"Stay Thirsty" Book Achieves Top Amazon Sales Ranking and Widespread Acclaim; Audiobook Released

LA GRANGE, Ky., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Stone Press is excited to announce the release of an audiobook version of Stay Thirsty: A Serial Entrepreneur's Tale of Success & Failure, the first book written by Mark Haertzen. According to the publisher, the audiobook adaptation was released because of overwhelming market demand following the success of the eBook and paperback released in March.

The Kindle version of Stay Thirsty recently achieved Best Seller Status on Amazon in the Biographies of Business Professionals category. The book also received the prestigious Independent Press Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association in NYC and will collect the 2027 NYC Big Book Award as a Distinguished Favorite in the Business-Entrepreneurship & Small Business Category.

Readers and reviewers have raved about Haertzen's unfiltered account of the risks and struggles in his life as a serial entrepreneur. The memoir has been met with widespread acclaim, such as praise by Printed Word Reviews: "Stay Thirsty is an inspiring and instructive read that replaces corporate jargon with honest storytelling."

"There have been a lot of requests for an audiobook adaptation of Stay Thirsty," said John Clark, Owner/Founder of Old Stone Press. "Countless busy people have told us they would like to listen to the "book on tape" while exercising or driving," he continued. "This iteration was fast-tracked due to strong audience reception and inquiry."

The Stay Thirsty audiobook is available through various online sales channels, including Amazon/Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and YouTube. A sneak preview of the audiobook's introduction and a video trailer can be listened to at www.staythirstythebook.com.

About The Book

The memoir chronicles Mark Haertzen's 60-year entrepreneurial journey with refreshing honesty and humility. His most significant venture, Rocket Man, serves as the primary case study for his thoughts and reflections. He covers the company's 31-year lifecycle in vivid, sometimes painful detail – from a startup launched with a prototype he built in his garage to a global manufacturer and exporter of beverage dispensing equipment with sales in 65 countries.

Mark then recounts the company's bold, strategic pivot to becoming a leading provider of walking vendors for the stadium foodservice industry, hawking beer and other drinks at 75 venues from Delaware to California. Rocket Man appeared at every major sporting event in the United States, including the Kentucky Derby (25), Super Bowl (6), World Series, Daytona 500, NCAA Final Four, and the Ryder Cup.

Few memoirs give such a raw, unfiltered account of the risks and struggles involved in building businesses and the impact they have on one's life and family. Mark not only describes his biggest wins, but also the gut-wrenching failures and insecurities he overcame to achieve them in a decades-long transformation from an impulsive and instinct-driven "born entrepreneur" into a logical, data-driven business leader.

Throughout the book, Haertzen distills his experience into what he calls "Rocket Wisdom" axioms, such as "Nothing Sprouts From the Ground Fully Grown". They offer pragmatic lessons for the reader, focusing on perseverance, flexibility, adaptability, and accepting failure as tuition for future success.

He also explores the important role mentors, partners, friends and family played in his accomplishments, reinforcing his belief that entrepreneurship is a team sport. Full of instructive insights, Stay Thirsty is both a celebration of entrepreneurial ambition and a call to accept the risk, take the plunge, and write your own story.

Author Bio

Mark Haertzen is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. During his 60-year entrepreneurial journey, Haertzen conceived more than fifty businesses, inventions, concepts, and charitable endeavors, some of which ended well and others that didn't.

They include a drive-thru coffee shop, marketing service, real estate brokerage firm, residential subdivision, technology companies, line of cocktail mixes, board game, and a chain of self-storage facilities. Rocket Man, Inc. was his most significant venture and Stay Thirsty is his most recent project.

When Haertzen isn't writing or working on his next business venture, he enjoys playing poker, boating, and sitting on the beach. Mark lives with his wife, Debbie, in LaGrange, Kentucky. They have two grown sons and a granddaughter.

OLD STONE PRESS specializes in the art of publishing single-author books, complicated or highly illustrated "coffee table" books. They are based in Louisville, Kentucky. https://oldstonepress.com/

Contact Information:

Mark Haertzen
Author, Stay Thirsty                            
(502) 548-0264                                   
[email protected]    

John Clark
Publisher, Old Stone Press
(502) 593-1506
[email protected]

SOURCE Old Stone Press