The Blogs: Zibby Owens is ‘Totally Booked’…and Totally in Her Element

If you’re in search of someone with an infectious love of books, a non-stop business mind, and a philanthropic spirit, look no further than Zibby Owens.

The founder and CEO of Zibby Media, Zibby has found her niche as the go-to curator of meaningful connections in the literary community. As it says on her website: “Zibby Media has become a one-stop shop for the book-loving set, even for those who are too busy to read.”

A bestselling author and editor herself, Zibby didn’t stop there (not even close). She hosts a monthly book club (both in-person and virtual), plans retreats for book lovers, owns an independent bookshop in Santa Monica where she holds frequent author events, and even started her own boutique publishing house.

And since she has so much free time on her hands (insert sarcasm emoji here), she also interviews authors for her daily podcast ‘Totally Booked with Zibby’—which she recently expanded into a series of live events in New York City.

If that wasn’t enough, Zibby has also proven she won’t hesitate to help her community in times of need. After the recent L.A. fires (which impacted her personally), she showed incredible initiative to support those who were displaced or had lost their homes. She offered free books from her bookshop, organized a clothing drive (procuring new donations from more than sixty brands), and started a fundraiser with the ambitious goal of replacing all the books lost in the fires for four school libraries in the Pacific Palisades (she reached her goal, and then some).

Zibby steps up for her community even when the optics won’t win her any popularity contests. After the horrors of October 7th and beyond, she didn’t sit idly by—she figured out a way to help. Zibby sifted through her rolodex and enlisted 75 friends, colleagues, writers, actors, activists and more to contribute essays for an anthology titled On Being Jewish Now—a collection of personal accounts describing the Jewish experience in a post-October 7th world. She managed to get the book into readers’ hands by November 2024 (a mere four months after the idea popped into her mind), and it has spent a remarkable nineteen weeks on the USA Today bestseller list. Did I mention all profits for the book are donated to Artists Against Antisemitism?

Zibby’s the best kind of overachiever—not one who makes you feel bad about your comparative lack of productivity, but one who invites you to come along for the ride. She’s someone who inspires you to crack open a book, make meaningful connections with others, and put some good into the world. There’s something wonderful about seeing someone so clearly in her element and thriving.

Courtesy of Zibby Owens

While it’s usually Zibby asking the questions on her podcast, this time she agreed to flip the script.

Leah Grossman: Thanks for finding the time, Zibby! My first question is a practical one. The original title for your podcast was ‘Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books,’ so you’re clearly familiar with this struggle. As someone who wears many hats and is incredibly busy—how do you find the time to read, given everything else on your to-do list? I imagine your nightstand truly looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, stacks of pages piled high and swirled up to the ceiling. Please share with us your magical time-management tips.

Zibby Owens: Haha, nothing magical about it. I’m currently writing this from the backseat of a car en route to a book event in Deal, NJ. I have five books in my backpack. After this, I’m going to spend the next two hours reading. I can speed-read so I can usually cover a book in an hour. Sometimes less. Sometimes far more. If I fall in love with it, I have to slow down! I always read at night as my kids are going to sleep. We actually read together for about an hour. I then always read before I go to bed. And often I’ll read at my desk during the day or on my way to places. I’m basically always near a book!

LG: I loved what you said at a recent panel on fighting antisemitism: “If you can, you must. Everyone has skills and ways that we can help.” It seems your way to help was creating the anthology On Being Jewish Now, which was such a wonderful way to connect our community and document this difficult time in our lives. You’ve also expanded on the book by speaking at events across the country and creating a Substack for contributors to continue sharing stories about what it’s like to be Jewish right now. (This happens to be how I first heard your name, thanks to essay contributor Aliza Licht re-posting your call for submissions.) Was becoming a Jewish activist something you ever thought you’d add to your resumé?

ZO: Well, it’s not a huge shock. I recently found a letter I wrote to my school principal in fourth grade suggesting we get the Jewish holidays off of school, so my advocacy goes way back! But this whole On Being Jewish Now effort wasn’t exactly in the plan for Zibby Media but then again, our “plan” is to advocate for the stories that matter so this fits perfectly. It has really expanded my worldview in many ways. I’m happy I can help. I also wrote for a column for Kveller for a year in 2018… and I wrote for my business school newsletter about it back in 2002. So it isn’t… new.

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LG: Where did this drive come from? Most people go their whole lives not getting too involved, and certainly wouldn’t take it upon themselves to create an anthology, start a clothing drive, or fundraise to rebuild a library. What sort of background did you have that helped you become so proactive and philanthropic?

ZO: Philanthropy has always been an important value in my family. How can we help?! What can we build that will help others?! My parents and grandparents are great role models in this way. But my personality is just this way. I act. I’ve always been motivated but I do attribute my if-not-now-when mentality to losing my best friend Stacey on 9/11. It taught me the meaning of time and life, losing her, and so now I never wait. I jump in.

LG: The past year and a half has been sadly eye-opening, and we’re feeling our small numbers more than ever. It pains me to see our already tiny tribe become divided rather than united for any reason at all. I recently interviewed L.E. Staiman (creator of the hilarious alter ego Lyle Culpepper) for an article about Jewish comedians, and I was so happy to learn how collaborative the Jewish comedy world is. L.E. said, “It doesn’t feel catty or competitive, it feels like a bunch of people that are working towards the same goals.” Do you feel the same way about Jews in the literary field? How did Artists Against Antisemitism come about?

ZO: Yes! Jews in the literary field are like one big auditorium filled with everyone clapping for each other. We all stand up and speak, with different viewpoints, but we’re all still cheering for each other. It has really brought the industry together, I think, given the rampant, unapologetic hatred from others within the industry that I still find mind-blowing.

Artists Against Antisemitism was the brainchild for author Alison Hammer right after October 7th. At first it was just going to be an auction we all participated in, but then it grew and grew. Now it’s a 501(c)(3) and I’m honored to have been on the Founding Author board.

LG: You’re clearly a book-lover at the heart of it all. Do you have an early memory of falling in love with reading? What advice can you give us to help instill this same love of books in our children (and ourselves)?

ZO: Yes, I remember finishing Charlotte’s Web in my bathroom after lights-out because I just couldn’t stop reading it! And I remember crying at the ending and being shocked that books could make you cry. I was hooked.

To fall in love, you have to find the right book! It’s like what makes someone love dogs. Maybe you’ve only seen nasty, mean animals. Maybe you were even bitten. But that doesn’t mean all dogs are bad. Most are amazing! Give another book a chance. It isn’t that you don’t like reading. You might not like that book. Most people (myself included!!) don’t LOVE the English books from school. But find what you’re most interested in and read about that. Get a group together and read together. Once you find a book that keeps you up at night, you’ll keep coming back for more hoping to get that adrenaline hit again. It’s the best. For young kids, read to them — every day, every night! And even when life is crazy, SHOW your kids that you read, too. Open a book in front of them. Read as they read. Have them find you reading. And share the stories!!!