HANALEI, Kaua'i — Bethany Hamilton's comeback story has given rise to a cottage industry of books, films, product endorsements and speaking engagements.

Each member of her family, her brother's girlfriend and a close family friend are involved in the enterprises.

One of her most successful efforts was her biography, "Heart of a Soul Surfer: A True Story of Family, Faith and Fighting to Get Back on the Board," which sold 360,000 hardback and 450,000 paperback copies.

She also has a book of advice for girls, "Ask Bethany: FAQs on Surfing, Faith and Friends," which evolved out of the deluge of e-mails that Bethany didn't have time to answer one-by-one.

Other books published under the Bethany banner are two daily devotionals, a "Soul Surfer Bible" and a series of four young-adult novels with Bethany as the main character.

Becky Baumgartner, a 23-year-old Kaua'i resident who dates Bethany's oldest brother, Noah, thinks of Bethany as "a little sister" and works full time as her personal assistant.

Baumgartner also directed a 30-minute documentary video about Bethany, "Heart of A Soul Surfer," which started showing at film festivals last year and has been distributed to 7,000 churches for use in youth ministries.

A screenplay for a feature-length film based on Bethany's story is under way and filming is supposed to start this fall, Baumgartner said. No actress has been selected for the lead role, but Bethany will do the surfing, Baumgartner said.

While Bethany continues to be requested as a motivational speaker to church groups, that schedule has slowed this year because the pro surfing tour is so demanding, Baumgartner said.

One of her largest engagements was a "Rock the Universe" Christian music conference at Universal Studios in Florida last fall.

Bethany doesn't prepare a speech, but "speaks from her heart," Baumgartner said, and each event is different.

Her father, Tom Hamilton, who still works as a waiter at a Princeville resort restaurant, and Noah share management duties such as booking flights to surf tournaments. Her other brother Tim, a videographer who specializes in bodyboarding footage, shoots surfing video of his sister, while Noah takes her still photos.

The family, Bethany's agent Roy Hofstetter and Baumgartner sort through offers of sponsorship, product endorsement or appearances and decide what fits with Bethany's image and interests, Baumgartner said. Bethany gets the final say.

Much of the money Bethany earns is used for travel to surf contests, Baumgartner said. Her earnings from contest prize money this year — $3,450 — is not enough to cover even one contest trip.

One family member or a friend usually travels with Bethany, to keep costs down.

Bethany's main surfing sponsor, RipCurl, pays her a monthly salary. Other sponsors, such as Sambazon Acai, provide free products in exchange for Bethany's endorsement, Baumgartner said.

Bethany has her own his-and-her scents that sell in surfboard-shaped bottles, with the surfer lingo names "Wired" and "Stoke," plus other personal care products with Revelations perfume and cosmetics.

Products she endorses include Claire's accessory boutiques, Kawasaki motorcycles and Jet Skis, Subway sandwich shops, and surf equipment suppliers Surf-One, Ocean Minded, Hanalei Surf, Ocean Grown and Surfco Hawaii.

Bethany's humanitarian side shows through mentoring youngsters in a Christian surf camp called Walking on Water and affiliations with World Vision and the Foundation for a Better LIfe.

A nonprofit Friends of Bethany Foundation is in formation, Baumgartner said. It will offer scholarships and other help to people who have lost limbs to shark attacks or other traumatic events.

The Bethany phenomenon shows no sign of slowing. Kids in Australia leapt to ask her for autographs during a recent monthlong stay for four surf contests. Churches and Christian organizations invite her to speak at events. She's featured on a number of youth- and sports-oriented Web sites and a Christian video directed at high school graduates.