Totally Booked with Zibby
Episode: Emma Gannon, TABLE FOR ONE: A Modern Love Story
Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Emma Gannon
Event: Recorded live at The Core Club, NYC
Episode Overview
This episode features a lively, heartfelt conversation between host Zibby Owens and bestselling author Emma Gannon, centering on Gannon’s second novel, Table for One: A Modern Love Story. The discussion traverses Emma’s winding career path, the inspiration and challenges behind writing Table for One, her experiences with burnout, her evolving approach to publishing, and reflections on solitude, creativity, friendship, and authenticity in the digital era.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Emma Gannon’s Writing Journey
[03:36]
- Emma began her career in advertising, moved into copywriting, and started blogging in her twenties—“I started a blog when I was about 20… I was just very curious about it.”
- Took a pay cut to work at Conde Nast to pursue writing more seriously.
- Landed her first book deal after her blog gained a following, writing Control Alt Delete, a millennial memoir.
- Shifted to business and self-help with The Multi-Hyphen Method, before pivoting to fiction with Olive and now Table for One.
- Maintains a popular Substack newsletter, The Hyphen, and previously hosted the podcast Control Alt Delete, even recording a live episode at Buckingham Palace.
2. About Table for One: Themes and Inspiration
[06:28]
- Table for One was inspired by Emma’s frequent experiences dining alone and exploring the value of solitude.
- The novel follows three women of different ages navigating singlehood and learning from one another.
- Gannon, though in a long-term relationship, explores the “fantasy” of single life and independence through her characters:
"It's essentially a book about three different women of all different ages learning from each other how to be alone in life." – Emma Gannon [06:32]
- Zibby observes that, despite being about “being alone”, the novel radiates with scenes of friendship and support:
“…when you cannot function, what is the role? How do your friends come for you?... there is someone there for one of these people and often each other…” – Zibby Owens [08:10]
3. The Complexity and Challenge of Writing
[10:15]
- Emma describes writing the novel as a “hard and painful” four-year process, with many drafts and rewrites:
"I almost want to block out the experience... so many drafts, so many times my editor would send me back notes that would make me really angry because she was right." – Emma Gannon [10:15]
- Draws analogy to “birthing” something, with each creative experience varying in difficulty.
4. Burnout, Recovery, and ‘A Year of Nothing’
[13:15]
- Emma shares details of her forthcoming memoir, A Year of Nothing, self-published via the White Fox agency and distributed widely using IngramSpark.
- In 2023, Emma experienced medical burnout—described as a painful metamorphosis:
“It felt really like grief. It felt really like my chemistry was changing… I don’t know if we have the language to describe what it’s like to go through transformation as humans.” – Emma Gannon [16:47]
- Recovery involved doing less, focusing on simple joys, and rediscovering creativity through Substack writing and mundane daily activities.
- She now champions honoring personal energy levels and finding community among similarly introverted creatives.
5. Solitude, Friendship, and the Meaning of ‘Table for One’
[08:53]
- The book interrogates societal narratives around solitude—especially for women—and the empowerment of being alone.
- Emma stresses the interdependence of solo happiness and strong social support:
“You can be brave when you have really good relationships... I always push back on that [narrative]. I think being by yourself is really important.” – Emma Gannon [08:53]
- Zibby and Emma agree on the cultural and personal pressures around extroversion and the highs/lows of introverted needs.
6. The Creative Process and Substack
[25:29]
- Substack became Emma’s space to write candidly about burnout and life, removing pressure to perform or chase numbers—“I just wrote for myself… and then this is the funny, magical thing about life is the minute you don’t care anymore is the minute everyone's like, 'Oh, I'm interested.'” – Emma Gannon [25:29]
- She describes the community as intimate and supportive, contrasting social media’s performative nature.
7. Cultural Influences & Authenticity Online
[27:01]
- Emma discusses the role of nostalgic music (Fast Car) and literature in her novel; she emphasizes the importance of “inputting” good culture to “output” good work.
- The novel intentionally references both real and fictional brands, songs, and pop culture for both realism and imaginative play.
[33:11]
- Emma explores the construction of public personas, particularly among influencers:
"...during our lowest moments, I think that's when we put the shiniest pictures up because it helps us to remember that life can be good." – Emma Gannon [34:17]
8. The Writer’s Brand and Evolution
[29:45]
- Emma resists being boxed in as a specific “brand” of author:
"I want people to be, like, confused by me... we don't have to pigeonhole ourselves because we're always changing and evolving." – Emma Gannon [29:45]
9. Grief, Sadness, and Emotional Honesty
[31:02]
- Gannon reflects on writing about grief, advocating accepting and riding the waves of hard emotions:
"I don't mind sadness... I have a Spotify playlist that's called, like, Sad Songs, and I will be like, okay, I need to... feel all of it... just go with the wave." – Emma Gannon [31:02]
10. Advice for Aspiring Writers
[37:12]
- The landscape is both challenging and full of possibility:
“It's the most exciting time ever to be an author... so much possibility... if you're getting loads of rejections, take matters into your own hands.” – Emma Gannon [37:12]
- Persistence and self-belief are crucial—love for the craft must outweigh fear of failure.
11. Literary Recommendations
[36:00]
- Emma recommends Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, various “creativity books,” and suggests checking her Substack for a full list. She notes re-reading is essential for her creative renewal.
12. The ‘Runaway Bride’ Egg Scene
[38:28]
- A lighthearted link: Emma references the scene from Runaway Bride about discovering one’s own preferences (“what kind of eggs do you like?”), connecting it back to the novel’s core of self-discovery.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “I would ask for so many tables for one during my life... I feel like it's turned into a book.” – Emma Gannon [06:32]
- “Fiction for me takes so much out of me. And I felt like I couldn't do multiple things at that point.” – Emma Gannon [05:41]
- “Some of the most incredible times in my life have been also by myself.” – Emma Gannon [08:53]
- “I think you are birthing something with a book... some [experiences] are harder than others, some are easier than others.” – Emma Gannon [11:36]
- “The minute you don't care anymore is the minute everyone's like, 'Oh, I'm interested.'” – Emma Gannon [25:29]
- “I don't want to be that [branded author]... I want people to be, like, confused by me.” – Emma Gannon [29:45]
- “You can be brave when you have really good relationships.” – Emma Gannon [08:53]
- “I don't mind sadness... just go with the wave. Like, don’t try and fight the wave.” – Emma Gannon [31:02]
- “It's the most exciting time ever to be an author because you can start your substack... so much possibility.” – Emma Gannon [37:12]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:36] – Emma’s career trajectory and evolution as a writer
- [06:28] – Inspiration behind Table for One and summary of its narrative
- [10:15] – Creative difficulty of writing the novel
- [13:15] – Experiencing burnout and self-publishing A Year of Nothing
- [16:47] – What burnout felt like and lessons learned
- [25:29] – How Substack revived her joy in writing
- [27:01] – The role of pop culture and nostalgia
- [31:02] – Writing about grief, embracing sadness
- [33:11] – Social media personas versus reality
- [37:12] – Industry advice for aspiring writers
- [38:28] – “Eggs” as metaphor for self-discovery
Final Takeaway
This episode offers a candid, inspiringly open dialogue about modern singlehood, creative persistence, self-acceptance, and authenticity—both on and offline. Emma Gannon’s literary path is marked by experimentation, reinvention, and honest reflection, making this conversation a comforting, motivating listen for writers, creatives, and readers alike.