It’s been a while since I last blogged, and for good reason—preparing for the release of my first nonfiction book has been an all-consuming journey. I was told to expect setbacks in the self-publishing process, and indeed they came. This has been one of the most challenging projects I have ever taken on. My motto throughout (from John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success) has been patience.

Good things take time.

Here’s an update on where the book is at:

• The Kickstarter (KS) campaign, which wrapped up on September 25th, was a huge success! We raised $6,775—112% of our goal. Every dollar is going toward ensuring a high-quality book reaches surfers around the globe.
• Most of my energy now is directed at getting those 55 KS supporters an “early edition” copy of the book.
• I’ve enlisted a team of 10 skilled professionals to support the official book launch in January. Let me know if you would like to join that team.
• Experts in the book publishing industry were hired for the following tasks:
  – Designing the front and back cover art
  – Conducting developmental and copy edits
  – Proofreading
  – Final formatting and typesetting
• The first “Author’s Proof – Not For Resale” copy is now in my hands (see below), and it’s looking great!

Mark Your Calendars for January 11, 2025:

• Surfing in Heaven will be available on Amazon in e-book, paperback, and hardback on January 11th.
• I plan to personally narrate the audiobook, with a release date set for later in 2025.
• For those in the Bay Area, save the date! We’re hosting a launch event and celebration in Mountain View on January 11th (venue details to come). Invitations will be sent in December to everyone subscribed to my blog or email list. If you’re not already subscribed, send me your email through the “Contact Mike” form on my site.
• Can’t make it to the event? Help spread the word on social media on January 11th. See the links below for ways to stay connected and support.

Call to Action:

==> Follow my blog at surfingforbalance.com/blog (subscribe)
===> Sign up for my newsletter at: https://mike-mulkey.ck.page/d295bdb67c
====> Join my launch team: https://surfingforbalance.com/join-the-launch-team/

I can’t wait to share the finished product with you.

A Final Story:

This book is dedicated to my wife, Marla, my “chief editor,” through countless drafts, many of which ended up as blog posts.

One of the few debates we had revolved around my love for the exclamation point (!). You might say I tended to overuse them. Ha. Marla often suggested removing them, and while I usually begrudgingly agreed, there were always just a few I couldn’t part with.

Fast forward to the professional proofreading phase of this project, when the proofreader gave me feedback that included this gem:

“There are quite a few exclamation points in the manuscript, which can be distracting. However, as a professional, I wouldn’t tell you to change your writing style—just an observation.”

There were in fact, 310 exclamation points!

Are you kidding me?

And yes, most of them have now been removed. ☺

Mike