One of the most common complaints I see in negative book reviews on Amazon, reviews for non-fiction at least, is that the information in the book can easily be found online. I’m not referring to reviews on my books in particular, I’m talking about reviews in general for non-fiction books. Here’s the thing. If your Google-Fu is even just average, you can find out damn near *anything* you want with a little searching. The Internet contains what amounts to the sum total of all of mankind’s knowledge.

So, what’s the point of buying a book, then? First, the book probably contains information you’d never thought to seek out. Many readers don’t know what they don’t know, know what I mean? The information is out there, but if you aren’t aware of the need for it, you’ll never go searching to find it. That’s where the author steps in, takes you by the hand, and shows you what you’ve missed.

Second, in this particular niche (disaster readiness), we talk a lot about things like power outages. Disasters or emergencies that would preclude ready access to the Internet. Assembling a library, even a very small one, goes far toward ensuring you’ll have the information you need at hand when you need it. All of the best bookmarks in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you can’t get online.

Third, just because you can find the information elsewhere online doesn’t mean it’ll be presented in a way that makes sense or that is enjoyable to read. For some, the latter is irrelevant, I know. There are a few people out there who subscribe to the Jack Webb School of Learning – Just the facts, ma’am. Many readers, though, want to be at least somewhat entertained as they learn new information and skills. It has been my experience that people tend to learn and retain new information easier if they are relaxed and in a good mood. That’s one of the reasons why, as so many have noted, my writing style is laid back, as though the reader and I were just sitting on the porch with cups of coffee, solving all of the world’s problems.

Look, the fact is that probably around 80% of the information in Random Prepper Book #1 will also be covered in Random Prepper Book #2, #3, and so on. I mean, food storage is food storage, right? It is more a matter of HOW the information is conveyed, with the author’s unique spin on the topic. Plus, there’s that ~20% that’s going to be brand new information.

If you’re serious about prepping, setting up some sort of small home library is an essential step. Hard copies, books you can pick up and leaf through, are far preferable to electronic files you might not be able to access when push comes to shove.