Successful Failure, Kevin Fredericks
Successful Failure, Kevin Fredericks
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Successful Failure
Lessons Learned Flat on My Face

Author: Kevin Fredericks

Narrator: Kevin Fredericks

Unabridged: 6 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/23/2025


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Being successful is no laughing matter . . . unless the road there is littered with flops, fool’s errands, fizzles, and straight-up failures—from the New York Times bestselling co-author of Marriage Be Hard.

“I’m so happy Kev failed, because these stories will set so many free from perfection!”—Tabitha Brown, bestselling author of Feeding the Soul

Kevin Fredericks (aka KevOnStage) is a viral stand-up star, an NAACP Image Award–winning comedian, the founder of KevOnStage Studios, a New York Times bestselling author, and a superstar on social media. But his path to success wasn’t 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 couldn’t 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.

In Successful 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 Don’t Die (they sure do if the merch doesn’t sell), Kevin reminds readers that while we might not be The Rock, Warren Buffett, or Kevin Hart, we’re all out here trying, and that’s okay.

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

Reviews

Goodreads review by Charnae on July 30, 2025

I was really excited to dive into Successful Failure because I absolutely love KevOnStage and truly admire his journey and career. Unfortunately, the book didn’t land for me the way I hoped it would. It ended up being a slow read, and I struggled to stay engaged. The chapter order felt a bit all ove......more

Goodreads review by LiteraryMarie on September 07, 2025

You may not recognize him under his guhment name, Kevin Fredericks. So allow me to present to you: KevOnStage. Successful Failure: Lessons Learned Flat on My Face chronicles his path to super stardom. He quickly learned from a young age the power of making people laugh. But as with anyone, the close......more

Goodreads review by Becki on May 07, 2025

It happens so often that people seemingly become "stars" overnight, but in reality there have been years and years of incremental successes and flat-out failures, and that was certainly the case for Kevin Fredericks. KevOnStage will do whatever he has to do for a laugh, even reveal embarrassing stor......more

Goodreads review by Charell on September 30, 2025

Kevin Fredericks (aka KevOnStage) delivers an engaging, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt memoir in Successful Failure. What stood out most to me was how he told his stories—equal parts humor and honesty—that made even the most awkward or painful moments feel relatable. His willingness to laugh at h......more

Goodreads review by Nia on October 02, 2025

BEWARE: Do not read this in public if you don't want to look crazy. For the majority of this book, I was laughing out loud. On the train. In cafes. While walking down the street. Darrell Dawsey did a phenomenal job of capturing Kev's voice on the page. It was like listening to an audiobook; that's h......more


Quotes

“I’m so happy Kev failed, because these stories will set so many free from perfection!”—Tabitha Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Feeding the Soul

“As someone who’s caught quite a few Ls myself on my own journey to success (and is still catching them!), I relate to Kev’s hysterical honesty, bold transparency, and earnest desire for readers to learn from his mistakes as they fulfill their dreams. There’s wishful thinking and there’s practical application—Successful Failure offers both (but HEAVY on the practical . . . and we thank Kev for it!)”—Yvonne Orji, actor, comedian, and author of Bamboozled by Jesus

“Failure is often funny. Especially when Kev fails. So get this book. You’re going to learn some things, laugh, and find out that you can’t be scared to fail out here.”—Tony Baker, actor and comedian

“Fredericks’s . . . affable tone and can-do attitude bolster his valuable advice to view one’s career in less binary terms—‘Failure isn’t the end, but neither is success,’ he contends, describing personal growth and fulfillment as the real payoff. The result is an upbeat encouragement for readers to pick themselves up and try again.”—Publishers Weekly