Zibby Owens Talks Her New Book: Bookends

Zibby Owens, part-time resident of the Hamptons, is an award-winning podcaster, author, publisher, CEO, and mother. She is the founder of Zibby Owens Media, which she initially designed to help busy people thrive by connecting them to books and each other.

The privately held media company consists of three divisions: Zibby Books, a publishing house for fiction and memoir, Zcast, a podcast network that includes Zibby’s award-winning podcast Mom’s Don’t Have Time to Read Books, and a new community site with Zibby’s virtual book club.

Zibby has several book events lined up in the Hamptons this summer and can’t wait to share her work with the East End community. She spoke about how she keeps up with her busy lifestyle, her success as a podcaster, author, and entrepreneur, and what she is most looking forward to this summer in the Hamptons!

Congratulations on your memoir BOOKENDS: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature! Can you tell us about it and what inspired you to write this book?

ZO: Thank you! Bookends is my deeply personal journey through the many unexpected plot twists of my life and the way books have been intricately weaved throughout all of it. I’ve been writing and rewriting parts of this book since just after 9/11 when I lost my best friend Stacey Sanders who worked in the World Trade Center. But my story has continued to go in different directions than I expected ever since. After years of hosting Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books when my mind was all books, all the time, I crafted a new proposal with the books coursing through the narrative. 

Can you talk about the mission of your media company Zibby Owens Media?

ZO: Sure! My mission is to help busy people live their best lives by connecting them to books and each other.

How do all the divisions of Zibby Owens Media differ from one another, and do you have a favorite that you gravitate toward?

ZO: I have three divisions:

Zibby Books: a publishing house for fiction and memoir with 12 books a year launching in January 2023.

Moms Don’t Have Time To: our new content site with personal essays, articles, recommendations, and more.

Zcast: a podcast network of shows including my award-winning daily literary podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books.

I don’t pick favorites. I’m a mom. I know better! 

How do you keep up with the day-to-day demands of the company?

ZO: Oh boy. I barely do! I am furiously emailing often, am very strategic about how I spend my time, and I have a great team. Plus I cry a lot. Kidding. Kind of.

When did you decide to start the company and how has it developed since its conception?

ZO: It has evolved organically, as my husband would say. It started with just my one podcast and everything else has slowly unraveled before me.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

ZO: YES! 

Can you tell us about the columns you write for Good Morning America?

ZO: I recommend 15 books a month and include write-ups about each one. 

What made you start your podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, and did you expect it to receive the recognition and success that it did?

ZO: I was actually trying to sell a book. I’d been writing a bunch of parenting essays and my husband suggested I turn them into a book. I said, “Moms don’t have time to read books!” Then I laughed and said that’s what I’d call it. Well, that book idea went nowhere, but a friend Sarah Mlynowski suggested I start a podcast, so I used the name! I knew I needed more of a platform to sell a book of any kind and after 11 years at home with my kids, I didn’t have one. I had to start somewhere. 

A lot of your work is centered around people with busy lives, and specifically moms. Can you talk about why you’re passionate about this topic?

ZO: I’m a busy mom myself. If I can create content that helps me, I know it will help others in the same boat! 

As a part-time resident of the Hamptons, do you find inspiration here?

ZO: Yes! I love the Hamptons. I’ve been coming out since 1979. (I am old.) 

What’s your favorite pastime in the Hamptons?

ZO: My favorite thing to do is wake up super early and sit outside on my back porch and write, a steaming cup of coffee beside me. Plus eating. Eating is a big pastime. Round Swamp. The chocolate chip cookies and challah at Harry’s Farm Stand. All of it.  

What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming book tour events in the Hamptons this summer?

ZO: Oh, I can’t wait! I’m so excited to be out meeting people, talking to readers, swapping stories, and really interacting with the community that I’ve been a part of for so long.

How do you define success?

ZO: I think I’m one of those people who will continually push the goal posts further away the closer I get to them. I don’t know why. Success professionally has always been getting a book published! But now I want more than this one! I also launched Princess Charming this year, an adorable book for girls ages 3-6, and two anthologies. I’m thinking a novel comes next.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors, podcasters, entrepreneurs, and maybe even moms?

ZO: My advice is to treat every day as the one in which your life might turn in a new direction, either because something unexpected happens or because you actively decide to change things. Life is short. Now is always the right time. 

What else would you like readers to know?

ZO: We have something for everyone! Our podcasts are Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, Moms Don’t Have Time to Move and Shake (launching soon!), Moms Don’t Have Time to Grieve, Characters on the Couch, Quit Your Day Job, and SexTok with Zibby and Tracey. The verticals on our new content site Moms Don’t Have Time To include Eat & Explore, Read & Write, Grieve & Love, Move & Shake, plus Shop & Party. I’d love for everyone to listen to our podcasts and become a member of our Moms Don’t Have Time To community by signing up on the website. You’ll get invited to fun events and can join Zibby’s Virtual Book Club with authors participating each meeting, a writing community, and more. 

Zibby will be kicking off her summer book events at Southampton/Sag Harbor Bookstore with Amanda Fairbanks on July 6^th. To learn more about her and her upcoming appearances, visit https://zibbyowens.com.