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Olivia Nuzzi Answers Your Questions
The article highlights the evolving landscape of media and publishing, particularly with the rise of platforms like Substack, which allows authors to engage directly with their audience. For brand strategy, this underscores the importance of personal storytelling and authentic engagement in building a brand's narrative, especially for authors and content creators navigating public controversies.
Feed Me: Olivia Nuzzi answers your questions. "If I was elected president in a write-in campaign I would not return to Washington." Good afternoon everyone. Rachel Karten and I are hosting a holiday party for our readers in New York next week. You can RSVP here. Yes, there will be an open bar. Today’s letter includes: An interview with Olivia Nuzzi about her book American Canto (out today), an exclusive cover reveal of Allie Rowbottom’s new book, The New Yorker joined Substack, and Chris Black’s new clothing line. 📱 Have a story you think we should look into?
Text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: (646) 494-3916 I first met Olivia Nuzzi when I was 21. I was sitting at my cubicle at New York Magazine and she came up to my desk and asked if I smoked. I didn’t, but I wanted to make a new friend in the office. We stood outside in our winter coats on Varick Street, and I was sort of half-smoking one of her cigarettes as she told me about a story she was working on.
Maybe it was a profile of Kellyanne Conway. Because of our personal relationship, I have felt conflicted writing about the media blowup involving her, RFK Jr and Ryan Lizza, and therefore have avoided it. However, yesterday morning, I was finishing up my newsletter and my phone lit up. I was given the opportunity to let my readers ask Olivia anything they wanted about her book, which I had started reading over the weekend. Below are her answers, which have been published without edits.
She also provided a piece she wrote called Signs Your Book Rollout Has Gone Awry. In some answers, Olivia addresses her ex Ryan Lizza, who is currently publishing essays about their relationship on Substack in which he accuses her of ethical breaches. In September 2024, Nuzzi filed an application for an order of protection against Lizza. Lizza denied her claims and accused her of defamation, and Nuzzi withdrew the petition that November. “Olivia shamelessly used litigation with false and defamatory allegations as a public relations strategy,” Lizza said in a response at the time.
Reached for comment today about Nuzzi’s interview with Feed Me, Lizza said “telling the truth is not harassment.” Per Nuzzi’s lawyer, Ari Wilkenfeld, “Ms. Nuzzi sought the intervention of the DC Superior Court in 2024 amid a harassment campaign that is still ongoing and has now lasted more than sixteen months. That legal process was then weaponized and used to escalate the harassment against her and to humiliate her.” Editor’s Note: The following interview contains Olivia Nuzzi’s personal perspective on her recent work and the public controversy surrounding it.
The characterizations of relationships and events described below reflect her own views and experiences. Olivia Nuzzi answers your questions. Do you feel like the rise of substack has had any impact on the memoir genre? - Gutes I like when people write and I like when people read and I am not overly precious about where or how or why or when they do those things. I like when people write and I like when people read and I am not overly precious about where or how or why or when they do those things. Why did you write this book on your phone? What were the benefits of this? - Tamzin I always write on my phone.
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The article discusses the shift in media and publishing that affects brand storytelling, which is significant for content creators, but the concepts of direct engagement and personal storytelling are already established practices.