Weekend At Inkers Con
What an amazing event! I was inspired and motivated to do so much!
I logged in this weekend for the 2026 Inkers Con expecting the usual conference mix — platforms, funnels, launches, ads. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a writer’s conference started by one NYT Bestselling Author and a marketing strategist. I’d been hearing about this conference for a few years, but I was just like, “Eh, it’s another conference,” and while I LOVE conferences, it’s still on the Future List of Things To Do.
However, this year, I saw it was online so I said, “Franks, you have no excuses. Do this. Do it now.” I’m glad I did!
A real chunk of this year’s lineup is about sustainability. About burnout. About inner critics. About building a path that doesn’t wreck you to walk it.
Bonnie Traymore taught Realistic Success: Designing a Writing Path That’s Sustainable and Rewarding. Jynafer Yanez taught Systems Over Stress (without burning out). Danika Bloom on the inner critic. Sonja Dewing on overcoming fear, doubt, and distraction.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s the indie author space starting to say out loud what most of us have been carrying privately for years: the outside of the career has been taught to death. The inside is where the cracks are.
I’m glad it’s happening. I’ve been making this argument for a while and it’s lonelier than it sounds. The voices joining the conversation make the work feel less like shouting into a void.
Here’s the thing I’m sitting with tonight after a full weekend of this plus so many more FANTASTIC sessions:
If you’ve been quietly running out of gas — if the marketing strategies aren’t sticking, if the launches feel heavier than they used to, if you’re wondering whether you can keep doing this for another five years — you are not the only one.
You’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re paying attention to a part of the work the industry has been pretending doesn’t matter.
It matters. And the fact that this much of an indie author conference is dedicated to it this year is the proof.
I’m teaching on Tuesday at 6pm Eastern — Stop Pretending You Can Sit Down and Write Every Day. If you’re around, come. We’ll talk about the four author rhythms, why you’ve been forced into one that isn’t yours, and what to do about it.
And if you’d like me to help you figure yours out, book a free Unstuck Author Call.