A Girl’s Guide to Military Service Named Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist

Guide for young women considering military service is finalist for best Business & Career book AND best Teen Nonfiction book

(St. Paul, MN, April 2023)A Girl’s Guide to Military Service: Selecting Your Specialty, Preparing for Success, Thriving in Military Life by Amanda Huffman, published by Elva Resa Publishing, has been named a finalist in the 35th annual IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award™ program in two categories: Business & Career and Teen Nonfiction.

Regarded as one of the highest national honors recognizing independent publishers for excellence and innovation in book publishing, the Benjamin Franklin Award™ is presented by Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest independent publishing trade association in the United States.

One gold winner for each category will be announced in an awards ceremony in May. The remaining finalists will receive silver awards.

About the book
A Girl’s Guide to Military Service helps young women considering a military job or career to discern if military service is the right choice for them, weigh the benefits and challenges of military life, evaluate options that interest them, and set themselves up to succeed in their choices.

“Young women considering military service often have questions that go beyond the basics of training and career opportunities, questions best answered by other women who serve,” says Elva Resa publisher Karen Pavlicin. “It has been a true pleasure to work with author and Air Force veteran Amanda Huffman on this helpful guide. Amanda has been supporting women in the military for years. Her own experience as well as the experiences of women veterans in her network informed the content and approach.”

Information and perspective shared in the book helps young women evaluate choices such as whether to enlist or commission as an officer, select a service branch and career field, prepare for training, and navigate unique challenges as a woman in the military. The information is applicable for enlisted and officer careers in any US Armed Forces service branch and type of service commitment, including Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, Space Force; enlisted and officer; and active duty, National Guard, and Reserves.

Going beyond other join-the-military guides, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service answers friend-to-friend questions like: What is it like to be the only woman in a unit? How do women manage field hygiene while deployed? Do opportunities change when a service woman becomes pregnant?

“I wanted to offer deeper advice and feedback on what it is like to be a woman in the military,” says Amanda. “This is information I wish I had known, and I hope it makes the journey a little easier for other women and helps them have more confidence in their decisions and themselves.”

About the author
Amanda Huffman is an Air Force veteran, Space Force wife, and mom. She served six years on active duty, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Amanda is a featured expert on military-related podcasts and writes for military publications. Her Women of the Military podcast and Airman to Mom blog provide stories, resources, and encouragement to women in the military community.

About the award
Each year, publishers submit their best books for consideration in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award™ program. This year more than 1800 entries were judged by more than 160 librarians, booksellers, and book industry experts, from September through March. All award finalists meet a distinguished set of criteria, including exceptional content and design. The books are judged individually against publishing industry standards, as well as compared to other books published in the same year.

About the publisher
Elva Resa has been serving the military community with quality resources for more than 26 years and has been recognized by several national awards programs for excellence in publishing. Its authors and team members regularly advocate for military families, service members, and veterans, and have received numerous accolades in the military, education, and healthcare industries for their efforts.

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ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an award-winning, mission-driven, traditional independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, specializing in quality resources by, for, and about military families. Elva Resa’s mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. ElvaResa.comMilitaryFamilyBooks.com

A Girl’s Guide to Military Service is available in paperback and ebook everywhere books are sold. Case and bulk discounts available from MilitaryFamilyBooks.com.

Direct sales support military family programs: MilitaryFamilyBooks.com/Girls-Guide

MEDIA: Please contact Elva Resa PR at 651-357-8770 or pr [@] elvaresa.com.

Title: A Girl’s Guide to Military Service: Selecting Your Specialty, Preparing for Success, Thriving in Military Life
Author: Amanda Huffman
Publisher: Elva Resa Publishing
Publication Date: September 13, 2022
Distributed by: Military Family Books; INscribe Digital
ISBN: 978-1-934617-67-0 (pb); 978-1-934617-76-2 (ebk)
Format: 6″x9″ paperback, 176 pages; ebook
Retail Price: $24.95 (pb); $12.99 (ebk)
Case Quantity: 40

More information:
Book press page: ElvaResa.com/book/A-Girls-Guide-to-Military-Service
Author press page: ElvaResa.com/author-artist/Amanda-Huffman

Reviews:

“… a solid, factual, and practical guide to help young women make a major life decision with confidence. … This guide will make certain every young woman considering military service … will be prepared to succeed, no matter what choice she makes. Strongly recommended.”
—Mari K. Eder, Major General, US Army (Ret)

“… Amanda shares advice through her own personal experience as a former Air Force officer. …  a perfect guide to help any woman considering life in uniform get straight talk on how it all works …”
—Jose Velazquez, Sergeant Major, US Army Public Affairs (Ret)

“… a how-to guide to join the military from a female service member’s perspective, providing guidance and resources from inception through planning for the end of your military career. … On a scale of 1 to 10, I definitely give this book a 10!should be required reading for every young woman pondering the thought of a military lifestyle.”
—Danielle De Leon Guerrero, US Air Force veteran, founder of Served Like HER, Inc.

“… From detailing the all-important questions young women should ask themselves to decide if military service is right for them, to expertly explaining the personalities and missions of each service branch … the critical difference between serving as a commissioned officer versus enlisting after high school … plus insight into the realities of workplace dynamics when you’re the only woman (or one of a handful) in the unit … a must-have resource …”
—Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, US Air Force veteran, author of B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé

“Wow! … this book is incredibly informative and real! Transparency and authentic viewpoints are needed (and highly desired) when a young woman is making the decision to join the service. … really great insights by a woman veteran … I highly recommend this book to any young woman, and her family members, who are looking for real insights on considering joining the service. …”
—Destinee Prete, PhD, US Army veteran, president of We2AreVets

 

Elva Resa Publishing