It had been half a year in the making since Craig Martelle, co-founder of 20BooksTo50K®, began inviting authors from around the world, promising a unique experience that would challenge and reward them. Following the success of the first Indie Capstone event in Las Vegas early in the year, Martelle promised a new group of authors who were willing to invest in themselves and their future a chance to take their author businesses to the next level, to break free of the limitations of their own imaginations, and to find a new level of success.
So on a crisp October morning in 2022, a small group of authors gathered at a hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Unlike the thousand-person-strong 20Books conferences, Martelle’s Indie Capstone events are small, private weekend retreats that are designed to help authors grow and level up in their publishing careers. Each two-day event is designed to include space for all aspects of an indie author’s business—not just craft or marketing but also how to shift focus between them. With five-minute writing sprints, formal sessions, and Q&As packing the schedule, they’re also designed so authors at virtually any stage of their careers can benefit.
Despite the long flights, the mood ahead of the 2022 capstone was one of pure excitement. Everyone was eager to see what Martelle had in store for them, and he didn’t disappoint. He delivered an in-depth workshop on writing and marketing, where he shared tips and advice from his years of experience as an indie author. The attending authors discussed successful strategies they had used in their own careers, providing valuable insight into what works best.
I asked Sarah Blackard, who writes clean Romantic Suspense and Rom-Com, about her best takeaway. “Sometimes it’s just little tweaks that can make a really big difference in your author business,” she says. “There are so many different genres represented here. Having this intimate environment makes it really good to learn tidbits that you can take home and put into action.”
Todd Fahnestock, an author of Epic Fantasy, described having a breakthrough moment about advertising over the course of the weekend. “There were a whole lot of small details that really opened my mind and made it suddenly accessible to do what I’ve been lacking all this time. That was huge for me. That’s what I came for and that’s what I got, and the rest is all gravy as far as I’m concerned.”
Everyone had a list of things they planned to do differently going forward. Terry Wells-Brown, writer of Romantic Suspense, Sexy Thriller, and Contemporary Fantasy, was no exception. “I’m planning a complete revamping of my business and how I manage my readers,” she says. “Indie Capstone has made a huge impact on me.”
Alec Peche, author of twenty Mystery and Thriller books, was also excited to be getting on with her new to-do list. “It’s been incredibly valuable to me. I learned some things about Amazon ads that I didn’t realize. I’ve got a list of tactics to go home with, to improve my reader engagement.”
Alex Bates writes material for role-playing games. He’s also written a couple of comic books and had some Science Fiction short stories published. “I’d say that today the biggest value I got was out of the group discussion led by Craig, where we really narrowed in on and delineated our goals specifically,” he said at the event. “I knew what my goals were generally before this, but with a group of like-minded people like this who are all in various stages of the trip that I’m on, it was really helpful to be able to pinpoint specific things that I needed to focus on.”
In the intimate setting, people seemed willing to speak more freely. Bates explained, “The information that Craig and some of the others have shared has been incredibly useful. Having people to bounce ideas and concepts off of, and hearing what’s worked for some people and hasn’t worked for others, and that ability to compare, and pick and choose what might work for us, has been so useful.”
But it’s not all about the learning. Making connections is its own reward. Lolo Page writes Romantic Suspense and Romantic Comedies. “I love being at Indie Capstone,” she said. “I made so many friends here. It’s always good to talk with authors, other writers. My battery was running low after hard-charging words for the first six months of this year, and I needed to recharge and get with my people to help me figure out how to move forward. Indie Capstone, for me, has forced me to zero in on what is important, what I need to do right away to rein in my time management so that I can increase my revenue and my output. And for that, I’m thankful.”
Even those who were already on the right track found their time in Fairbanks had been well worth it. Lori Matthews writes Romantic Suspense. I asked what she would advise anybody thinking about coming to an Indie Capstone. “They really should,” she answered. “It’s amazing to get the collective energy from all the other writers in the room. It feeds the well and makes you feel so good to be with your people. It’s just a nice check-in to be with all the people that are just like you. It really has been worth it in every way. I am doing what I should be doing and will firm up what I’m working on. I have a couple of things to revisit, but it’s nice to know that I am on the right path.”
The authors left Alaska with a greater understanding of the publishing process, a broader network of support, and even some new friendships that they were certain would last long beyond that October gathering.
This attendee had only one disappointment during October’s event—I arrived with a furry hat and snow-proof boots but there wasn’t a flake of snow to be found. But Fairbanks has a lot to offer between its excellent Thai food, of which it’s the capital outside Thailand, and a natural hot springs resort just out of town.
The fourth Indie Capstone is set to take place March 16 and 17, 2024, with attendees to be selected by Martelle from a pool of applicants. The cost, excluding travel expenses, runs about $500 per person. As for those who’ve already ventured to the US’s northernmost state, the lessons learned and the connections made by October 2022’s attendees still resonate. Martelle’s publishing retreat offered an amazing experience, and—lack of snow notwithstanding—future Indie Capstones are sure to live up to the legacy.
