I won’t bury the lede. In late May, my author Instagram account got hacked, and I was forced to make a new one. I was able to verify my identity and restore service to my personal accounts, but my old professional Insta — the one I spent the better part of a year growing, the one that had a viral video that netted me 1k+ followers, where I made connections with so many wonderful creatives and fans — couldn’t be saved.
For three months, I tried everything: redownloading the app, changing my password (then changing it again, and AGAIN), contacted Meta “support.” Hell, I even had a friend of mine who works at Meta reference my case to their “internal teams.” Nothing. My father always says a phone call can solve any problem, but alas, Meta literally does not have a line, let alone someone on the other end of it.
The only thing for it was to start again from scratch, which I did. A follow on this new account will not only keep us in touch, but more followers also lend the account more legitimacy, which opens all kinds of doors for me and this story I’ve fought so hard for. To show my appreciation, if you drop me your email in a DM, I’ll send you a copy of The Sanhedrin Chronicles free of charge.
Right. Enough with the sob story — let’s move on to happier fare.
With pride and gratitude, I’m thrilled to announce The Sanhedrin Chronicles has sold over 1K copies in its first 10 months of release! The math on book sales is always a little tricky, but usually debut works sell around 2-300 copies in their first year. The fact that we’ve tripled that number is a testament not only to this story, but your excitement and support. I love the novel, but I wrote it. I’m contractually obligated to. You all have no such commitment, and yet time and again you’ve spread the word and pushed it into more and more hands. This is how a story takes hold. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Over the summer I had the privilege of attending not one, but two cons as a featured artist! The American Library Association con was in Philadelphia in late June. In a time when literacy is declining and books are under attack, it was so heartwarming to be at the center of all things literature, surrounded by those who are still willing to fight for it! Later in August, I had a booth at Otakon in DC. It was a little overwhelming if we’re being honest — there were over 40k people and hundreds of vendors celebrating all things anime and pop-culture! We ended up selling 30+ copies, which felt like a bid deal considering the convention was devoted to an entirely different medium. Special shout-out to my friends Kate, Jenni, and John for helping man the booth!
If you have anyone in your life who’s a fan of fantasy, Judaism, or both, the ebook version of The Sanhedrin Chronicles will be on sale for just $.99 for all of September!
That does it for this September roundup! As we enter the fall, with crisp air and burnt leaves, may everyone find joy in new beginnings, whether it’s a new school year, the Jewish High Holidays, or just the turning of the season. As always, you can find me @authorjsgold on Instagram, @jsgoldauthor on Tiktok, or @J.S. Gold on Facebook.