The Moment I Realized I Knew Nothing About Off-the-Grid Living

I have been the editor of Off the Grid News for nearly two years now. When I first took on this job, I thought I was more than qualified to handle anything that could come up. I could can, I could process the meat my husband brought home from hunting, I had rudimentary skills at gardening (and besides, all you do is throw some seed into the ground, right?), and our family was beginning to incorporate more and more off-grid alternatives into our lifestyle, like beekeeping and raising stock. I also had all the requisite skills in English to take care of the mechanics of the job.

Well, let me tell you... it didn't take me long to get my britches dusted.

As writers began sending me articles to post in the newsletter and up on the website, I began to realize just how much I did NOT know. As I began researching for more informative articles for our readers, the more I realized that there was so much information out there that one could not absorb it all.

From the beginning, I had been blessed to find writers who actually lived what they wrote about. Are you confused with that statement? There are writers who have no clue about what they're writing about. They access resource material that was written by someone else (who may not have known what they were writing about) to compile the information for an article. But as I began searching for more and more writers to come on board, I began to get more and more stringent in my requirements...

... And I decided I wanted folks who had hands-on experience with their subject matter. I wanted writers with a passion for what they were writing about. I didn't want someone who would go to Gun Digest to research a weapon for an article... I wanted someone with experience in weaponry to actually write our articles. I didn't want someone who would go to Presto's website to research an article on canning... I wanted someone who actually knew one end of a canning jar from the other. And I obviously wanted someone who had experience gardening to know that it takes more than tossing a few seeds into the ground to make a crop.

As time passed, the staff of writers and I at Off the Grid News settled down into a wonderful rhythm. We have brainstormed article ideas and I think they have come up with great material for our readers. The numbers seem to reflect that as well. Our readership has grown tremendously and I give all the credit to those wonderful writers who write about those subjects they are passionate and knowledgeable about. And as I look over the past years of Off the Grid News (and not counting 2012 because we're not through with it yet!), I have to say that 2011 was one of our best years. We upped the number of articles we offered our readership, we brought in new subject matter, and we expanded the number of writers in the writing pool to over 30 people with hands-on experience in off-the-grid living.

Not too long ago we decided to see which articles were the most read from 2011, to see where we should focus our efforts for 2012 and beyond. As the list began to grow, we pondered the idea of offering our readers an almanac of sorts, some type of book with the best articles from 2011. This idea wasn't totally without merit. I've heard from many of you that you wished we would put out some type of publication with the "best of the best" articles so that you would have them in your paper library in case Internet access was ever disrupted. It was a valid request.

The list of articles grew. It soon became apparent that we needed to get this book to print, and that's exactly what we did, in the form of The Big Book of Off-the-Grid Secrets. It contains the best articles from 2011 on gardening, food perseveration, animal husbandry, health, and so much more. In addition, it includes the transcripts of 10 of our most popular Off the Grid Radio shows and the unique guests we've been able to interview, guests like John Kapperman (owner of Storm Analysis Consultants); survival expert Greg Davenport; Dr. Arden Andersen (a soil scientist and agricultural consultant); Ted Nugent (who needs no introduction!); and many more.

I could go on and on about the articles we've included. However, instead, I'd like to introduce you to some of the writers of those articles to some extent, so that you know the information that you get from Off the Grid News isn't some vaguely researched article from questionable sources, but hard facts gleaned from day-to-day experience.

Sarah is our main health writer. She also writes some of our off-grid articles and all our relocation pieces. Not only does Sarah comes from a long line of successful writers, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a long while before deciding to move with her husband to a quieter off-grid life in Puerto Rico. When Sarah writes on health and Big Pharma, her background enables her to deliver accurate and compelling information. She knows how Big Pharma works and her passion for health topics enables her to deliver to our readers information that they can use and apply.

We've had several writers deliver on animal husbandry topics. All of them have hands-on experience with stock and raising animals for food consumption. And we're not talking about large-scale operations either. Our writers are actively working small-farm homesteads to sustain their families in these hard economic times. When they write about chickens or fresh milk production, they write from the perspective of one who is actually involved in the lifestyle.

Ben, our weapons writer, is a Class 3 Federal Firearms dealer. He's not some guy who plinks targets on the weekends. He's not only an expert in his field, he's an accomplished gunsmith as well. He lives and breathes off-grid survival.

Nathan, our alternative energy writer, is passionate about off-grid alternatives to the grid. He provides not only alternative energy articles, but some of our more in-depth history articles as well. He lives part of the time out of the US in a country where he utilizes a lot of his alternative energy knowledge.

These are but a few of the writers whose articles are featured in The Big Book of Off-the-Grid Secrets. These are people whose experiences and knowledge have been used to give our readers tips, advice, and information that they can utilize now to help them become more independent of the grid.

There is no way that any one book can contain all the information that one needs to successfully live a life fully off the grid. (If one book would do it all on any subject, we'd have no need for public libraries!) Our paper libraries need to include a variety of books on a variety of subjects, but you want to be judicious in your choice of books. Knowing that Off the Grid News articles come from writers with the experience you're seeking is one way we provide the assurance that the information contained in The Big Book of Off-the-Grid Secrets is information you can trust.

Click here to order your copy of The Big Book of Off-the- Grid Secrets and enjoy the articles that have been written by people experienced in the very lifestyle you're trying to obtain for your own family.

Blessings,
Hanne Moon
Editor, Off the Grid News

P.S. When you order now, you also get 6 bonus reports you can instantly download and print out for your paper library. They include: Stick to Your Guns: How to Legally Carry Firearms (Almost) Anywhere, Anytime!; Blackout: The Top 11 Threats to the Power Grid; Food Shock: Dangerous New Trends Creating Conditions for Shortages and Riots; Gone Before You Get There: 77 Items That Instantly Vanish From Store Shelves In A Panic; Peak Water: Why Clean, Safe Water Could Soon Be As Valuable As Oil; and Cash Garden: How to Beat Inflation In Your Own Backyard.

You'll also get links to 10 more valuable reports (a $350 free bonus!) when your order your copy of The Big Book of Off-the-Grid Secrets, and that's all in addition to the 90-day, better-than-risk-free 100% money back guarantee that comes with this offer. Don't delay... click here to order your copy today!