A silhouette of a hockey player resembling Steve Yzerman, architect of the Yzerplan, in stance, but for some strange reason, wearing a Gordie Howe jersey.
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What the Renegades Epic and the Yzerplan have in common

ByTC Marti

Steve Yzerman is an NHL general manager known for his patience and slow rebuilding methods, which is also called the Yzerplan. 

Hockey and book sales rarely intermingle. But when they do, it’s because I looked to a certain NHL general manager for inspiration. Enter Steve Yzerman, who returned to the Detroit Red Wings in 2019 to be their general manager.

The Wings, a once-proud franchise, decayed into a shell of what were during Yzerman’s day as a player when they looked like a fully-fledged dynasty. And if you know anything about the Yzerplan, forgive me while I explain it to newbies who may not know much about hockey. But I want to show you how it relates to the Renegades Epic.

The Yzerplan in full force

The public-facing version of the Yzerplan is often summed up as “draft, develop, and don’t rush into glory.” But to me (and to most who buy into it), there are a few internal pillars:

  1. Relentless foundation work: You don’t win championships (or market dominance) overnight. You stock the pipeline, like finding promising pieces (prospects, raw talents) even if the short term looks bleak.

  2. Controlled risk, not reckless spending: Instead of betting the farm on one blockbuster free agent, you mix modest, safe bets with high-upside youth. In the Yzerplan, that’s why you see mid-tier signings alongside player development.

  3. Patience as strategy: This is probably the hardest pill for fans (or customers) to swallow. You accept that much of the visible progress will feel slow and subtle, not instant. But each piece that develops, each small win, compounds.

  4. Alignment & culture before spotlight: The Yzerplan insists prospects must earn their roles. When they reach Detroit, they earned buy-in, and are asked to lead.

  5. Validation by performance, not hype: The plan lives and dies on results, like how many prospects transform into difference-makers, and how well the team competes when the pieces align.

Relating it to the Renegades Epic

Here’s how I see the parallels between how I framed (and ran) the Renegades Epic, and how Yzerman is executing the Yzerplan:

  1. I focused on consistency: I wasn’t trying to turn the Epic into a viral overnight sensation (though that’d be lovely). I built a series of dependable features with premade covers, self-editing, and either Kindle Create or Draft2Digital formatting, delivering small wins for early adopters.
  2. I built the base first, and they became my evangelists: With the Epic, I focused on acquiring power users and superfans early, people who’d give feedback, champion it, and help refine it.
  3. I made strategic bets, but didn’t gamble: In development and marketing, I avoided putting all my budget into one channel or tactic. I tested, iterated, and hedged.
  4. I let the signals, not the noise, drive my next moves: Rather than chasing trends or hype-chasing features, I watched metrics and user feedback, like retention, engagement, and feature adoption.
  5. I prepared for long timelines, not instant wins: I’ve accepted that the Renegades Epic’s “big moment” might come after years, not months. Yzerman’s been executing the Yzerplan since 2019, and many question whether it’s paying off yet. But that’s the point: You commit to the slow burn.

The Epic is evolving

The most challenging part of the Renegades Epic was me asking this burning question: How the hell was I going to make this easy for readers to understand the overarching plot? 

Cursed Mage by TC Marti

What if they:

  • Started with a “spinoff series,” like Chronicles of Rondure or Sentrys of Terrene?
  • Read Cymraeg Tales and thought, “This isn’t necessarily epic fantasy.”
  • Picked up Tarja Titan and wondered why they felt like someone dropped them into the middle of the series?

While all of the above had at least decent feedback early on from readers, impeccable feedback was the ultimate goal. But I knew that wasn’t gonna have a snowball’s chance in Hell of happening until I unleashed Cursed Mage in March 2025.

Cursed Mage was my final series starter in the Epic, and one that best conformed to genre fiction. It’s why I recommend readers who want more of an ease-in to the Epic to start with it, as opposed to the true Book I in the shared universe, Wind Wielder. 

With Cursed Mage out and ready to roll, it’s akin to seeing Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Emmitt Finnie in the Red Wings’ lineup for the first time. The Martiplan is nearing its next step now that the reading order is where it should be, while the Yzerplan is looking better by the year.

So, if you want in on the action, ditch the ‘Zon and check out Cursed Mage at my Payhip store, The Rebel Lore Vault. If you’re a fan of dark paranormal fantasy, you’ll like it. But if you love shared universes and books that seek theme before genre, it’s your next big read. Check it out now.

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