The AIM is #3 on Amazon Children's Books >;;; Science >;;; Astronomy & Space (Past 90)

WOWOW…WOW ! The Astronaut Instruction Manual is #3!!!

Thank you, backers. We wouldn't be here without you. And thanks for those Amazon reviews, too. Reviewers, you are the best! WOWOW.

Keep up the good work, be happy and good cheer, gift-giving season is upon us!

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

TAKE YOUR CHILD TO A BOOKSTORE DAY

Mark your calendar: Take Your Child To A Bookstore Day is Saturday, December 5th.

In honor of TYCTAB Day (created by children's author Jenny Milchman as an auspicious way to bring in the holidays and share her love for bookstores, and now in its 6th year), I will doing my first book-signing ever for The Astronaut Instruction Manual at Island Books in Key West. If you are in the area, by all means stop in and say hi. If you have a book I'll sign it and if you need a book Inkshares' Avalon Radys has made sure there are plenty on hand.

(And if you're not in Key West, then by all means be sure and take your child to a bookstore wherever you are. Bookstores literally made me the person I am today. I would not be here but for the mystery and wonder and science and fantastic adventure that bookstores (and libraries!!) enabled in my formative years and beyond.)

Feel free to spread the word about TYCTAB Day. Here is our Facebook post and here is the Twitter tweet. Share, like, and RT, my faithful reader allies. Let a million children's imagination be set free to soar with books and reading. After all, it worked for you and me!

Keep up the good work,
Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

PS btw the breath-taking young reader pictured above is Sophie, daughter of Jed & Molly. And yes she is 104% as awesome a person as she looks. We are honored to count her as a fan, ally, and future space explorer.

Hi Mike, I just received my copy of your awesome book. After browsing a few pages, I'm suddenly inspired to create a similar book, but for Mechanical Engineers! It's an idea at the moment, but I'm going to garner some interest and support and maybe do it through work. Thanks for the spark Mr Mongo! All the best!

UPDATE: The AIM is #1 New Release Children's Book Astronomy on Amazon

…and #1 Aeronautics & Space, and #1 Astronomy & Space, too! As of this weekend, The Astronaut Instruction Manual is now #1 New Release in all three categories! Twitter followers: Be sure and RT this news for us!

BTW have you read our Amazon reviews? Read our reviews. Your Amazon review matters!

And keep up the good work, everyone, your tweets, likes, and shares…and reviews!…are making the difference in getting the word out about The Astronaut Instruction Manual. Thanks!

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

BIG News & Reviews

Out of 22 new Children's Aeronautics & Space titles recently debuted I am thrilled to report The Astronaut Instruction Manual is now the #1 New Release on Amazon.

Read the Amazon reviews. We are doing terrific. Have you written one? Has your student?

Getting under-12-years olds to write a review on Amazon is actually quite simple: Just ask them what they thought and post it for them. In fact, these are the best reviews!

Here's the link. Will you write a review of The Astronaut Instruction Manual?

Thank you! And keep up the good work,

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

The AIM is in Good Company

This weekend, The Astronaut Instruction Manual entered Amazon's Top-5 New Release Children's Books Space & Astronomy of last 90-days. Take a look:

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The AIM is trailing behind new books by none other than Sally Ride and Buzz Aldrin! 

As you can see above, your reviews count: We are running at #2 for book reviews. Please write an Amazon review if you have not done so yet. Even if you have never before written a review on Amazon, believe me, now is the time to step up to the plate.

Great job, backers and supporters! (And great job, Team Inkshares–wow!)

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

The AIM is  #1 New Release Children's Astronomy Book on Amazon

Am I happy to share this news!

Two weeks after release, The Astronaut Instruction Manual has become #1 New Release in Children's Astronomy Books on Amazon.

This news comes with a prize bonus. See those 3 customer reviews? All three of our customer reviews came from backers! 

(If I could ask for one birthday present this year, it would be for YOU to review The AIM on Amazon. Here's the link. Click on Write a review. Then go to it, Reviewer!)

If you have any questions about your books, email me mike-at-mikemongo-dot-com or Inkshares' Matt Hayes at hello-at-inkshares-dot-com. And keep up the good work!

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

Reviews are in...

...and now we need yours! This week is an important week for The Astronaut Instruction Manual. Opening week sales are an exciting time. Now that most all our backers have their copies many of you are reading your copy to your daughter or son, or have handed it off to the appropriate party, or have just read it yourself ("My people!").

Now we need you to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. These reviews mean everything in terms of building confidence, interest, and getting the book into the hands of future astronauts.

These book reviews are so important I'm willing to sweeten the deal.

Write a review at Amazon or Goodreads or both, and I will mail you–and I mean really mail you in a flat envelope and everything–the actual Astronaut Permission Slip I use for students with whom I personally engage for your future astronaut(s)* and signed by me.

These Astronaut Persmission Slips are very popular and are framable/scrapbookable. It is a way to further incentivize and inspire the young person to envision a space future with them in it, living working and playing in space.

Just email me at mike-at-mikemongo-dot-com when you post the review with the link and your mailing address, and I will post your signed Astronaut Permission Slip(s)* in the mail to you.

Students love these. And I mean love them…

…and I appreciate your reviews on Amazon or Goodreads because it helps us inspire more young minds about their own future with The Astronaut Instruction Manual. 

This is a fun way to encourage reviews and future astronauts at the same time. Remember, by solving for space we solve for every challenge we face on earth today–energy, sustainability, inclusion, equality, even prosperity–the solutions to every problem we face today are found in solving for space. And that's the future we want our for our kids.

So I'm asking: Will you write a review on Amazon or Goodreads to help bring about that future? Let's help let a million Astronaut Permission Slips fly–including yours!

Thank you in advance, parents and guardians of future astronauts, and keep up the good work,

Mike Mongo 
astronaut teacher

Best review yet of The Astronaut Instruction Manual

…is this photo:

Okay to be fair Alicia Smock's 5-star review (!) on Examiner.com was amazing, as well, but it's tough to cap a young student filling their head with dreams of space and astronautics before headed to bed on a shark-covered pillow garbed in ninja pajamas. 

This fellow is minutes away from launching: Can you imagine the dreams of future flight and space wonder his young mind will be after upon falling off to sleep?

I can. It is why I wrote The Astronaut Instruction Manual. I wrote it for inspiring this exact person, exactly loved as they are by their exact parents, and for this exact moment: to be read right before heading off to sleep.

To my friends and followers, thank you for the photos. They are as important to me personally as reviews on Amazon are to book sales (hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint) which my publisher says is pretty important. Wink as good as a nudge. ;)

May The Astronaut Instruction Manual launch a million dreams or more to faraway places and space futures. And keep those photos and reviews coming!

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher

The Astronaut Instruction Manual IS ARRIVING

The AIM hits shelves in bookstaores nationwide next week. Of course, our backers are already posting photos of themselves with their copies arriving directly from Inkshares!

The Astronaut Instruction Manual shipped out this past week and you our backers are posting photos with the book. What a great idea!

If you are posting on Facebook, our FB page is:
facebook.com/AstronautInstructionManualforPreTeens

If you are posting to Twitter, my twitter page is:
twitter.com/MikeMongo

(Hashtags I use are #TheAIM and #STEM.)

Seeing these books with the happy faces of their new owners being posted is an unexpected treat. Thank you, supporters and backers! It has been a year since we started this process, and I and the entire team at Inkshares–hello, Thad, Adam, Emma, Jeremy, Tess, Kim, Avalon, & Matt (not to forget the team members at book designers MacFadden & Thorpe)–and the amount of blood sweat and tears…plus loads of smiles and laughter…has been monumental. That is, The Astronaut Instruction Manual stands as a testament to the very words I share everyday with young students in classrooms: "Team Work makes the Dream Work."

Check your mailbox. The AIM is arriving. And thanks for posting the photos of books and smiling faces. We put our hearts and soul in this. Seeing the smiles makes it all worthwhile!

Mike Mongo
astronaut teacher