Zibby Owens: “Persistence and Grit are Far More Important…”

In this interview, Zibby talked about her book, Princess Charming, revealed the timeless message about persistence and grit from her book. Furthermore, She is a founder of her award-winning podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. Her dream is specific and has different strategy from the other podcasters. Owens wants to take her show further, linking to the book's descriptions, as well as planing many other things. She also shared her memorable moments from the show, and gave a message to new podcasters at the end of the interview.

About Zibby Owens

Zibby Owens is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. Zibby, named “NYC’s Most Powerful Book-fluencer” by New York Magazine’s Vulture, conducts warm, inquisitive conversations with authors, making her daily show a top literary podcast as selected by Oprah.com in 2019 and 2020. Zibby is the co-founder and CEO of Zibby Books, a publishing home for fiction and memoir. She’s also the CEO of Moms Don’t Have Time To, a media company that includes the Zibby Awards, the Zcast podcast network, publications like Moms Don’t Have Time to Write on Medium, and two anthologies: Moms Don’t Have Time To and Moms Don’t Have Time to Have Kids. A regular contributor to Good Morning America and Katie Couric Media, Zibby has also contributed to the Washington Post, Real Simple, Parents, Marie Claire, Slate, and many other publications. She has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, the BBC, and other news outlets. Her first children’s book, Princess Charming, will soon be followed by a second. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, Zibby currently lives in New York with her husband and four children. She always has a book nearby.

You have written your debut book, “Princess Charming” which gives a timeless message. Would you like to tell us more about the book and its message?

Yes! The message is that persistence and grit are far more important than having a specific skill. Princess Charming can’t seem to find her thing until she realizes that her thing is that she never gives up!

Your podcast, “Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books” is widely known. Where do you want to see this show in the next 10 years?

On TV! But also playing in bookstores and linked to bookseller book descriptions!

Do you have any other writing projects in progress?

I’ve sold a novel to Little A for publication in summer 2024 called BLANK!

Can you talk about any memorable moments from recent interviews with well-known writers?

I asked Monica Ali about her own thoughts on infidelity, and she laughed for like two straight minutes.

Can you tell us more about what goes into the research about the person you interview?

I read as much as I can of the author’s book. I also try to read articles they’ve written. I check out their social media, their website, and their backlist! Then I just have fun.

Apart from hosting the show, how do you manage time for reading, writing books and preparing yourself for each new episode?

I also run a publishing company. Ha! I work way too much, and I do everything quickly. Also, I don’t focus on everything every day. 

Do you still remember the name of the book you read for the first time that made you fall in love with reading and writing?

Charlotte’s Web! It made me cry and realize how deeply books could make me feel. I write about this in the opening scene of my memoir BOOKENDS!

How many episodes do you typically do in a week?

I always do 7 a week, one every day. Sometimes more!

Any suggestions you would like to give to new podcasters?

Figure out a format that works for your show and pick a topic you don’t even feel like is work!

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