FriesenPress
10 years, 5000 titles, and one amazing team: FriesenPress helps writers self-publish their books and find success.
Finalist for:
Team of the Year
Interviewee: Tammara Kennelly
What’s your company’s story?
FriesenPress’ story began in 2009, with just two employees and a handful of published books. They’ve since grown to forty-four employees, a wide network of editing and design professionals, and nearly one thousand new titles produced each year.
FriesenPress was founded by their parent company, Friesens, with the goal of serving authors in the then fledgling self-publishing industry. As one of North America’s leading book manufacturers since 1907, Friesens charted new territory, setting up FriesenPress to provide expert publishing services in Victoria, British Columbia. Ten years on, FriesenPress continues that mission.
Who do you work with? What are some interesting projects you’re involved in?
Over the last ten years, FriesenPress has spent a considerable amount of time and resources creating a publishing path for authors and staff alike that is efficient, easy to navigate, and user friendly. As a startup, it is a life-or-death proposition to ensure one is attracting customers and delighting them.
As FriesenPress became stable and established, they were then able to turn their attention to an equally important customer group—their employees! Over the years, they have devoted some focus to elevating that employee experience. But 2019 is definitely the year of the employee, as they look to create “raving fans” out of their employees. FriesenPress wants the best talent to come, stay, and invite like-minded individuals to join their growing company.
What are you most proud of in the work that you do?
For too long the gates to book publishing were closed to most. Manuscripts were judged by an elite group that decided what readers would enjoy. All too often, the messaging back to authors was one of “not good enough . . . rejected.”
FriesenPress is proud to be on the front lines of a movement that is empowering all voices to be heard, giving readers the power to decide what they want to consume. FriesenPress has built a unique model that meets each author where they’re at, from an ability and skills perspective, celebrating their work today and challenging them to learn, grow, and progress their skills for each book thereafter.
If your team had a theme song, what would it be and why?
The FriesenPress team theme song would be the Seinfeld Scene Transition Song. Audiences relied on that catchy bass line for nine years to transition them through all of the important moments captured in a show that became part of the fabric of North American culture, just as FriesenPress has for their first ten years.
The bass line provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation that every song relies on. It’s cool. It’s laid back. And it doesn’t need the spotlight. Because the bass line understands that every song needs it to carry the tune.
And as Jerry Seinfeld said, “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence that we have that people are still thinking.”
What are some hopes and dreams for your company?
At its inception, the self-publishing industry experienced explosive growth, and aside from a few large players, it was a fragmented industry with many small players. As the industry matures, it is ripe for consolidation, and there are a number of small players, which cannot be competitive, exiting the industry.
Acquisition is always a part of FriesenPress’ growth plan. They would love to penetrate the US more deeply and continue expanding beyond North America. They continue to evolve their employment opportunities beyond traditional 9–5, in-office roles, looking for the very best talent worldwide and shaping their roles to meet employee needs. And finally, they will continue to contribute in meaningful ways to the communities within which they work and serve.
As FriesenPress founder D.W. Friesen said, “We will only be successful if our customers are successful.” FriesenPress will continue to grow, keeping that belief core to how they operate. FriesenPress will continue to lead with their values, offering authors valuable products and services, partnering them with publishing experts, and ensuring the company delivers on all of their promises.
Why is Victoria a great spot for your organization?
Victoria is a city with deep literary roots. It is a city swimming with creatives and, in particular, authors. It is the perfect backdrop to inspire an organization like FriesenPress. And while all of the above means there is a deep customer pool from which to draw, it means the talent pool for attracting employees is also deep. The individuals working at FriesenPress understand the creative process, thus making them amazing partners to authors in what is a vulnerable and complex journey. And let’s be honest, Victoria is paradise. Who wouldn’t want to work here?