for The Emergency Preparedness Reference Encyclopedia 2nd Ed (“EPrepRef” for short)
22 November 2024
On the Book’s Contents and Purpose
Who is the Emergency Preparedness Reference Encyclopedia for?
Anyone who is interested in becoming better prepared for an emergency, no matter what kind of emergency — anything from a widespread disaster, whether natural or man-made, to a personal setback such as being stranded on a deserted highway or suddenly losing a job and worrying where your next meal will come from.
How is EPrepRef different from the many other how-to preparedness bibles out there?
First and foremost, it’s a reference resource. It’s a cross between a dictionary for looking up acronyms and jargon, and an encyclopedia of knowledge broken down subject-by-subject — 1,250 entries in total, organized alphabetically. There are many fine primers and step-by-step guides out in the market. (Some of the best are mentioned in the “Getting Started in Prepping” chapter that immediately follows the Introduction.) This encyclopedia is designed to supplement them, not replace them. It’s meant to fill in the gaps with nitty-gritty details as you get up to speed, and then continue to be a valuable resource going forward.
What will EPrepRef do for me?
No matter where you are along your preparedness path — from just starting out to being well established — this encyclopedia will propel you further along. It was designed to address four distinct phases of prepping: LEARN, PREP, SURVIVE, THRIVE. (1) If you are new to the world of prepping and feeling overwhelmed, this is your who’s who and what’s what guide. It’s designed to get you oriented fast. (2) As you move into actually prepping (learning skills, gearing up, laying in supplies), this has detailed answers to all of your myriad questions. The goal is to help you make better decisions and to make them fast, cutting to the chase. “Simplicity” is one of the watchwords here. (3) Should a disaster actually strike, you’ll have last-minute questions that you didn’t before even think to ask, but chances are the answers will be here. (4) Finally, in the aftermath of a disaster, this book can help you to recover, and hopefully even to thrive.
Are there more books to follow?
YES! EPrefRef is the first in a series. It will be followed by the Prepper’s Kitchen Companion Reference Encyclopedia, and the Grassroots Politics Reference Encyclopedia. With any luck, those will both see a mid-2025 release. For the Kitchen Companion, the ultimate goal is to produce a lay-flat edition with water-resistant paper, but that will require a second crowdfunding campaign and probably not happen until Fall 2025.
Both of these books, as well as the 3rd edition of the original EPrepRef are being developed in public. See “How else can I help?,” below, if you want to get involved.
On the Evolution of the Book
The cover art says “Second Edition | Revised and Greatly Expanded” what does that mean?
The first edition was published five years ago under the slightly different title of The Pocket Encyclopedia of Emergency Preparedness. This 2nd edition has nearly double the amount of information, and it’s also been reformatted to be much more efficient with the page space, so the page count has actually gone down. This has allowed the printed paperback pricing to remain at $25 a copy, even after five year’s worth of inflation.
How much effort went into this book?
Many thousands of hours went into the first edition. Many thousands more went into the second edition. It’s been a labor of love.
The first edition was well received, with all 5-star reviews, but suffered from being poorly marketed, relying only on word-of-mouth. The push to get this second edition out has already garnered 100-fold more attention. The feedback so far is amazing.
On the Book Formats and Pricing
What are the different formats available?
- Trade paperback introductory price $19.99 (available now) — EPrepRef second edition was released for sale via Amazon.com on November 17th, 2024. It’s available as a print-on-demand trade paperback (6”×9”, 312 pages) for $19.99 thru Christmas 2024, then up to the regular price of 24.99 in 2025. http://amazon.com/Emergency-Preparedness-Reference-Encyclopedia/dp/B0DF5P37LG).
- Kindle eBook $5.99 (available now) — EPrepRef is also available as a Kindle eBook for $5.99. That way, you can keep all of the information loaded up on all of your Kindle-compatible devices — your phone, your tablet, your dedicated Kindle eReader. Keeping the info on your phone, right on your person, makes it an essential “EDC” (everyday carry) item. https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Preparedness-Reference-Encyclopedia-ebook/dp/B0DL4SSSK6
- EPUB eBook $5.99 (available now) — If you prefer an EPUB version of the eBook, rather than a Kindle version, you can obtain it for $5.99 here: https://payhip.com/b/5hjDN
- Abridged pocket-size paperback (coming in 2025) — We also have plans to publish an abridged pocket-size edition (3½”×5½”) that can slip easily into a bugout bag, but that will have to wait until 2025 and require a crowdfunding campaign. (By abridged, we mean dropping some of the LEARN and PREP material, but keeping all of the SURVIVE and THRIVE. It will all depend on how the printing costs break down — paper thickness, size of the print run, tiers of crowdfunding commitment, etc.)
Is there a discount if I buy both the paperback and the eBook?
YES! But, not through Amazon Kindle. They used to offer a way to do that, but not anymore. So, here’s the deal: After you order the paperback on Amazon, go to https://payhip.com/b/5hjDN and buy the eBook there. You can choose among three different file formats (EPUB for non-Kindle eReaders, KPF for modern Kindle readers, and MOBI for legacy Kindle readers). At checkout, enter the coupon code “BOTH” for a $5 discount (making the eBook $0.99).
Are there bulk discounts for Prepper groups, CERT, Ham radio clubs, MAGs, SAR, and others?
YES! If you are part of a prepper group of any sort, we want to hear from you. Send an email to info@jackbabbage.com and tell us about your group. The exact price breaks haven’t been worked out yet, but it will be something like a 20% discount for bulk orders of the paperback with free shipping, plus a free extra “display copy” for the group as a whole. Also, for the eBook, we’ll be happy to issue you a custom discount code so that your members can buy the eBook for half price (whether or not they buy the paperback).
On Getting Involved
How can I help spread the word?
First off, be sure to write a review and post it (on Amazon and/or on GoodReads). Then, tell your friends… comment about the book on your social media streams, mention it in YouTube comments, etc.
What makes an effective book review?
The number one rule is to be authentic. Just write it like you’re talking to a friend over dinner.
As far as what to put in it goes, consider first describing where you’re coming from (seasoned prepper, complete newbie, somewhere in between) so that the reader knows if they can relate to you and thus if your review is relevant to them. Then, maybe mention if you bought the paperback, the eBook, or both, and why. Finally, just list what you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the material and/or how it’s presented. Maybe start with an example of an aha! moment you had where you learned something new, or gained a new perspective, or reprioritized your thinking.
How else can I help?
Feedback, feedback, feedback! Join the discussion through what we’re calling BBEEP (the Babbage Books Early Experience Program) http://jackbabbage.com/early. Help us decide what will go into the 3rd edition of EPrefRef, as well as what will go into the Kitchen Companion and the Grassroots Politics volumes — and whatever else comes after that.
How does BBEEP work?
We’re just now getting BBEEP off the ground, so we don’t have the logistics all worked out yet. The idea is that we’ll take whatever feedback you have — from your overall impressions, to specific edits (typos, factual corrections, quandaries), to requests for additional coverage of certain topics, to ideas on how to spread the word, and so on. It’ll be a back-and-forth discussion to make sure your comments are perfectly understood if there’s any doubt. A robust conversation, to be sure.
Got more questions? Send them to: info (at) jackbabbage.com.