Being successful is no laughing matter . . . unless the road there is littered with flops, fools errands, fizzles, and straight-up failures.

Kevin Fredericks (aka KevOnStage) is a viral stand-up star, an NAACP Image Awardwinning comedian, the founder of KevOnStage Studios, aNew York Timesbestselling author, and a superstar on social media. But his path to success wasnt always smooth. As a kid, Kevin noticed something useful: If he made people laugh, the grown-ups would let him stay up late. In church plays, his commitment to the role of Goliath led to a busted lip, and the audience couldnt get enough. He dreamed of becoming a performer, of finding that big break that would launch him into the bright lights of pop culture fame. But as he soon found, the road to the life we want is longer, weirder, more embarrassing, and more entertaining than we think it will be.

InSuccessful Failure,the comedian recounts hilarious stories and sincere insight from his adventures (and misadventures) trying to make it in life. From performing under an alias to avoid getting fired from his suit-and-tie day job to breaking a chair onstage and quitting stand-up for six months, from pooping his pants on a bus next to his future wife to starting a clothing line called Dreams Dont Die (they sure do if the merch doesnt sell), Kevin reminds readers that while we might not be The Rock, Warren Buffett, or Kevin Hart, were all out here trying, and thats okay.

Laugh-out-loud in one moment and perceptive in the next,Successful Failureis a wild ride from one of Americas funniest comics and a sendup of our ideals around hustle culture and success.

Kevin Fredericksis an NAACP Image Award-winning comedian, the founder of KevOnStage Studios, and a superstar on social media. He is the co-author, with his wife, Melissa, of theNew York TimesbestsellerMarriage Be Hard.His work and commentary have been featured byGood Morning America, Complex, Ebony, Newsweek, The Daily Beast,and MSNBC.

• Publisher: Convergent Books (September 23, 2025)
• Language: English
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780593735671
• Item Weight: 1.34 pounds
• Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.3 inches
• BISAC Categories: Humor & Entertainment, Self-Help, Biography & Memoir