Episode #341: Life as a Ghost with Daniel Paisner

Daniel Paisner is one of the busiest collaborators in publishing. He's written over sixty books, on topics ranging from business and sports, to politics and popular culture, including sixteen New York Times best-sellers.

His work has been profiled in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, ESPN: The Magazine and on National Public Radio. (In a recent New York Magazine article on how to write someone else's memoir, he was referred to as the "most prolific living ghost" - a title that may or may not have been meant as a back-handed compliment.)

He is co-author of best-selling books with tennis champion Serena Williams, Ray Lewis, Denzel Washington, Steve Aoki, Whoopi Goldberg...and even Ivanka Trump.

We spent little time talking about his new releases and spent most of the conversation unpacking:

• How Daniel came to be the most prolific living ghost
• What he has learned about success from over 35 years as a ghost writer who has worked with big names from across myriad domains; and
• What Daniel’s creative process looks like

We unpacked that and more so sit back and enjoy my conversation with 16-times NYT bestselling author, Daniel Paisner.

Topics Discussed:

• Daniel’s backstory
• How Daniel got his big break in writing
• Luck v talent v persistence
• How to maintain energy and enthusiasm for your work
• What characteristics successful people share
• The common pitfalls of success
• The arrival fallacy
• Steve Aoki
• Bringing diverse experiences to writing
• Sleep and creativity
• Daniel’s creative process
• How Daniel gets into the flow state
• How to overcome blank page terror
• How to capture the voice of your subject as a ghost writer
• How to tell better stories
• The value of seekking out uncertainty and novelty
• Why ‘the book finds you’ in writing, business and in life
• How to develop a growth mindset when embarking on new, challenging endeavours

Show Notes:

Twitter: @danielpaisner

Web: danielpaisner.com

Books mentioned: 

1 - The Ball - https://amzn.to/2YAh1nj 

2 - Ray Lewis - https://amzn.to/2Yoqcae 

3 - Steve Aoki - https://amzn.to/2YrTp47 

4 - Daymond John - https://amzn.to/2VBATcx 

5 - Game 7, 1986 - https://amzn.to/2YCgNft 

6 - Izzy Paskowitz - https://amzn.to/2YsIBCF 

7 Mourning Wood - https://amzn.to/2YAtzLn 

8 Serena Williams - https://amzn.to/2YzNUR1 

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