over ten years to complete (with assistance from Tim’s sister Shari Rosenberg). The project blossomed into multiple volumes on Tim’s magic, and it’s a masterpiece. We were honored when Tim and Shari chose us as publishers.
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To celebrate the book’s Black Friday release, we held live events in Los Angeles and New York (with a packed room of attendees in each) as well as an online event featuring luminaries in magic celebrating Mr. Conover and his magic.
What we did not anticipate was just how much interest there would be. The deluxe editions sold out within 55 minutes, and regular editions continue to sell at a breakneck pace. We are grateful to our fantastic customers and to our partners Eric Mead and Shari Rosenberg for what has become our best-selling book in company history, and what we presume to be one of the fastest-selling magic books of all time. |
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There Be Pirates Here!
On November 24th, at the start of our Black Friday Sale, nefarious and anonymous digital pirates hit our site with what’s called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The purpose of these unceasing attacks is simple: they overwhelm our servers until our website crashes and goes offline. They sent over 200 million unique, automated hits to our servers in the space of a week. Their objective is not to “hack” or steal data. It is to bring our site to its knees during the most lucrative period of the year. There was no data breach. This was about one thing: harming Vanishing Inc.
The attack was malicious, and the pirates temporarily succeeded in taking Vanishing Inc. offline for much of the first week of our sale. Heartbreakingly, they also forced us to delay the launch of Conover, “Nova Rings,” “Hex,” “Foiled Again,” and “The DG Maze Deck.”
But they didn’t count on Vanishing Inc.’s secret weapon: Andi Gladwin’s passion for tech. Andi was able to move our site to new servers and add protections that insulate us from DDoS attacks. The attacks kept coming, but after a few stressful days our site (and our sale) were back online. We launched our products one week later, and we’re pleased to report that this didn’t significantly impact our overall sales.
Andi has been on a quest to reduce piracy in magic for years. He has helped raise awareness that these sites steal customers' payment information and steal from the creators we work with. They’re bad for magic, and Andi is working hard at identifying and stopping them. These same anonymous pirates are likely trying to damage our business in retaliation. We’re so glad that we endured the attack and that we’ve added protections so that it won’t happen again. |
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Magic, Magic, Magic
We released more products in 2025 than in any other year in our history, and if you’re keeping score with these annual letters, this was something we wanted to work on last year. We recognized that we weren’t releasing as many high-quality materials as we would like, and we’re proud to have met our goal to improve. |
Carisa Hendrix’s “Nova Rings” is an innovative, new take on the Linking Finger Rings. This gorgeous kit comes with everything you need to link three borrowed finger rings together, and it was one of our top sellers for Black Friday.
We also had strong releases from Christian Grace (Hex), Danny Garcia (DG Maze Deck), and Bizarro (Foiled
Again).
A couple more standout items: |
Alexander Herman released a trick called “Ultimate Free Choice,” and this is our favorite fooler of the year. We don’t think there’s any possible way a spectator (or magician) could reconstruct this diabolical trick. And it’s just $25! |
The Art of Magic by Ken Trombly is the most beautiful book we’ve ever produced. Oversized and lush with one-of-a-kind images from Ken’s world-class collection of magic imagery, this was a milestone project for us. We excel at books and tricks for advanced magicians. But we’ve always wanted to wade into historical waters, and this was our first effort. And thanks to you, it was a great success! Expect more historical-based magic projects from us soon. If you don’t yet own this gorgeous book, we modestly believe it ought to be in your living room. HERE it is.
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Another first for us is Magic Matchsticks. On cofounder Joshua Jay’s travels, he encountered a man in Chile who had been carving sculptures out of wooden matches. You read that right: entire scenes are carved out of a single match. You need a magnifying glass even to see it properly! We commissioned artist Roberto Godoy to create a limited run of magic-themed matchstick sculptures, including a magician holding a dove and even one linking rings. Just a few of each remain…HERE.
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Andi Gladwin ushered in an enormous, gorgeous, oversized collection of the six Marlo Magazines that have been nearly impossible to track down. For anyone serious about card magic, this is essential reading. And they also look stunning on the shelf, here. |
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Brand New Magic
The highlight of our year-end letter is always the announcement of upcoming projects. Here they are!
A Guy Hollingworth sequel. When we (Andi and Josh) were kids, Guy Hollingworth's Drawing Room Deceptions reshaped our thinking about magic. It was–and still is–“the” book of our generation. Twenty-six years later, Guy has finally completed a sequel. And we’re delighted to partner with Mike Caveney’s Magic Words to co-publish this new volume, as well as a new printing of the original Drawing Room Deceptions. There’s a lot more to say about this, but the only thing we can share for now is the title. It’s called…wait for it…More Drawing Room Deceptions.
Feldman Under Fire Deck Switch by Michael Feldman. We mentioned this last year, but manufacturing issues delayed the project. Those have been resolved, so prepare for the very best deck switch we’ve ever encountered. Thanks to this tiny but brilliant apparatus (that can be surreptitiously latched onto any table), you will be able to “wash” any deck of cards on your working surface and immediately switch the deck as the cards are gathered. There are no complex moves, and a spectator can help you shuffle the cards. The switch is built into the choreography of gathering the pack, and it’s imperceptible.
A New Joshua Jay Project: It’s not a collection of tricks or theories, but it is of interest to magicians. Our own Joshua Jay will be sharing an unusual new book project this year, unlike anything the magic community has seen before. It doesn’t fit neatly into a specific category, but if you like travel and magic…stay tuned.
The Essential Marlo by Andi Gladwin. This 650+ page book takes on an engaging new format. It’s part biography, part history (of one of card magic’s most tumultuous times), and part explanation. Featuring over 200 of Marlo’s most enduring effects and moves, Andi Gladwin has pored over this book for the past three years, and as we write this, he is finishing up the final chapter.
Locked Room Mysteries edited by Neil Tobin. Another Vanishing Inc. first! We love locked room mysteries, a subgenre of mystery stories in which a crime is committed in a seemingly impossible way (see the recent Knives Out film on Netflix for an example). These are literary magic tricks, and an undisputed master of the genre is the late Clayton Rawson, who was also a magician. We’re publishing a collection of his four finest stories, with new annotations by Rawson expert Neil Tobin.
“Suran’s Needles” by Jason Suran. Jason Suran is one of New York’s leading mentalists and magicians, and he has devised an ingenious device to aid in the performance of the classic “Needle-Swallowing” effect. Houdini popularized this classic Indian effect and remains a showstopper because of its apparent danger. Suran’s method is safe and surefire, and the switch is ingenious. If James Bond did needle-swallowing, he would use the apparatus we’ve developed for this trick.
“Robocup” by Brian Watson. Our own team member Brian Watson is one of the world’s experts on the history and practice of Cups & Balls and Chop Cup. His “Robocup” provides a brand new way to perform the Chop Cup. It uses electronics in a diabolical way that allows you to perform sequences remotely for a stunning interlude with this classic prop. “Sugar Cubes” by Luke Jermay. We’re proud of our long-term collaboration with Luke Jermay, and we’re particularly excited by his take on Rene Lavand’s “Three Breadcrumbs” using sugar cubes. The routine has been rebuilt entirely from the ground up, and it’s a gorgeous piece of magic. This set will include everything you need to perform. While We’re Here by Siegfried Tieber, Mr. Tieber has made a name for himself with an electric performance on Fool Us as well as a distinctive, energetic performance style and truly astounding original creations. We’re proud to publish his debut collection of magic. Final Degree by John Guastaferro. Completing his trilogy with Vanishing Inc., John Guastaferro’s final book in this series will come out. Brace yourself for the very best magic he’s ever created: doable card magic with engaging presentations—a must-read. “Out of Sight,” “Inferno,” and “Trojan Deck” by Joshua Jay. These best-selling effects will be getting major handling updates and new editions in the coming year. Out of stock for too long, they’re coming back! |
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A Company Update
The news on our company isn't as exciting as new products, but we aim to be transparent across the board. After sixteen years, double-digit growth isn't easy to achieve, but we're happy to report that profitability remains stable. We continue to have strong sales in the US, and while our UK and European sales have gone down, we're hard at work to get back to the growth we strive for.
As with most construction projects, the reconstruction of our USA warehouse is a bit behind schedule. While this isn't what we hoped for, it isn't unexpected. Our return date may still be unknown, but despite the hurdles, we're proud to say we have the fastest shipping in the industry.
Last year, we made a big bet on ebooks, and we’re pleased to say it continues to pay off. We made most of our titles available digitally, and sales have been steady throughout 2025. This provides a convenient way for many of our customers to digest magic, and making our magic available digitally in an authorized format helps curb pirated versions of our titles.
We're continuing to invest and work on our two retail stores in Anaheim and Pier 39. They remain financially stable, and while they're still not growing as much as we'd hoped, things are moving in the right direction. This year, we completed a renovation project at Pier 39 and added gorgeous new window displays to our Anaheim location. We have also introduced some brand-new magic sets and products, and we’re now laser-focused on improving the experience in both of our retail locations.
You may have noticed that the names at the bottom of the emails have changed. We're excited to welcome Ellis James and Nick Palmieri as new members of the Vanishing Inc. Team. Ellis and Nick are leading our marketing and have lots of exciting new projects planned for 2026. |
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Conventions and Retreats
As we write this, we’re about to host Magifest in Columbus, Ohio. This year’s event will feature Guest of Honor Bill Malone and seven one-man shows. We feature a handful of magicians who were standout hits at FISM, like Helge Thun, Michael Bloemeke, and Rafiel Scholten. We will also feature former Super Bowl champ Jon Dorenbos doing his one-man show and motivational talk.
The Session’s Guest of Honor is Piff the Magic Dragon, and it will feature an outstanding mix of headlining close-up and parlor performers. Christian Grace, Eric Mead, Laura London, Leah Orleans, and Luke Jermay will all present on a diverse array of topics.
The Retreat has become the hottest commodity we offer; we always sell out within days of launch. We offer curated luxury vacations that mix magic with adventure. We base one in North America and the other somewhere exotic around the world. |
This year’s international Retreat was held in Japan and featured a show that almost nobody will ever see again. Shimpei Katsuragawa is an exceptional magician who has a background in classical music. He designed a show to be performed alongside a four-piece string quartet. As a special surprise for our 70 guests, we brought in Shimpei and his quartet. For an unforgettable hour, he performed beautiful sleight-of-hand in a ballroom filled with the most elegant classical music…all performed and choreographed together live.
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Our North American Retreat was in Mexico City, where Greg Wilson, Armando Lucero, and Javier Natera held court for our magicians. The highlight of this Retreat was the sunrise balloon ride over the pyramids of Teotihuacan.
We announced our next Retreat in the Greek Isles (Crete and Santorini) and the North American one in Hawaii. Both sold out immediately. However, we strongly encourage anyone interested to add their name to the waitlist. We are sometimes able to accommodate guests from this list, and you lose nothing by trying. Our waitlist is HERE for Hawaii and HERE for Greece.
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ShareMagic
Our charity, ShareMagic, had a very eventful year promoting the art of magic and supporting young magicians. |
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We sponsored two magic camps in Ukraine to benefit families affected by the war. Magicians performed and then taught children magic, and the camp provided relief to parents and kids who had been displaced during the war. In an innovative twist, the camp was headlined by magicians who were actually “psychologists in disguise,” providing mental health services to kids under the guise of sharing magic. |
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We also provided supplies to an after-school program serving at-risk teenagers in southern California, and we provided magic-themed reading materials to schools in the Michigan area in conjunction with the Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan.
ShareMagic also provided scholarships for eight talented young magicians to attend Tannen’s Magic Camp, which thanks to your generosity, was an increase over what we were able to do in the prior year.
We invited more than 60 young magicians to Magifest on a full scholarship, with each student accompanied by a guardian. We provide bespoke programming (and food!) for the kids alongside the regular convention events. We do the same at The Session for 20 kids and parents, and it’s always such a joy to see the next generation of magicians get involved in the broader magic community. We also sponsored a young magician from San Francisco to attend Mystify Magic Festival. We covered our young magician’s flight, hotel, and registration so that she could take part in the first-ever festival of magic dedicated to celebrating women in magic. This year, ShareMagic instituted “Conjuring Care,” a program whereby any magician in need can apply for financial assistance. If they’re behind on medical payments or need a procedure they aren’t covered for, they can apply to receive funds in the form of a grant. |
Finally, ShareMagic provides content for free to all magic students, and our latest video features our own Joshua Jay delivering a talk on the life and work of Darwin Ortiz. Plus, we started a history of magic video series produced by the talented Alex Romanoff. You can watch all of these videos for free HERE.
You can read all about our efforts with ShareMagic on our website. Most importantly, if you’d like to donate, we’re an official 501(c)(3) charity, meaning that your donations are tax-deductible. We’d love your help so we can continue our efforts to improve the art of magic and the lives of the kids who are interested in it. Donate HERE.
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Our Founders
On the personal side, it has been a monumental year for our founders, and we’re pleased to share some of their successes with our community here. |
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We shared the stage in Los Angeles on May 3rd to accept the Literary Achievement Award from the Academy of Magical Arts. We were thrilled by this honor. |
Joshua Jay did a sold-out performance of his one-man show at The Kennedy Center this year. He also launched a brand-new hour of original material, with lengthy runs at the Liberty Magic Theater in Pittsburgh and the Rhapsody Theater in Chicago, as well as an appearance at the WIP Theater Festival in Paris. He performed his show and lecture at the FISM World Championships of Magic this summer in Italy and performed a first-pitch magic trick in front of 30,000 baseball fans…twice! This trick was accomplished before fans at Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox games. Josh’s book for the public, MAGIC: The Complete Course, was relaunched back in bookstores to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. This book is now in its eighth printing, and it’s available in seven languages. Josh will do an extended run of shows on the Las Vegas Strip in 2026 and publish a book of magic photography.
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Andi had a career highlight this year: hosting the Magic Live General Session, which has been highly reviewed in magazines like Genii. His latest run of Shuffled in Chicago also received rave reviews and he performed at many of magic's great venues around the world such as the Magic Castle, Chicago Magic Lounge, and many more. Andi continues to work tirelessly on our website redesign, book production, and many other areas of our business and plans to bring Shuffled to London in 2026.
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In Closing...
We realize all of this is possible only because of your unwavering support of Vanishing Inc. You’ve seen what we’ve been up to, how we try to uplift our community and give back with ShareMagic, and you’ve seen our candor in the goals we reached and the areas we’d like to improve upon. We have never viewed our company as transactional. It’s not a store. It’s a community, and you’re at the center of it. Thanks for allowing us to serve you, and for believing in us.
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Happy New Year to you and yours,
Joshua Jay, Andi Gladwin, and the entire Vanishing Inc. Team |
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| Vanishing Inc.
11355 Folsom Blvd # K, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742, United States. |
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