Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 27, 2026

Daniel Paisner

Daniel Paisner is an American journalist, author, and podcaster. He is best known for his work as a ghostwriter and collaborator. He has published more than eighty books, including seventeen New York Times best-sellers. He is also the author of four novels, and several works of non-fiction. His novel Balloon Dog was published by Koehler Books in 2022; his previous novel A Single Happened Thing was published by Relegation Books in 2016. His non-fiction books include Show: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot - "a devastating chronicle of an aborted television series," according the Publishers Weekly. The book was reissued in a new edition, with a new forward, by Cutting Edge Books, in 2023. He is also the author of The Ball: Mark McGwire's 70th Home Run Ball and the Marketing of the American Dream, which was published by Viking in 1999 and hailed by ESPN.com as "one of the great quirky masterpieces of baseball journalism." His best-selling collaborations include The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow (2008), The Power of Broke (2016), and Last Man Down (2002).

Last revised
Jun 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
702 w
Citations
15
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Daniel Paisner
200x200
Born (1959-12-12) December 12, 1959
Alma materTufts University
Boston University
OccupationsAuthor, ghostwriter
Websitehttp://www.danielpaisner.com/

Daniel Paisner (born December 12, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and podcaster. He is best known for his work as a ghostwriter and collaborator. He has published more than eighty books, including seventeen New York Times best-sellers.12 He is also the author of four novels, and several works of non-fiction. His novel Balloon Dog was published by Koehler Books in 2022; his previous novel A Single Happened Thing was published by Relegation Books in 2016.3 His non-fiction books include Show: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot - "a devastating chronicle of an aborted television series," according the Publishers Weekly. The book was reissued in a new edition, with a new forward, by Cutting Edge Books, in 2023. He is also the author of The Ball: Mark McGwire's 70th Home Run Ball and the Marketing of the American Dream, which was published by Viking in 1999 and hailed by ESPN.com as "one of the great quirky masterpieces of baseball journalism." His best-selling collaborations include The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow (2008), The Power of Broke (2016), and Last Man Down (2002).4

Paisner hosts the podcast As Told To, in which he interviews other authors about their experiences ghostwriting and collaborating with notable figures. The podcast, currently in its fifth season, has featured long-form interviews with journalists, novelists, songwriters, speechwriters and other artists and creatives who often work in service of someone else's voice or vision. 5

Early life

Paisner graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in English in 1982,6 before receiving an M.A. in Journalism from Boston University.7

Career

In 2006, Paisner collaborated with Holly Robinson Peete on the book Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football, which won that year's Quill Award in the Sports category.8 He co-wrote Ivanka Trump's first self-help book, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life, published in October 2009.910

In 2011, Paisner collaborated with baseball umpire Jim Joyce and pitcher Armando Galarraga on a book about Galarraga's near perfect game. On June 2, 2010, Joyce called a play incorrectly, preventing Galarraga from pitching a perfect game. Following the release of the book, Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History, MLB did not allow Joyce to work any games in which Galarraga would be playing, to avoid any appearance of impropriety due to their business relationship.11

In 2016, with Daymond John, the founder and CEO of FUBU, Paisner released The Power of Broke, a motivational business book that features stories from 15 entrepreneurs, including Steve Aoki, Rob Dyrdek, Kevin Plank, and Loren Ridinger.12 It appeared on The Wall Street Journal13 and The New York Times14 bestseller lists, and received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Instructional Literary Work.15

References

References

  1. Paisner, Daniel (26 July 2016). "Three Likes and a Re-tweet". medium.com.
  2. McCue, Matt (31 December 2012). "This Ghost is a Machine". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. "Relegation Books". 28 March 2016.
  4. "Daniel Paisner". Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  5. "As Told To: The Ghostwriting Podcast". Writer's Bone. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  6. "Daniel Paisner Bio". Tufts University.
  7. "Playster Audiobooks". Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  8. "The 2nd Annual Quill Awards". Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  9. Tolentino, Jia (November 29, 2016). "Ivanka Trump's Terrible Book Helps Explain the Trump-Family Ethos". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  10. Paisner, Daniel. "Here's a run-down of some of Daniel Paisner's Hits and Misses". Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  11. Nelson, Amy (June 1, 2011). "MLB will not let Jim Joyce umpire Armando Gallaraga's games". espn.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  12. The Power Of Broke' Interview Series: How To Succeed In Business With No Money In Your Pocket. Forbes. January 18, 2016.
  13. "Best-Selling Books Week Ended Feb. 7". The Wall Street Journal. 2016-02-11. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  14. "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - February 7, 2016 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  15. Lewis, Hillary (2017-02-10). "2017 NAACP Image Award Winners: Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-04-07.