bajaric
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The Gold of Northern Baja NEW BOOK
Hello Nomads,
Announcing the world premiere of a new Baja Book:
The Gold of Northern Baja, a History and Travel Guide
I am the author of this book, writing under my pen name, Jens Tobias. It went up for sale on Amazon this week and can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Northern-Baja-History-Travel/dp/...
or by going to Amazon, selecting category "books" and entering search words "Baja Gold". Look for the bright yellow cover.
The book is both a history and a travel guide. Here is a blurb from the introduction:
This book describes regions where gold has been historically known to occur in the northern half of the Baja Peninsula. I refer to this area as Baja
California Norte* (BCN). I hope that readers will find this to be an interesting history of Baja, from pre-Missionary days up until the modern era,
as well as a useful guide to exploring sone of the more remote areas of the peninsula. While this material is written from my perspective as a
hobbyist gold seeker, a desire to dress up like an old hobo and dig in the dirt is not a prerequisite for readers. Nature lovers, extreme hikers,
remote campers and off-road enthusiasts can all enjoy exploring the gold districts of BCN, even if their travel gear does not include a gold pan".
This is a "print on demand" book; if you purchase a copy Amazon prints it and ships it, usually within 2-3 days in the US. Then they pay me a few
bucks.
I would like to thank all the nomads that have shared information on this forum. A few I know by name, Harald, DK, and many others I know only by
their avatar; Geofff, Lance, Goat, TMW and all the rest. Some of the collective knowledge of the members of this forum made it into the book, as well
as many past Baja authors; Heman Hill, Gerhart and Gulik, Crosby, Martinez, North, Nelson, Hale, and too many more to list.
I hope a few copies are sold. If you purchase a copy and are so inclined, please leave a review on Amazon and / or on this thread.
The book includes a few black and white photos, as well as about 100,000 words of text. Also ten hand drawn maps.
Thanks to all, bajaric aka Jens Tobias
 
Baja California gold prospecting Real del Castillo placer placers Santa Clara El Alamo El Arco Calmalli tertiary gold mine Soccoro Valladeres
[Edited on 9-10-2023 by bajaric]
[Edited on 9-10-2023 by bajaric]
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bajaric
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Quote: Originally posted by lencho  | | Quote: Originally posted by bajaric | | This is a "print on demand" book; if you purchase a copy Amazon prints it and ships it, usually within 2-3 days in the US. |
How interesting! I didn't know they did that.
Out of curiosity, did you have the option of offering a Kindle version? It's probably not an ideal format for a work including maps and other
graphics, but I'm interested in how the Amazon ecosystem works. |
Print on demand has been around for a while. I would have preferred to use a traditional publisher, but this is such a niche subject I did not really
shop it too much. I sent one author query email that went unanswered and then just went the print on demand route. It is pretty easy; you cut and
paste a work document into a book template. Of course, I had to write it first. It took five years to write it.
There is an option to make a Kindle version, but I prefer to publish it as a regular book printed on paper with ink. I doubt if it will make the
bestseller list but hey stranger things have happened.
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David K
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That was easy! It will be in my hand on Sunday!
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bajaric
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Thanks DK! Unless someone bought one prior to 3pm today you got the second copy ever sold, the first being to my mother lol. Your book was really
well done, great graphics. I could have used some help with the generic cover but oh well now it is time to set my creation free and see how it does.
The Amazon system (Kindle direct publishing) does enable one to make changes or corrections at will, but at this point I am so sick of editing that
thing that it is just going to get sold the way it is. I think there might be one typo left.
Also thanks for invite to the Baja Expo. I for sure will bring a copy and sign yours if you want. I could have a stack of my books printed at cost
and you guys could try and sell some and we could split the profits to defer your space rent if you want. Or just put one copy on the table with
information on where to buy it. I really appreciate the offer.
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4x4abc
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congrats to the book!
they are never easy
here is a great tool for your next books:
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/
Harald Pietschmann
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advrider
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Awesome, on my way to buy one. Is it legal for an American to look for and keep gold in Baja? Say by using a metal detector or gold pan? I was lucky
as a child to have a grandfather that was a gold hunter, history buff and general collector, we had many an adventure.
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wilderone
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Congratulations, Ric. So you told all your secrets??
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bajaric
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I don't want to clutter up the forum with marketing, so will post replies on here addressing several comments at a time:
Harald, thanks. Some of the info in the book about the Pioneer Mine group south of Punta Final can be traced back to your contributions.
advrider, thanks for your purchase. To answer your question, with the permission of the property owner, searching the surface of the land for mineral
deposits is perfectly legal. Beyond that it gets a little complicated, as discussed in the book. In practice, it is usually just a matter of getting
to a long-abandoned mining area that is so remote that no one knows or cares that you are there.
Wilderone, (Hi Cindy!) That thought did cross my mind. Most of the information in the book was already out there, but it did take a lot of research
to uncover it and put it all in one place. However, it is not as if this is plastered all over the internet for free, like giving away the location
of a secret surf spot or an unknown cave painting. Someone has to buy a copy of the book, read it, then go to Mexico and drive on rough dirt roads
and search around to see what they might find. Besides, what fun would it be if no one ever shared their experiences and kept it all to themselves?
Sharing information is what this forum is all about and the world is richer for it. Hopefully I will be a little richer for it too!
In reality, it is pretty hard to actually find a decent amount of gold in Baja. Its Mexico. Labor is cheap. Most anything that can be easily
accessed and dug up with a pick and a shovel is long gone. It happens from time to time, but usually by experienced prospectors with some pretty
expensive equipment in some very remote spots. Occasionally an amateur will make a lucky strike, such as the "Boot of Cortez" a 26-pound gold nugget
found in Sonora by some guy with a cheap radio shack metal detector in the 1980's, but that was a fluke, a one in a million chance.
I view it more as an interesting hobby and an excuse to visit some really cool parts of Baja. I also hope that many people will enjoy the historical
aspect of the book even if they never go to Baja and search for gold.
[Edited on 8-26-2023 by bajaric]
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David K
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Ric, I am impressed with the quantity of information and the newness of the books and websites you recommend.
I appreciate mentioning my book and website, as well. We like to help others find fun and adventure on the peninsula.
The book is slightly bigger than mine and a few more pages, too. I need to get back to reading more. After reading one chapter and thumbing through
the others, I was comfortable to recommend it on my Facebook pages & groups. The cover image is added to the Viva Baja Books page and the book is
mentioned in the 'What's New at Viva Baja" section.
Here again is the link to order the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Northern-Baja-History-Travel/dp/...
Thank you!
[Edited on 8-28-2023 by David K]
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geoffff
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I ordered a copy Aug 26. Arriving today!
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David K
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Reading update,
Just over half way through BajaRic's (Jens') book...
I am so amazed and proud of the content he included.
The Gold of Northern Baja shows you how much Baja gives us to explore and learn about!
More to come!
 
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bajaric
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Hi DK, thanks for kind words. As it turned out my book does have several references to you and your website vivabaja and your book about the
missions. That is not surprising, because Bajanomad forum is in the DNA of the book. Since you are the most prolific poster on here it was "bound"
to happen.
I think I have probably read every post on this forum for the last ten years. There is a lot of good information on here sequestered away among
political arguments etc. Especially pertaining to road conditions, safety concerns, accommodations. and the like, which all found their way into my
book. Ten copies sold so far! Not bad since this is the first attempt to market it. About one out of fifty people that read the post purchased a
copy. Pretty soon will post it on FB talkbaja, then plan to make some YouTubes, in addition to several YouTube videos I have already made about Baja
Gold under the Channel Jens Tobias.
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David K
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I will contact you soon with some notes and will continue to wish you great success.
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