In Episode 26, we interview Jodi Lipper, the bestselling collaborative writer whose most recent work helped to bring billion dollar shoe mogul Steve Madden’s story to life in the memoir “The Cobbler” which is out in paperback now from Diversion Books. Jodi Lipper is the first ghost writer on the show and she discusses the process of helping develop the voice and earn the trust of high profile people like Steve Madden and help them construct their story. In this moving and inspiring interview, we see a true craftswoman at work—helping Steve Madden articulate how he wrestled his demons and emerged a healthier, happier person who continues to give back to the world. I love a great memoir that, in Wallace Stegner’s words, is constructed around an “anguished question.” In this case, Steve Madden asks himself, “How did I get here?” over and over from the tower of his success to the corner of his jail cell. Jodi Lipper shares generously on what it was like to learn every secret of the shoe mogul and the deep friendship they formed as a result. Their special collaboration is really about how to see and listen deeply to others with compassion and help them reconcile their past to live in the present with grace, conviction and gratitude. I was so impressed by Steve Madden’s brutal honesty in this book, and how Jodi Lipper brilliantly drew it out. I hope you appreciate what’s revealed.
Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.
About the guest author:
Bestselling collaborative writer Jodi Lipper was a former fiction editor at Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, where she worked on numerous #1 New York Times best sellers. She has since become a six-time New York Times bestselling author herself who partners with high profile experts and celebrities to translate their experiences and expertise into highly effective and marketable books. In addition to Steve Madden and his memoir The Cobbler, she’s worked with Dave Asprey, the “father of biohacking” and the creator of Bulletproof Coffee, Fran Hauser, whose book The Myth of the Nice Girl was named the Best Business Book of 2018 by Audible and was listed by Amazon as One of the Best Business and Leadership Books of the Year. Jodi has also worked with Jacqueline Brassy from the McKinsey Health Institute on the book Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World, which was also co-authored by Aaron De Smet, and Michiel Kruyt and published by Harper Business last year, and most recently Jodi worked with Emily Morse, sexologist and host of the top rated podcast Sex with Emily who’s book Smart Sex: How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure will be published by Park Row (HarperCollins) in June.
About the host:
Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup built to help authors succeed. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. She recently finished her first YA crossover novel inspired by her nephew with Down syndrome. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. To learn more about her books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.
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The Page One Podcast is created at the foot of a mountain in Marin County, California, and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of my creative community!
Be well and keep reading.
~Holly~
This episode is brought to you by the learning platform, Five things I’ve Learned. As a writing coach and former professor of creative writing, I am an ardent supporter of lifelong learning. So Five Things I’ve Learned is something I really like, and – full disclosure, it’s something created by folks I know.
Now in the middle of their third year, my friends at Five Things I’ve Learned make it super easy for artists, writers, musicians, and the thinkers they admire to offer live, online classes that share the essential ideas and experiences of a lifetime. This entire thing was conceived during the pandemic and it’s brilliant.
There are almost 100 Five Things I’ve Learned unique sessions already available online –from all sorts of disciplines. The best part: they’re always live and you can check out the archive for classes you’ve missed. And of course, there are so many great classes by writers. And they have an impressive list of master storytellers!
New York Times best-selling writer Meg Wolitzer just did a class about the “Five Things She’s Learned about Writing about Family.” The amazing Steve Almond just did a class on what he’s learned about “Where Stories Come From.” There are many more two-hour classes and workshops, from award winning authors like Isabel Allende and the wonderful travel writer Pico Iyer, and even from my friend, the writer and publisher Brooke Warner – and a whole lot more. You can view these and many other great classes on-demand any time so I hope you check out myfivethings.com right now and get to experience one of these live workshops yourself. I might see you there and teach a class soon—about the first page of a book.