Zibby Owens
Zibby Owens is a founder-owned New York media business that operates a U.S. reading retreat series for Millennial and Gen Z readers and publishes the 'Zibby's Highlights' Substack newsletter on books and lifestyle, distributing directly to consumers via community-led partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Zibby Owens does
Zibby Owens is a privately-held, individual founder-owned media and experiential business based in New York that produces literary content and operates a reading retreat series. The retreat product offers weekend packages priced between $900 and $1,300 per person, inclusive of accommodations, meals, and activities such as yoga, and has been hosted across multiple U.S. destinations including Maine, Nashville, Santa Barbara, the Hamptons, and Palm Springs. The target customer is a Millennial or Gen Z reader seeking a wellness- and literary-oriented getaway as an alternative to traditional party-focused travel.
In parallel, the business operates 'Zibby's Highlights,' a Substack newsletter covering books, life, and stories, providing a recurring content vehicle and a secondary subscription revenue stream alongside the retreats. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, with a community-led go-to-market that leverages partnerships with book club networks such as Bad Bitch Book Club and Page Break to drive attendance and organic awareness. Marketing channels emphasize community-driven discovery and organic search/trend momentum, with Google identifying 'reading weekend' as a top 2026 trend and Pinterest searches for book club retreat ideas reportedly up 265%.
The company is bootstrapped with 1–10 employees, has no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, and no parent company. The underlying technology stack is standard Substack publishing infrastructure for the newsletter; no proprietary technology, AI capabilities, patents, or app products are documented. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time retreat package sales, with the possibility of Substack subscription income, and the business operates exclusively within the United States.
Zibby Owens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zibby Owens
- Legal name
- Zibby Owens
- Website
- https://zibbyowens.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Zibby Owens is a founder-owned New York media business that operates a U.S. reading retreat series for Millennial and Gen Z readers and publishes the 'Zibby's Highlights' Substack newsletter on books and lifestyle, distributing directly to consumers via community-led partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zibby Owens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Experiences and Wellness Retreats
- NAICS
- Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wellness Retreats & Immersions (Multi-day, Digital Detox, Mind-Body Programs) (THAJAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB), Reading Comprehension & Close Reading Enrichment (EDAMAJAB)
Keywords
Where Zibby Owens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Zibby Owens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Retreat Package Sales: Weekend reading retreat packages sold directly to consumers, priced between $900 to $1,300 per person, including accommodations, meals, and activities such as yoga.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekend Reading Retreat Package |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Zibby Owens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zibby Owens operates a portfolio of book and reading-related offerings, primarily consisting of a reading retreat series and a Substack newsletter called Zibby's Highlights. The retreats provide immersive weekend experiences combining accommodations, meals, and wellness activities such as yoga for book lovers, while the newsletter delivers ongoing curated content about books and lifestyle topics.
Product overview
Zibby Owens operates a portfolio of book and reading-related offerings, primarily consisting of her reading retreat series and a Substack newsletter called Zibby's Highlights. The retreats provide immersive weekend experiences combining accommodations, meals, and wellness activities for book lovers, while the newsletter delivers ongoing content about books and lifestyle topics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zibby Owens Reading Retreats Organized weekend reading retreats priced between $900 and $1,300 per person, including accommodations, meals, and activities such as yoga. Retreats have been held across multiple U.S. destinations including Maine, Nashville, Santa Barbara, the Hamptons, and Palm Springs, and collectively the series has hosted hundreds of events.
- Zibby's Highlights
Companies that use Zibby Owens
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Zibby Owens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Zibby Owens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Zibby Owens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Book of the Month: Subscription book club with a strong community and influencer-driven marketing model targeting avid readers — comparable to Zibby's audience of millennial/Gen Z women readers and her community-led approach, though delivered via monthly book shipments rather than in-person retreats.
- She Reads: Online book club and literary community platform that curates reads and connects readers — comparable to Zibby's book-club-driven GTM and her Substack-based literary community, though focused on digital rather than in-person retreat experiences.
Direct peers
- Esalen Institute: Iconic retreat/workshop center in Big Sur offering residential experiences that bundle lodging, meals, and curated programming around personal growth, mindfulness, and intellectual themes — closely mirroring Zibby's combination of accommodations, meals, and themed group experiences.
- Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: A well-known nonprofit yoga, wellness, and personal-growth retreat center offering multi-day residential programs that combine accommodations, meals, and mind-body activities — the same structural format as Zibby Owens' reading retreats, with wellness programming as the shared core.
- Wanderlust: Yoga and wellness festival/retreat brand producing multi-day destination events centered on yoga, mindfulness, and community — directly comparable to Zibby's wellness-anchored retreat weekends with built-in programming and group experiences.
- Omega Institute for Holistic Studies: Residential holistic learning center running multi-day workshop retreats with bundled accommodations, meals, and wellness activities such as yoga and meditation. Operates a very similar hospitality-plus-programming model to Zibby Owens' retreat series.
Broad incumbents
- Hello Sunshine: Media and lifestyle brand built around women-centered storytelling, books, and author communities (including Reese's Book Club) — comparable as a broader incumbent in the literary and book-club media space that overlaps with Zibby's audience and content positioning.
- Canyon Ranch: Established, large-scale destination wellness resort brand offering multi-day wellness retreats that bundle accommodations, meals, yoga, fitness, and mind-body programming — an incumbent in the same category Zibby Owens operates in, but at a significantly larger and more diversified scale.
- Miraval Resorts: Premium destination wellness and spa resort group offering all-inclusive multi-day retreat packages with accommodations, dining, yoga, mindfulness, and curated programming — competes for the same high-discretionary, experience-driven wellness traveler as Zibby Owens.
Others
- Literary Hub: Online literary news and content destination covering books, authors, and the publishing industry — adjacent to Zibby's literary content output and author-interview programming, and part of the same broader book-and-author media ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Zibby Owens social profiles
Digital presenceZibby Owens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zibby Owens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Zibby Owens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zibby Owens M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zibby Owens
What does Zibby Owens do?
Zibby Owens operates a portfolio of book and reading-related offerings, primarily consisting of a reading retreat series and a Substack newsletter called Zibby's Highlights. The retreats provide immersive weekend experiences combining accommodations, meals, and wellness activities such as yoga for book lovers, while the newsletter delivers ongoing curated content about books and lifestyle topics.
Is Zibby Owens a public or private company?
Zibby Owens is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Zibby Owens founded?
Zibby Owens was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Zibby Owens based?
Zibby Owens is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zibby Owens make money?
One revenue line is on record: retreat Package Sales.
Who are Zibby Owens's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Book of the Month and She Reads. Direct peers are Esalen Institute, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Wanderlust and Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. Broad incumbents are Hello Sunshine, Canyon Ranch and Miraval Resorts. Literary Hub is listed as an others.
Does Zibby Owens have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zibby Owens.
What industry is Zibby Owens in?
Zibby Owens's product category is Literary Experiences and Wellness Retreats. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAHAB, Wellness Retreats & Immersions (Multi-day, Digital Detox, Mind-Body Programs), with a secondary code of THAGAMAB, Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness). Its NAICS code is 721214 and its SIC code is 7000.