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Kindle Unlimited
(For bulk print orders at discount, email me at bob@bobmayer.com)
The definitive guide to prepare for and survive any emergency or disaster. This is the manual for neophytes who don’t know where to begin and experienced preppers who want insight and tactics from the elite Special Forces. (Newly updated and revised).
This book lays out how to prepare for and survive from mild, to moderate, to extreme emergencies in a logical flow that moves from initial preparation you must do now through more advanced work, to action in the actual emergency.
The author has been in the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Forbes, Psychology Today, Sports Illustrated, the Discovery Channel, the SyFy Channel and more.
From the very first page you will be more prepared. The book covers the Special Forces Area Study, the essential step that allows you to tailor your preparation for your specific situation and saves wasted energy and valuable time.
It then goes into preparation with specific actions and gear you need, starting with the basics we all should have, then delving into more advanced and specific. QR codes (print) and hyperlinks (eBook) direct you to examples of what you need, taking the confusion out of the process. Direct links to free Apps and informative web sites that can be life-saving and useful in everyday life are included.
Checklists for all preparation are in the book and in an appendix at the end with a downloadable link so you can keep track.
Additional topics:
How to build your survival A-Team.
The five key elements of survival: Water, food, first aid, shelter, and fire.
The places for which to plan, including home, work, school, and traveling.
The grab-n-go bag.
Then the book moves into actual survival starting with the first five things to do in an emergency. Water and food procurement. Building shelter. Fire starting. Navigating and tracking. Specific environments. First Aid.
Then man-made threats and natural disasters are covered, one by one. Next, ‘bugging out’ and the hide site.
A key stage, scavenging, ignored in other survival manuals, is covered in detail under stockpile, scavenge and sustain.
This is a book that can save your life and the life of those you love.
(Please note this is significant upgrade from the previous Green Beret Survival Guide and a partial upgrade from The Procrastinator’s Survival Guide)

Publication date: 28 September 2020.
This series is about disasters and how to avoid them, mitigate their effects and learn from them. As you will see studying seven significant events in each book, they didn’t just happen, and the people and organizations involved weren’t helpless victims. Taking the attitude shit happens is potentially fatal. It ignores painful and tragic lessons from the past. If we’re going to make the deaths and suffering of victims to mean anything, we must learn from them. That is the “gift of failure.”
The bottom line is we can predict and prevent many disasters because every disaster involving human interaction has a man-made factor, a cascade event, involved. In other words, we have control over whether shit happens. But it means changing a complacent mindset, getting rid of delusional thinking, and viewing the world around us in a different way.
This book not only dissects these seven disasters, it outlines ways for individuals and organizations to avoid future disasters.
Titanic: Systematic Failure
Little Big Horn: Leadership Failure
The Donner Party: Social Disintegration
New London Schoolhouse Explosion: Lack of Focus
The Housing Bubble: Greed Overwhelms Reality
The Kegworth Plane Crash: Trusting Experts
Apollo 13: Successful Failure

Print Version
(For bulk print orders at discount, email me at bob@bobmayer.com)
This book is the survival portion of the Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide in a pocket-size. It doesn’t have the preparation part, but because of size is good for your home, glove compartment of your car, your grab-n-go bag and makes a thoughtful gift.
(For orders in bulk, please contact me).
In order of priority, this book is a guide for dealing with emergencies and survival situations.
It covers the five core areas of survival: first aid, water, food, shelter and fire.
Then it goes into the wide array of specific situations you may encounter such as: flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, volcano, wildfire, heat wave, blizzard, drought, landslide, nuclear-biological-chemical incidents, terrorism, crime, riots, airplane and helicopter crashes, survival at sea, cold weather survival, desert survival, tropical survival, field expedient tools and weapons, emergency communication, dangerous plants and animals, and more.
The goal is to have a quick reference in hand to get you through the emergency into a situation where you can thrive on the other end.
With the proper knowledge, we can survive!

Special Operations Forces are the most elite and flexible units in the world. Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Rangers, Nightstalkers, Special Operations Wing: these are the warriors trained to perform beyond the ordinary and to make the impossible, possible. The author, a former Green Beret, takes you inside their shadowy world, laying out their history and lineage. More importantly, he delves into the mindset and training that makes them special. He gives strategic and tactical templates you can apply to yourself and your team. He uses narrative examples, both factual and fictional to illustrate his points.
This book shows you how to Dare to be like the elite, sharing with you the secrets of success needed to conquer fear and succeed.
“In The Green Beret Guide, Bob Mayer gives us a unique and valuable window into the shadowy world of our country’s elite fighting forces and how you can apply many of the concepts and tactics they use for success in your own life and organization.”
Jack Canfield: Co-creator Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles
“Success in life—as in combat—has always demanded depth of character. Who Dares Wins reveals what it takes for you to move into the world of elite warriors and how their training developed that Can Do spirit and Special Forces ethos of excellence.”
Lewis C. Merletti: Director United States Secret Service (retired), Former Sgt 5th Special Forces Group (Vietnam); Cleveland Browns Executive Vice President & COO
Bob Mayer is a NY Times bestselling author and former Green Beret. He graduated from the Military Academy at West Point, served in the Infantry and Special Forces, commanded a Special Forces A-Team, taught at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg and served in other Special Operations assignments. He has over 80 books published with over 4 million sold and has been on the numerous bestseller lists including The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly & US Today.
He is an international speaker and consultant. He has done interviews/appeared in/on the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, PBS, NPR, the Discovery Channel, the SyFy Channel and others.

I welcome you to this Reader’s Guide. I put this together so that you can peruse all my titles, see books in series orders, and have convenient links to the platforms the books are available on. I’ve also included previously unpublished material such as the opening to my next book, New York Minute; a short story featuring characters from the Cellar; a complete Time Patrol mission of one character; a flashback cut from New York Minute; excerpts from my survival book and a complete event from Stuff Doesn’t Just Happen: The Gift of Failure covering the Titanic, and more
Books are listed in order in their series with a brief note from me on each book. Connections between books and series are explained, along with links where the books can be found—just click on the appropriate symbol. For the Audible symbol, you’re taken to the Amazon Audible Page, but you can also find those titles directly on Audible.
Several books are free so you can get a feel: Eyes of the Hammer and Duty.
Books that have only Amazon and Audible links are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and can be borrowed on Amazon. If you’re enrolled in Amazon Prime you can also borrow those books.


Every man-made disaster and catastrophe has at least six Cascade Events leading up to the final event, the catastrophe according to the Rule of Seven.
This is a quick read of the Cascade Events that led up to Cannibalism while the ‘Donner Party’ emigrated west to California
Bob examines the Rule of Seven, and how human error plays a role in many catastrophes. Nothing happens in isolation or as a result of a single event. Thus, by learning from history, we can gain insight into preventing a similar catastrophe in the future. The key to the Donner Party were the numerous tipping points where the group failed to make decisions. Also, most people don’t know how many homicides were committed during this event!

Every man-made disaster and catastrophe has at least six Cascade Events leading up to the final event, the catastrophe according to the Rule of Seven.
This is a quick read of the Cascade Events of the second greatest loss of life in the history of California: The St. Francis Dam.
Bob examines the Rule of Seven, and how human error plays a role in many catastrophes. Nothing happens in isolation or as a result of a single event. Thus, by learning from history, we can gain insight into preventing a similar catastrophe in the future. William Mulholland, a self-taught engineer, brought water to Los Angeles, but he also brought a catastrophe in the form of the St. Francis dam which failed, killing hundreds. From the very land the dam was placed on, to its design, to the failure of Mulholland on the very day the dam would collapse when called by the worried dam-keeper, to see the pending catastrophe.
This is one of many catastrophes that Bob Mayer, former Green Beret, West Point Graduate and NY Times Bestselling Author, examines in his series of shorts: The Anatomy of a Catastrophe.

#1 NY Times Best-Selling Author Susan Wiggs
“Whatever Bob Mayer has to tell us about writing is something we should know. His Toolkit proves an
invaluable resource for beginning and seasoned writers alike. Don’t miss out.”
#1 NY Times Best-Selling Author Terry Brooks
With over 70 books published and five million sold, Bob Mayer has been making a living as an author for over a quarter century.
Writing a novel and getting it published: That’s your goal. And nothing will keep you from making it happen. Such a goal, of course, presents a number of challenges. Make sure you have the tools you need to overcome them and succeed.
In THE NOVEL WRITER’S TOOLKIT, NY Times Best-Selling author Bob Mayer shares a veteran writer’s hard-won advice with a style that’s straight from the hip. He lays out the nuts and bolts of novel writing, along with guidelines for starting, finishing and revising your work.
You’ll learn how to:
Develop story-worthy ideas
Translate those ideas into a compelling plot–one that keeps readers mesmerized
Pace your story for maximum excitement
Create realistic, complicated characters
Submit attention-getting manuscripts
Self-contained chapters make it easy to focus on the just the elements you need.
Take in the advice, sharpen your skills, and hit the ground running. Mayer provides all the reliable information and instruction you need to make your dreams of publication come true.
What are you waiting for? THE NOVEL WRITER’S TOOLKIT ensures that you’re properly equipped for success!

Write It Forward is a one-of-a-kind book focusing on you, the author. In Write It Forward Bob Mayer applies the time- tested strategies of the Green Berets to the world of being a successful author. He has taught thousands of writers over the years, but this new and innovative program probes deeper than words on the page. It is designed to teach writers how to think, plan and become the future best-sellers of the new age of publishing. The benefits you’ll gain from this book will extend far beyond your writing and reach into all areas of your life making dreams a reality.
“I have always loved how your programs delved deeply into the psychological models you need to develop characters. No you are using that to develop people.” Co-Creator of the Chicken Soup Books Jack Canfield
“Whatever Bob Mayer has to tell us about writing is something we should know. His Toolkit proves an invaluable resource for beginning and seasoned writers alike. Don’t miss out.” #1 NY Times best-selling author Terry Brooks
“Bob Mayer is a gifted writer and a generous teacher.” #1 NY Times best-selling author Susan Wiggs

A writer’s conference is a large investment in time and money so it’s certainly worth spending a little of that time and money beforehand to maximize your investment. We cover strategies for:
•How to find and pick the best conferences to meet your needs.
•Tips on how to efficiently plan for the conference.
•How to select the workshops that will benefit you the most.
•How to socialize and mingle with those who can help your career.
•Pitching techniques and tactics so you’ll be prepared for the opportunity to discuss your book.
•Finally, we go over an After Action Review and Follow-up so every conference you attend is a great success.
Checklists are included along with practical tips that will make your conference experience a valuable success.