Judith Regan has chutzpah in spades. Here's how it helped and hurt her, though she wouldn't have it any other way.
By
Carlin Flora, published on May 01, 2005 - last reviewed on May 04, 2005
The president of ReganBooks -- and publisher of best sellers by authors including Howard Stern and Wally Lamb -- is a risque provocateur who's been labeled hyperaggressive... and worse. Sure, she's had scuffles with the police, the literati and her ex-husband (their divorce battle raged for 10 years), but Regan insists she's just a voracious go-getter who isn't afraid to fail.
How has chutzpah helped you?
When you're at the edge of the pool and you jump, your life is filled with many rewards, but you pay the price as well. Don't proceed with caution, not when it comes to love, not when it comes to commerce. You don't get to see the peaks and valleys unless you live life to the fullest.
You don't regret "paying the price"?
No. I don't see things as mistakes! When I had my second child, the baby was dying and I was dying. The father decided to go to the Caribbean with somebody else.
Was that heartbreaking?
Of course. I'm near death and the father of my children says: "This would be an opportune moment for me to leave you." But my ex saved my life. Had he not been a monumental asshole, I wouldn't have summoned up the strength to want to get out of bed and strangle him. Men who devastated me were my teachers. Every one of them upped my game.
What about professionally?
I make multi-million dollar gambles every week. If you don't, you're going to lose. If you do, you might win. In an eight-week period I published three Scott Peterson books. Everyone thought I was insane.
Do you get bored without controversy?
Yeah. My son asked me, "Mom, are you addicted to change and drama?" I'm not addicted to it, but I thrive on action. I've lived a very sexy life.
Did your kids inherit your boldness?
My son is very cautious... he was a tenderhearted kid. My daughter is a fierce warrior and nothing is going to get in her way.
Where do you draw the line between chutzpah and...?
Insanity? It's a tightrope I walk every day.
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