Blank: A Novel

by Zibby Owens

A wife, mother, and frustrated writer faces an impossible deadline for turning her life around in a hilarious debut novel about family, friendship, success, and exhilarating self-(re)discovery. Pippa Jones is a fortyish former literary sensation who fears she will be a one-hit wonder. After the follow-up book she was almost done writing, Podlusters , had to be tossed (it ended up sharing a plot and title with superstar author Ella Rankin’s summer blockbuster!), she couldn’t write a thing. Months of staring at a blank page made her confidence vanish like a one-night stand. When she finds out that she has only five days left to finish (or rather, start ) or repay an advance she’s already spent, Pippa has a brilliantly original idea. Okay, fine, her twelve-year-old son came up with it as a joke, but Pippa and her teenage daughter approved. Pippa’s not only going to make a bold statement, but she’ll change the book world while she’s at it! Can she pull it off? At this point, she doesn’t have a choice. When Pippa’s publisher gets intimately involved, it unlocks a series of plot twists she never saw coming. From the courtyards of posh Beverly Hills hotels and Malibu mega-mansions to Brentwood and Santa Monica bookstores, Pippa races against time—in her used Volvo—and discovers more about her career, marriage, family, friends, and herself than she ever could have dreamed up.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Humor, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Books About Books, Audiobook

267 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2024

About the author

Zibby Owens is the award-winning host of the podcast Totally Booked with Zibby and the weekly TV show “Totally Booked” on JBS.

Author of six books including two bestsellers, On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates and Blank: A Novel, she owns Zibby’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Santa Monica, CA, and Zibby Publishing, a boutique publishing house, all part of Zibby Media. She also runs an events and retreats series, Zibby’s Book Club, and the Z.I.P. membership program.

A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, Zibby lives in New York (and sometimes L.A.) with her husband and four children ages 11 to 18.

Become a Z.I.P. (Zibby’s Important People) today to support her work and follow her on Instagram @zibbyowens.

Reviews

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book myself so have to give it five stars!!!

[Leanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re considering downloading this as your February 2024 First Reads, move on to your second choice.

Writing was allllllll over the place. I have no idea what these people writing 4 and 5 star reviews were reading. No character development, too much shoved into the last 25% of the book, and you’d turn the page thinking it was over to yet another chapter when it should have just ended… I’d rather read book 14 of one of those endless cozy witch romance/ mystery novel series on Kindle Unlimited than sift through this any day. It wasn’t funny, predictable yet far fetched, and so very messy (not in a god way).

Whoever wrote the blurb for this one totally missed the mark - perhaps that was intentional? I feel badly for trashing someone’s hard work but I struggled to find anything redeeming about this one.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept reading, expecting something to improve. Nope. All over the place! Plus a super yuck sex scene. Confused at the super good reviews so far.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing about this book was that it was free. Went from boring to wildly unrealistic sprinkled with gross abusive sex scenes.

I would have rather read Blank.

10/10 do not recommend.

[Alison Pashos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast, silly read with moments of actually good stuff. I enjoyed the beginning, where the min character felt like a real person with real problems, and I do always love a book about books/writing. But then as the book got to the last third, it got both incredibly unrealistic and sickly sweet for the ending. I was hoping for characters with a little more dimension and edge as conflict arose, but it didn’t quite get there for me.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

So dumb. So many immature, annoying, non-entertaining characters. Too many ideas in one place. She is so woe is me and shocked there are consequences in life, yet she’s a full blown adult with teen children. And then she finds a way to cheat the system and surprised when she’s cheated in return.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book is that an author writes an entirely blank book to make a statement about all the noise that is out there in the publishing world...which felt incredibly ironic because this book was incredibly awful. So many awful parts but it really came to a head for me when every single character in the book happens to show up at the main character's house all at the same time (by coincidence) and the antagonist spills are her dirty secrets in front of everyone while someone films? Then the brand new best friend (of several hours) and the brand new boyfriend (of 24 hours) both stay the night at the house and the family that's just been torn apart happily parties and the kids just accept everything that's happened...unreal. Oh and the football player she hit with her car gives her free tickets to the game? I could go on and on. Not sure why I kept reading (skimming).

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still thinking about this book and its messages. At its core, it’s an exploration of how a book can succeed in an over-saturated market where “95% of books sell less than 5,000 copies.” This story is clever! Everyone curious about publishing should read Blank and draw their own conclusions. Although it’s fictional and somewhat satirical, it’s relatable. It’s also about navigating motherhood, marriage, and friendships! I enjoyed it immensely and I think you will too.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely one of the worst books I’ve ever read. Everything that happens is ridiculous and improbable, nobody has any real motivations, they just do things, and don’t even get me started on how awful the last 1/3 is. It should have actually been blank, I’d have enjoyed it more.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a monthly freebie from Amazon, and I think I was overcharged. The overall premise of the story just seemed silly to me, and a couple of the plot "twists" just seemed obvious. I got about 40% of the way in and then just skipped to the last chapter to see how everything turned out ("Yep, yep, knew it") and called it a day.

[Linda Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will be on sale March 1, 2024. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC.
If you are not familiar with the author, look her up! Zibby Owen’s is an amazing book lover, podcaster, bookstore owner, publisher and more! This is her debut novel although she has collected works for several anthologies.
Follow along as author Pippa Jones has writers block after the searing success of her 1st novel. But then, her son jokingly has a suggestion. Can it work?
As Pippa muddles through the publishing world her real life is imploding!
What more could happen???

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are indie book recommendations at the end of this review! Don't miss out.

Insulting your audience is something that can be done well. It can be tasteful, raucous, tongue-in-cheek, or even impactful, but it can't be done well without self-awareness or without consideration. Deriding readers (AKA the target audience for these things called "books") for being mindless consumer drones while displaying a bitter attitude towards commercially successful authors does Zibby Owens no favors. Throughout the narrative, the supposedly sympathetic protagonist Pippa is a writer herself and acts as a mouthpiece for the author.

"And what about the readers? They're being inundated with options, with no curation. Just walking into a bookstore is overwhelming--not to mention scrolling through websites"

She infantilizes readers (that's us) and calls them out as being TikTok addicts whose bookshelves and TBRs are little more than props, incapable of selecting worthwhile literature to read for themselves, and completely defenseless against the marketing arm of the publishing industry.

"I feel like most people fake it. They just nod when people talk about the books they're reading, like, 'Oh yes, wasn't that great?' And honestly I don't blame them. It's not their fault. There are eight million things competing for their attention. Phones have short-circuited our brains."

Obviously there's some truth to the idea that we're more influenced by marketing than we realize and can't completely innoculate ourselves against it, but Pippa's takes were insulting and colored by a marked bitterness about books that perform well commercially.

"I want people to start reading all kinds of books, not just the ones on the bestseller list."

Instead of worthwile strategies that uplift indie and self-published authors, Pippa decides to publish a completely blank book, made complete with undeserved media hype and plenty of big-ticket author endorsements that, while supposedly calling out the marketing industry and traditional publishing, really only serves to allow them (Pippa and Big Book) to give themselves a pat on the back.

"Fantastic books go unrecognized, while others randomly sell millions. It's often arbitrary."

Statement art, I'll mention, can be fun and interesting. Pippa's blank book was not. Statement art should be intentional. Pippa's blank book was not. When I was a student taking a sculpture class, a ceramic leaf-shaped platter I made cracked right down the middle when it was in the kiln. I was upset, but I still needed a grade, so I tried to convince my teacher that it was a statement about the environment; she did not let that slide, but she did judge the piece partially based on what I actually intended and put into it. The premise of Blank is similar in set-up: Pippa has failed to produce a draft of a novel for years. If she doesn't provide a manuscript in one week, she will be in breach of her contract with her publisher and will be required to repay the advance they gave her. Her son gives her the bright idea to submit a blank book and call it a statement on the publishing industry. This is where Pippa needed a kind but firm mentor figure to remind her that she's not a Dadaist visionary just because she can half-ass a political statement. You can't ask people to take your work seriously if you don't take your work seriously. Zibby Owens might be able to convince herself that Pippa is the next Marcel Duchamp, but we don't have to be fooled.

By the middle, the response to Pippa's blank book was nauseatingly undeserved and unrealistic (a slew of 'you inspire me's and 'this'll finally make things change's), enough so that the similarly bland ending (a National Book Award for Pippa, a Pulitzer for the best friend for "uncovering corruption in the publishing industry", the publisher's cartoonishly vain goon squad joined together to start a haircare line, ARCs stopped being printed altogether, and the publishing industry completely changed overnight) didn't surprise me at all. This was all narrated directly to us, by the way, rather than demonstrated through character actions or even half-assed dialogue.

Overall, Zibby Owens' Blank is a book that spends far more time in self-adulation than self-reflection, simultaneously patronizing the people it's aimed at and asking them to find it worthy. I didn't think it was. If you hate the people who might be willing to read your book, maybe don't publish it.

PS: because Blank pretended to uplift indie authors, I'd like to call some out that I've really enjoyed reading. For a fun fantasy/fairytale/romance series, check out Sarah K.L. Wilson's Bluebeard's Secret series (first book: Fly with the Arrow). For a spooky horror/paranormal investigation series, check out J.L. Bryan's Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper books (first book: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper). If you like contemporary romance, Elizabeth O'Roark is a must (try Drowning Erin or Across Time, though the second one is actually a historical/time-travel romance 😉). Urban fantasy fan? Try Debra Dunbar's Imp Series (book #1: A Demon Bound). It's raucous and hilarious! For an alternate history/first contact story with a focus on human connection, give Ethan Chatagnier's Singer Distance a go. If your first language is English, like me, it's not strictly indie, but you might be missing out on great reads published in other languages. Tunisian writer Yamen Manai's Literary Fiction novel The Ardent Swarm was originally published in French, but Amazon Crossing published an English-language (translated by Lara Vergnaud) version a few years back (it was an Amazon First Reads pick, just like Blank). It's a heartfelt story about a beekeeper who keeps to himself until a threat to his hive forces him to subject himself to the chaotic and frustrating world around him.

[Erin Ballinger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to preface this review: I love Zibby Owens. I love her podcast, her publishing company, and some of their releases. I have one of her other books waiting for me at the library. None of that is going to change with this review.
So unlike a lot of reviews, I sought out this book, not just for free on Kindle.
I do not understand what this is.
Is this supposed to follow 'Blank' (the book within the book) and be a statement on the publishing industry? That good press and well placed marketing can push anything to the front of the line? If it is: kudos. Well done. If it isn't...this is a hot mess.
Pippa is as Mary Sue as they come. The plot, which started promising (the second book of a writer's career is just not coming together) unravels into absolute nonsense and lost stories. There's an influencer arc that serves no real purpose, a cheating scandal that gets entirely convoluted and borderline about forced sexual power, a Me Too-esque story that goes absolutely nowhere, a stolen intellectual property concept that also is completely unnecessary, a romance with a sex scene that happens WAY too soon after all the drama, and an ending that was unnecessarily crazy and full of weird dialogue.
I honestly kept reading waiting for the "gotcha!" moment that never came.
The only things that merit this 1 star are 1) Pippa's kids are slightly cute, although even their interactions are just weird and 2) I kept reading even though I wanted to DNF this multiple times, and that has to count for something.
Baffled and bewildered. Do not pick this up.

[Amanda Sexton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from Amazon First Reads, and I’m disappointed. The plot felt like it was a poorly disguised rant at the publishing industry, the main character had major wins handed to her, even as the bad implosions were simply swept away, and there were some preachy bits at the end that felt like they were included just to make the word count.

[Karen Sokoloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun. I couldn’t stop reading. Smart, funny, real - Zibby pulls you into her world, through the eyes of Pippa, author struggling to complete her next book, but because of circumstances, she draws a blank. This just read like the best miniseries. I’d love to watch this, and watch it all unfold. Again, fun fun fun. Read this book!

[Janci · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a mess. Started out perky-bad and then just veered all over every version of bad.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oooooof, this really missed the mark for me. I kind of hated this book, but also couldn’t look away.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a “Mary Sue” character since they’re more typical in YA, but Pippa was definitely a Mary Sue - she was somehow always dumpy and disheveled, but every man in this book wants to be with her; she can’t write a book, but manages to sell the world’s dumbest concept and everyone eats it up (also, she solves all of the issues in the publishing industry with it! Hero!); she’s the long-suffering mother and the hero her family needs but under-appreciated (until the end when they all realize it and shower her with adoration, obviously).

Other complaints, without much detail:
- that stupid stupid Blank book she “wrote”
- the cringey romances in this book (did not buy into a single one…)
- that absolutely insane ending
- the cartoon-level villains

This was a painful read. I’m sorry

[Vonna Fortner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

I wonder how amusing or worthwhile it would be if my review was ________ “blank” or empty, even if it was apropos. Stopped reading at 50%, halfway point, so boring. Showed humor at beginning with interaction with teenagers, but just became silly. The quality offered by monthly “Prime first reads”, IMO, has become so disappointing that I will cancel it. Not one of the books offered was worth my time, nor my money.

[Laura McNeal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whole lotta smoke, no fire.

It's a book about a book that changes the publishing industry by showing you don't have to write a good book to sell copies. If the next book is the good one, and this is the one that's deliberately bad so you can see how book sales are driven by likes, exposure, and marketing, then it will be smoke followed by fire.

I'll be here. Waiting.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out good so I was hopeful, but it just got to be too far-fetched, all over the place, and sadly not as funny as I had hoped. It took way too long to wrap this up and it is was all quite unbelievable. A big disappointment.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I acquired “Blank” through Amazon’s monthly free book program. If I hadn’t, I would have been very disappointed to have spent part of my book budget on this. The story is about the life of a harried mom and wife trying to come up with a book idea to follow the success of her debut novel. Reading about her life was so unentertaining and her new book idea so uninspiring that I started skimming the last 50% of the book. I recommend readers look elsewhere if they would like an entertaining book about the publishing industry or the life of busy woman in today’s world. This book is just not entertaining.

[Carol Ogden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes! Talk about an unlikable FMC. Really all the characters were unlikable except maybe the kids.

The story details the events when a writer missed her deadline by 3 years and is shocked she has to payback her forward (seems obvious). To avoid this she submits a book called Blank which is literally blank pages. She then argues that it will sell if marketed appropriately because the system is broken. During all of this her personal life falls apart.

This book was a miss for me... wish I had DNF'd.

[Hillary · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF I try to make it at least 25% of the way through a book, but I just couldn’t with this one. If one more book tries to sell me on the struggles of the attractive upper middle class, I’m throat punching someone. Annoying protagonist. Especially obnoxious children. Hard pass.

[Katy Askeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

None of the books in this month's Kindle First Reads sounded overly intriguing to me, but I ended up choosing this one after reading a recommendation for it in a Facebook group. I typically read psychological thrillers, but occasionally like to step out of the box. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.
This book just didn't resonate with me. The characters weren't well developed and I thought, from the description, I would be reading a book about writing and the publishing industry. Instead, it was kind of a Hollyweird story about a bunch of misfit characters. Meh. Not recommended.

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blank by Zibby Owens was my Amazon First Reads pick for February, and I’m happy to report that I picked very well! If you’re a writer, reader, or work in publishing, then this book is definitely for you. It follows wife, mother, and published author, Pippa Jones. Pippa is in a bit of a pickle. After a successful debut novel, she’s really struggling to pump out another bestseller. But with a little help from her kids, she comes up with a somewhat unconventional, and a little bit crazy idea for book two. It’ll make your jaw drop, that’s for sure! As a book lover, I loved, loved, LOVED the strong focus on the book world. The reader gets an inside look at an author’s writing process, and also a great behind-the-scenes peek into the publishing industry. On top of all of this wonderful bookish joy, Owens also includes some of my very favorite themes: female friendship, marriage, and motherhood. (Parents of teenagers will certainly relate to this one!) And just a friendly FYI, Blank is not ALL fun and games. There’s some dark and serious tones when dealing with a few unhealthy and quite toxic relationships. There’s also oodles of drama that calls for wine and popcorn! Overall, Blank is a fun, entertaining, and super quick read. If you’re in a reading slump or just need a palate cleanser after a heavy read, be sure to pick this one up. If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, don’t sweat. Blank is out very soon—March 1st! It gets 4/5 stars from me!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise but uneven story

I liked much of the story, and I found Pippa's relationship with her kids particularly endearing. The overall premise was good, but I found both the writing and several of the situations uneven and even a bit juvenile in places. The whole idea of calling out the publishing industry was satisfying but a little heavy handed, even taking into account that this novel is a satire. Overall it was a pleasant read, and there were a few laugh out loud moments, but ultimately there were a few too many chaotic threads to keep track of that distracted from what I felt was the main point: the drama of publishing of Pippa's book.

[Sandra Ohs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure why I finished...that was positively the most stupid book I've ever read, shallow characters with zero redeeming qualities...I skimmed this as a beach read..don't waste your time

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picture a sparkle in the eyes of author Zibby Owens as she reflects upon the fact that one of the central themes around her latest book "Blank: A Novel," that a publisher and easily manipulated book-buying public can be twisted to unreasonable whims, also benefits this real-life book that is one of Amazon's First Reads for the month of February 2024.

Owens is the award-winning host of daily author interview podcast Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books and the author or editor of multiple publications. She also owns Zibby's Bookshop in Santa Monica and co-founded Zibby Books, a boutique publishing house.

In other words, Owens knows what she's doing.

Pippa, the central character in "Blank," is less confident and aware of her path three years after her debut novel made her a household name and a favorite author at Driftwood Publishing. Of course, things change quickly and her lack of ability to produce a follow-up novel a couple years after her actually deadline has turned her into a bit of an afterthought. She came close to that second novel. If it hadn't been for bestselling author Ella Rankin somehow snagging her storyline, almost exactly, she may very well have been on her way again.

Now, with her marriage to a former child star seemingly floundering and no story ideas to be found anywhere, Pippa is on the verge of losing everything if she can't produce a novel in a brand new and not very far away deadline.

For those unfamiliar with the Amazon First Reads program, it's an opportunity to catch both new and established authors with their latest books usually about a month before actual publication Amazon Prime members get the selections free - others pay a nominal fee, typically about $1.99 for the Kindle version, and the author essentially starts off with a bestseller though they have, of course, actually given away hundreds, if not more, of their title.

Get what I mean now? It's a simple publishing practice and a rather brilliant marketing one. The titles, typically Amazon imprints, are occasionally brilliant and occasionally awful.

"Blank?" If I could, I'd likely go with a 3.5-star review. "Blank" is exactly what you expect it to be, though it never really becomes quite the expose of publishing that I wanted it to be. Instead of having real teeth in its biting satire, it has dentures.

However, along the way, Owens has crafted an engaging and entertaining novel that feels like yet another bad Eddie Murphy movie (Sorry, Eddie). While I am tired of the name Pippa (Seriously, can we just retire it?), the character herself is rather delightful even toward the end when "Blank" gets a bit darker.

Thus, I'm sticking with a 4-star review. "Blank" may have not been everything I wanted it to be, but "Blank" tells a fun, if entirely predictable, story and Owens has the guts to go darker toward the end to remind us that there's also some meaning here to serve as a reminder that authors are people, readers are people, and publishers, well, maybe not.

In "Blank," Zibby Owens shows us the world that she knows and, just perhaps, is showing us how it is and how it ought to be.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't finish this one (I'm 10% in). The writing style is very basic and almost juvenile. There are a lot of colloquialisms and it seems more like young adult reading...except the main character is in her 40s. A plus is that it is very light reading. But...life is too short to read mediocre books.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rushed plot and 2d characters

Unfortunately there is nothing inherently good or likeable about any of these characters. The plot itself is weird and suddenly rushed, then where is the climax? Are there none, or multiple? So strange. Needs to slow down and build some likeable people.