who she is: Maverick publisher whose clients include Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.
recent claim to fame: Posed on the inside cover of her ReganBooks catalogue wearing a pink Vera Wang dress.
profession: President and publisher of the Regan Company, a "polymedia" division of News Corporation Ltd., a Fox enterprise run by media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch.
education: Vassar
Regan on polymedia: "Poly means many, and one of my authors, Doug Coupland, described me as a polymedia person because I am doing it all: books, TV and movies."
revenue: From 1994 through 1997, company revenues totaled approximately $100 million. For the fiscal year ending in June 1998, the Regan Company is projected to make $20-$30 million.
basic story: As VP and senior editor at Simon & Schuster, Regan was dissatisfied with the publishing world's grueling hours and less than great pay. But meeting Rupert Murdoch turned her career around. During a power lunch with the media guru, she asked for it all -- and she walked away with a book deal, a production company and her own weekly TV show.
recognition: In 1996, ReganBooks was named one of the most successful imprints in the publishing industry. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly listed Regan as one of entertainment's most powerful people. Also in 1997, The Hollywood Reporter included her in its "Women in Entertainment" issue as one of the eight "females who wield clout in publishing."
book projects: Howard Stern's "Private Parts," Judge Robert Bork's "Slouching Towards Gomorrah," Christopher Darden's "In Contempt" and Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone," a New York Times best-seller and Oprah Winfrey's pick for book of the month, plus her follow-up novel "I Know This Much Is True."
on the way: A reporter and editor for the National Enquirer and TV producer for "Geraldo" and "Entertainment Tonight"
TV projects: Hosts her own one-hour talk show, called "This Evening with Judith Regan" on the Fox News Channel.
movie projects: "I'm producing a movie for Universal from Doug Coupland's book 'Microserfs,' about a bunch of genius kids who work at Microsoft and have no life. I'm also doing a film for DreamWorks about a custody case; and for Lifetime, 'How a Gentleman Should Treat a Lady,' which aired in the winter of 1998. It's based on my own idea. When my son started dating, he asked me what he should do and how to behave. I told him the bottom line is to treat a woman with respect, put her on a pedestal and worship the ground she walks on."
picking best-sellers: "You try to make an informed decision, but this is not a business that does research. I think it's a combination of intuition and good fortune. I also think I have a guardian angel, my grandmother, who is watching over me to make sure."
doing what you love: "Basically, I have fun all day long. Everything I enjoy I've incorporated into my work, except for cooking. And I am trying to figure out how to incorporate that into my job by doing a cookbook. With what little time I have left, I like to play with my daughter. We go for walks and play games."
advice for women entering the field: "If you want to be in television, film and publishing you have to know what's going on. I read a zillion newspapers, a zillion magazines and watch a lot of television. You have to pay attention and keep your eyes and ears open. Then you've got to listen to your friends and family -- what people are saying and not just what is being reported. Basically, you have to work your tail off."
handling frustration and rejection: "I just say, 'NEXT!' I don't waste a second. I don't focus on what isn't happening."
recent claim to fame: Posed on the inside cover of her ReganBooks catalogue wearing a pink Vera Wang dress.
profession: President and publisher of the Regan Company, a "polymedia" division of News Corporation Ltd., a Fox enterprise run by media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch.
education: Vassar
Regan on polymedia: "Poly means many, and one of my authors, Doug Coupland, described me as a polymedia person because I am doing it all: books, TV and movies."
revenue: From 1994 through 1997, company revenues totaled approximately $100 million. For the fiscal year ending in June 1998, the Regan Company is projected to make $20-$30 million.
basic story: As VP and senior editor at Simon & Schuster, Regan was dissatisfied with the publishing world's grueling hours and less than great pay. But meeting Rupert Murdoch turned her career around. During a power lunch with the media guru, she asked for it all -- and she walked away with a book deal, a production company and her own weekly TV show.
recognition: In 1996, ReganBooks was named one of the most successful imprints in the publishing industry. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly listed Regan as one of entertainment's most powerful people. Also in 1997, The Hollywood Reporter included her in its "Women in Entertainment" issue as one of the eight "females who wield clout in publishing."
book projects: Howard Stern's "Private Parts," Judge Robert Bork's "Slouching Towards Gomorrah," Christopher Darden's "In Contempt" and Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone," a New York Times best-seller and Oprah Winfrey's pick for book of the month, plus her follow-up novel "I Know This Much Is True."
on the way: A reporter and editor for the National Enquirer and TV producer for "Geraldo" and "Entertainment Tonight"
TV projects: Hosts her own one-hour talk show, called "This Evening with Judith Regan" on the Fox News Channel.
movie projects: "I'm producing a movie for Universal from Doug Coupland's book 'Microserfs,' about a bunch of genius kids who work at Microsoft and have no life. I'm also doing a film for DreamWorks about a custody case; and for Lifetime, 'How a Gentleman Should Treat a Lady,' which aired in the winter of 1998. It's based on my own idea. When my son started dating, he asked me what he should do and how to behave. I told him the bottom line is to treat a woman with respect, put her on a pedestal and worship the ground she walks on."
picking best-sellers: "You try to make an informed decision, but this is not a business that does research. I think it's a combination of intuition and good fortune. I also think I have a guardian angel, my grandmother, who is watching over me to make sure."
doing what you love: "Basically, I have fun all day long. Everything I enjoy I've incorporated into my work, except for cooking. And I am trying to figure out how to incorporate that into my job by doing a cookbook. With what little time I have left, I like to play with my daughter. We go for walks and play games."
advice for women entering the field: "If you want to be in television, film and publishing you have to know what's going on. I read a zillion newspapers, a zillion magazines and watch a lot of television. You have to pay attention and keep your eyes and ears open. Then you've got to listen to your friends and family -- what people are saying and not just what is being reported. Basically, you have to work your tail off."
handling frustration and rejection: "I just say, 'NEXT!' I don't waste a second. I don't focus on what isn't happening."