Thanks, guys!
It must be just a coincidence that Amazon was listing the book as low as $11.50 before the reviews started rolling in... now it's back up to $14.
Nords' book ...
- Thread starter REWahoo
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It must be just a coincidence that Amazon was listing the book as low as $11.50 before the reviews started rolling in... now it's back up to $14.
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It is my understanding that Amazon will move the price around, occasionally several times in the same day, to determine which price attracts the most interest and most sales.
Ronstar
Moderator Emeritus
Good idea. I'm going to get one and pass it on to my buddy's son, a Navy pilot. He's 30 - at the age where financial advice would do the most good.
Thanks to Nords for putting this together to support those in the military in their quest for FIRE.
You're welcome! Lots of source material out there. The main challenge was organizing it.
I'm going to have to start a marketing poll on why people are buying the book-- for themselves or for someone else. I suspect I've drastically underestimated the latter. I guess everyone's happy about a free copy of a FIRE book.
I don't know if it's considered polite to give someone a book on how to get a job...
OP
OP
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
I was referring to the finding-a-job genre that includes "From Air Force Blue to Corporate Gray", and others of their ilk!I thought the book was about how NOT to get a job after putting in your 20!
One of the first editorial resistances I encountered (not from Impact) was "early retirement is too narrow a niche for book sales". My unspoken response was "Yep, I hear that from every still-working editor who's not financially independent". Of course it's true that a military servicemember could interpret "early retirement" as "medical/disability", although that's not what the editors meant.
But I think the title still manages to suck in the unwary worker and quietly subvert them to the early-retirement perspective.
Purron
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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I was bummed when the publisher pulled my rock&roll chapter lyrics, but I'd use this for the second edition!
Of course with a job like theirs, who'd retire?
Nords,
I love your attitude and writing style, and I just ordered a copy of your book from Impact Publications. If I like the book (and I bet I will) I will contact you to buy multiple copies for the military libraries in my area. There are lots of military libraries here in the DC area.
I am feeling good today. I retired from the Army in 1999, and today I retired from my second (and final) career. So I figure I am maybe 11 years behind you in getting to that ultimate retirement, but I finally made it.
I love your attitude and writing style, and I just ordered a copy of your book from Impact Publications. If I like the book (and I bet I will) I will contact you to buy multiple copies for the military libraries in my area. There are lots of military libraries here in the DC area.
I am feeling good today. I retired from the Army in 1999, and today I retired from my second (and final) career. So I figure I am maybe 11 years behind you in getting to that ultimate retirement, but I finally made it.
Thanks! Check your PMs for the bulk-ordering info.
Congratulations. It's not where they put the finish line but rather how you run the race...
HawkeyeNFO
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Got the book the other day in the mail, I am quite impressed!
In talking to fellow officers here in the squadron, FI and RE seem to be more common than many people think. Problem is that unfortunately, not everyone plans early enough. Part of the reason why is that just like you point out in chapter 1, when you're at work, all of your mentors are working as well, and they typically aren't thinking of RE.
Your book offers those of us still in the military a look beyond the next 5 or 10 years. After all, everyone gets out of the military at some point in life, whether it is your choice or Uncle Sam's.
Thanks for your good work, Nords.
In talking to fellow officers here in the squadron, FI and RE seem to be more common than many people think. Problem is that unfortunately, not everyone plans early enough. Part of the reason why is that just like you point out in chapter 1, when you're at work, all of your mentors are working as well, and they typically aren't thinking of RE.
Your book offers those of us still in the military a look beyond the next 5 or 10 years. After all, everyone gets out of the military at some point in life, whether it is your choice or Uncle Sam's.
Thanks for your good work, Nords.
powerplay
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Congratulations on getting your book published. I'm sure this will help so many military families and you've been there done that and are now enjoying the rewards of FIRE!
Impact Publications must be planning a very special edition of the Pocket Guide. Perhaps with gold pages and diamond accents? Their website advertises it as costing from $2.95 to $59,000.00!
Impact Publications must be planning a very special edition of the Pocket Guide. Perhaps with gold pages and diamond accents? Their website advertises it as costing from $2.95 to $59,000.00!
Purron
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Impact Publications must be planning a very special edition of the Pocket Guide. Perhaps with gold pages and diamond accents? Their website advertises it as costing from $2.95 to $59,000.00!
The $59,000 edition includes a year living in Nord's pad in Hawaii and surfing lessons.
Westernskies
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Well done, Nords! How can I get a personally inscribed/autographed copy for my nephew? (25 YO, EMT, E-5 in the Chair Force... starting to get his financial act together, newly married, buying his first house- timing is perfect)
WS
WS
I talk about how financial independence can happen in as little as five years (like Jacob Lund Fisker's EarlyRetirementExtreme, http://the-military-guide.com/2011/...-it-take-to-become-financially-independent-2/), and it's quite achievable over a 20-year career, but the reality is that it's not too hard to make it happen even in 10 years. Depends on the priorities, although a retention bonus contract can't hurt...
Depends on just how much "guiding" you need.Congratulations on getting your book published. I'm sure this will help so many military families and you've been there done that and are now enjoying the rewards of FIRE!
Impact Publications must be planning a very special edition of the Pocket Guide. Perhaps with gold pages and diamond accents? Their website advertises it as costing from $2.95 to $59,000.00!
No, actually $2.95 is the cost of one 4"x5" 64-page pocket guide, and $59K is the discounted price for the first 100,000 copies.
You may laugh (I certainly did!) but the state of Florida recently bought 125,000 copies of Impact's military-to-civilian-job-search pocket guide for their state VA office. So at those volumes I guess Impact is ready to pass on some savings.
Um, yeah, yeah that's right, for that amount I'm sure we can work something out...
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Nords,
Just ordered the book from Impact. I'm basically retired now (living off the DW who IS working) but can always use more info on doing it right. I know a couple of ER Naval Aviators living on the west side of the island and I'll let them know about the book. They could just drive over to get it from you, right?
Just ordered the book from Impact. I'm basically retired now (living off the DW who IS working
) but can always use more info on doing it right. I know a couple of ER Naval Aviators living on the west side of the island and I'll let them know about the book. They could just drive over to get it from you, right?West side? No problem-- they can meet me at White Plains Beach. I'll be the ponytailed guy in the gray rashguard, about 100 yards seaward of the fenceline...Nords,
Just ordered the book from Impact. I'm basically retired now (living off the DW who IS working
Hey remember I'm an airdale so is it the "windward" or "leeward" side of the island?? All I know is to get there you go 270 degrees
... yeah, and if you get to Midway you've gone too far...Hey remember I'm an airdale so is it the "windward" or "leeward" side of the island?? All I know is to get there you go 270 degrees
All Leeward.
Luckily for them White Plains Beach is in Kalaeloa, which before BRAC 1993 used to be known as NAS Barbers Point. It's the big beach off Tripoli Road about a mile east of the U.S. Coast Guard station.
White Plains has an old chain-link fence on its eastern side. If you sight along the fence out toward the surfing break, I'm usually about a hundred yards out into the water. I'm using three different boards these days depending on conditions and my ambition, so I can't predict which one I'll be riding.
I can remember when Barbers Point used to be a bustling hotbed of furious aviation activity. These days it's like driving through a ghost town.
I didn't realize it was shut down! Has it all been turned over to the civilians or are there still some housing there? Is the runway still being used by the reserves or is it a civil airport now? Or none of the above?
It's mostly state property now, although some of it is slated to be privatized. Navy still owns the recreation areas like Nimitz & White Plains beaches and their cottages.
There's still lots of housing in use, most of it by military and some of it by civil servants and some by civilians. I've lost track of what land is still owned by the Navy and what's been turned over to developers as part of the public/private military housing partnership.
I'm not sure who's using the runway. Coast Guard, of course. I see occasional P-3 flights from there, although they're based in Kaneohe now. Private planes don't use it as much as they used to, although I've seen them occasionally. I don't know if USCG even controls the runway but I see it being maintained.
Army National Guard is using the old P-3 hangars for their trucks & equipment. Many of the buildings are being rented by businesses. And, of course, it's a lot easier to get through the base now that all the gates are open all the time...
Fun & data overload with Amazon.com's Author Central.
If you confirm your author ID to Amazon, your book listing page will also get its own author's web page and discussion board to set up on your book's page. On a book page, scroll down below "Product Details" to see "More About the Author". Then scroll down (past the five-star reviews!) to get to "Customer Discussions".
Amazon also offers a retail sales tracker based on their website plus other national retail reports. (They claim their tracker captures 75% of a book's total retail sales.) Their tracker reports that the first three books were sold between 30 May and 5 June. One of those books was bought in Providence-New Bedford, RI while the other two were bought "somewhere in the continental U.S." (Amazon.com apparently doesn't care about Alaska or Hawaii or Puerto Rico or Guam or American Samoa...)
They also rank your book hourly against eight million other books. Those three books were enough to generate a ranking of 849,526 on 5 June. However as of 5 PM Hawaii time on Thu 9 June, the rank has leaped up to 93,290. That technically puts "The Military Guide" just inside the top 1.2% of Amazon's sales!
Well, sure, that's the math, anyway. I'm not sure how many more books had to sell this week to jump the rank up to the 93,000s, but we should know more by the next server update this weekend.
If you confirm your author ID to Amazon, your book listing page will also get its own author's web page and discussion board to set up on your book's page. On a book page, scroll down below "Product Details" to see "More About the Author". Then scroll down (past the five-star reviews!) to get to "Customer Discussions".
Amazon also offers a retail sales tracker based on their website plus other national retail reports. (They claim their tracker captures 75% of a book's total retail sales.) Their tracker reports that the first three books were sold between 30 May and 5 June. One of those books was bought in Providence-New Bedford, RI while the other two were bought "somewhere in the continental U.S." (Amazon.com apparently doesn't care about Alaska or Hawaii or Puerto Rico or Guam or American Samoa...)
They also rank your book hourly against eight million other books. Those three books were enough to generate a ranking of 849,526 on 5 June. However as of 5 PM Hawaii time on Thu 9 June, the rank has leaped up to 93,290. That technically puts "The Military Guide" just inside the top 1.2% of Amazon's sales!
Well, sure, that's the math, anyway. I'm not sure how many more books had to sell this week to jump the rank up to the 93,000s, but we should know more by the next server update this weekend.
obgyn65
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Congratulations, Nords.
2soon2tell
Recycles dryer sheets
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Nords,
Congratulations on getting your book published.
Will the exchanges be stocking it?
2soon2tell
Congratulations on getting your book published.
Will the exchanges be stocking it?
2soon2tell
Thanks, and I sure hope so!
The main reason I went with Impact Publications is because their distributor, National Book Network, stocks the military exchanges.
I guess the exchange managers have some discretion over what they get from NBN, but I can't imagine why they'd pass this one up.
Hardcopy is shipping now and should arrive in August.
We're trying to figure out if an e-reader version comes from Impact/NBN or if I do it on Amazon.com. The copyrights are laid out in the contract but it's mainly an issue of who does the work and what format(s) are produced.
