Zibby Owens, Book Messenger Extraordinaire, Igniting Literary Enthusiasm

Igniting Literary Enthusiasm: Zibby Owens, the Unstoppable Book Messenger Extraordinaire, Author, Publisher, and Advocate

 

Zibby Owens is a champion of books, authors, and the joy of reading. As a book messenger, her multifaceted roles include author, publisher, podcast host, book store owner, magazine editor and Good Morning America television book correspondent. Owens has built an impressive book empire that continues to captivate readers worldwide and you can now join her for both retreats and classes! Stop by her bookstore on Montana in Santa Monica to find your next favorite read.

 

Lisa Niver:

Good morning. This is Lisa Niver from We Said Go Travel and I am beyond thrilled and excited to be bringing you the New York publishing powerhouse Zibby Owens. Hi, Zibby.

Zibby Owens:

Hi, how are you?

Lisa Niver:

I am so honored to be here with you. You have really changed publishing and I just, I can’t thank you enough for being so committed to memoir and women’s books and being an incredible ambassador and book messenger.

Zibby Owens:

Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I have fun.

Lisa Niver:

You definitely do. And I know there is so much going on in your life, so thank you for taking this time. You’re in the middle of writing a new novel, Blank, right?

Zibby Owens:

Yes. It’s almost done but now we’ve been editing, copyediting, so very close to the finish line.

Lisa Niver:

Blank is coming out next year early 2024?

Zibby Owens:

It comes out March 5th.

Lisa Niver:

I love that it’s coming out during Women’s History Month.

Zibby Owens:

This year for Women’s History Month, our book, Women are the Fiercest Creatures, was timed to International Women’s Day.

Lisa Niver:

You are so much about empowerment, exercise and creating your own path. You decided== “I’m going to have a book publishing company.” And now you do! Tell us about Zibby Books.

Zibby Owens:

The industry itself is tricky to navigate as a new player, but we are a publishing company. Anne Messitte is our publisher and she used to run Viking and Anchor Books. She knows all the ins and outs of the business, and we have a great team. I started Zibby Books, because of my love of authors. I idolized authors my whole life as a huge reader. I’m still a huge reader and this business comes from a place of passion and fun. I read books all the time.

I read if I’m in a bad mood, in a good mood-it’s my go-to thing. Being able to publish other people’s books after I talked to so many authors on my podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. I’ve had over 1,600 episodes. After talking to so many people, I realized everybody keeps complaining about all these things about publishing. And I thought–someone needs to do something about it and who is going to do it? So, I waited and waited and I thought could I be the one to do something? So, I decided to try.

Lisa Niver:

That’s very Jewish. We say that the person that saves one life saves a whole world. And I love that you talk about being a book messenger and that you’re bringing books to life is incredible.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON WE SAID GO TRAVEL or your favorite podcast platform