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‘Maid’ Author Stephanie Land on the Highs (and Lows) of Turning Your Memoir Into a Hit TV Show

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‘Maid’ Author Stephanie Land on the Highs (and Lows) of Turning Your Memoir Into a Hit TV Show

In Part 2 of our interview with the guest judge for Narratively's 2023 Memoir Prize, we chat about what it’s like to see your life story adapted for television.

Brendan Spiegel
Oct 25, 2023
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‘Maid’ Author Stephanie Land on the Highs (and Lows) of Turning Your Memoir Into a Hit TV Show

www.narratively.com
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Collage by Yunuen Bonaparte

We’re beyond thrilled to have the accomplished author (and two-time Narratively contributor!) Stephanie Land guest judging the 2023 Narratively Memoir Prize.

Last week, in Part 1 of this interview, I chatted with Stephanie about how she got her writing career off the ground and sold the proposal that would become her hit book, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.

In Part 2, we chat about what it was like to see her book adapted for the screen.

Brendan: So, after you wrote the book, they obviously followed through on their lofty marketing promises, because it took off right away once it was published. 

Stephanie: Yeah, I figured out what it meant to be a lead title pretty quickly.

Brendan: Then, how did the Netflix show come about? Were you able to be involved in production?

Stephanie: Not really. I preferred it that way. There was always the promise that I would be on set and be a lot more involved. But once they started making the actual thing, it was in the thick of the pandemic, and where they were shooting I would have had to go there and quarantine in a hotel room for two weeks and then be allowed to hang out for a few days. It was just too much. 

Brendan: How did it come about in the first place?

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