‘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.

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?