FriesenPress Reviews

3.2

54% would recommend to a friend

(17 total reviews)

Tammara Kennelly

59% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

FriesenPress has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 17 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The FriesenPress employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

17 reviews
1.0
28 May 2025

Would not recommend

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is a generous office allowance for working from home to help set up your office and laptop.

Cons

The publishing specialists are pushed to meet high sales expectations even though they are non commissionable, when vague goals are not met they could be reprimanded or heavily pushed to keep selling. Employee turnover rate is very high due to job stress and lack of support from Management. When clients are inappropriate or there are interpersonal issues there is no HR team or professional avenue to report it. Many clients are seniors and health concerns/tech illiterate issues arise that impedes the projects greatly. The specialist is not supported or equipped to handle these complex cases. It often leads to employee burnout and dissatisfied clients. The content of the projects the specialists work with may be racist, homophobic, sexual content that is aggressive or even contain graphic and violent imagery. A large reason for dissatisfied clients is the quality of the final product, books often are defective by the time they arrive to the client. These conflicts can be intense and disappointing to everyone invested in the success of the project. Pay is very low and profit sharing, while nice, is never an amount that justifies the hourly rate.

2.0
28 Feb 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great coworkers. Potential to earn a lot of commission if you're a good salesperson. Occasionally you'll work with delightful clients on cool projects. Opportunities for advancement are there, many senior staff started as Publishing Specialists and the company is growing.

Cons

Base salary is poor and there is no room for negotiation (although it does increase yearly). Steep learning curve: many PSs will burn out and quit before the 6 month mark. Policies and procedures are constantly changing and not well documented. With 50+ clients, you will almost always feel like you're behind. Sales team constantly sells packages to rude, entitled, computer illiterate clients and you will have to deal with the fallout. Management constantly says that they do not tolerate abusive behavior from clients, but profit is usually prioritized over employee wellness.

2.0
5 Nov 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some great people work here. It's not very stressful work.

Cons

The pay is so low. Leadership can be cagey and without high moral standards. Profit-driven, naturally. If half the staff is against publishing something but it can sell, they have gone ahead. And the people they hire aren't always super skilled. Authors will be matched with someone whose skill level is better than their own, but nothing rivalling an editor with a proper publisher or something. CEO has favourites. Big office politics environment.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 17 Reviews

Glassdoor has 22 FriesenPress reviews submitted anonymously by FriesenPress employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if FriesenPress is right for you.