We were lucky to catch up with Brandie Herrell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brandie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
One of the biggest trends I have seen in the past few years in the world of book printing, is the abundance of museums and independent artists creating their own books. The pandemic and Booktok have caused of surge of self-publishers, in general. Gone are the days where artists, creatives, poets, photographers and writers have to go the traditional publishing route in order for their art or stories to be seen. I don’t know about other book printers, but here at Friesens we LOVE that! In fact, the Friesens slogan is: We Help Others Share Their Best Story with the World! We welcome individuals, as well as organizations, to bring their art to life on our presses. So much so, that we also have a branch called FriesenPress, dedicated to helping self-publishers. At Friesens, we think the craft of book making is an art all of its own. We’re proud that museums and artists trust our skills in color critical printing, unique binding and high-end finishing effects as their vehicle to bring more beauty into the world!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Brandie Herrell, a single, Southern mother of 4 incredible kids. I print books for Friesens Corporation. I manage all of the publishing accounts and projects originating from the SouthEast US. Friesens is a little bit of a hidden gem in the book printing world. We’re located centrally in North America, right on the US/Canada border. We have been printing the books you love since 1907. One special thing about Friesens is that we are entirely employee-owned. That means that EVERY person has skin in the game here. From sales, to CSR, to pressman, to bindery, we care about your book every step of the way. We have a reputation for being the premiere book printer for those large size, coffee table, art, full color books with all the bells and whistles in design. We cherish this image and work with the most renowned museums and artists across the continent. What people may not know is that we are capable of so much more! At Friesens, we offer a variety of printing options: B/W web offset, 4-color sheetfed, LED UV, digital and inkjet. Bindings range from: perfect bound, sewn, flexibind, wire-o, spiral, saddle stitched and several more specialty options. I want publishers to know that we can bring their vision to life with a myriad of finishing effects, as well: spot UV, raised UV, foil stamping, embossing, debossing, deckle edge, die cut, slipcases, book boxes and more! I am proud of all those capabilities, but our company culture is really the star of the show. At some book printers, the book is more of a widget. To us, it is art! At our core, we care about our people, our clients and your books! Friesens is still a place in the book printing world where you will get a one-on-one convo with a real human and always have confidence that they are honest, transparent and filled with integrity.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a book printer is when I see my publisher getting to finally share that book with the public. Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of fun along the way. I am very collaborative. I enjoy helping clients entertain new materials, substrates and finishes for their book. It is always an amazing process to see the book being created, one element at a time, in production and then coming together in a beautiful, bound volume. It is a joy when I see the client’s reaction to holding that book in their hand for the first time. I do really love it all, because I love my job and I love books. However, there is NO greater high than seeing that book reach the hands of readers who love it, too. My publishers and I plan and work on these titles for months, maybe years, prior to their launch. We have fostered every detail with so much care. When they reach the target audience, though, there is no bigger thrill. I see my author signing copies, attending events with their fans. I see articles and post, celebrating the work. I see readers praising the art or photography or prose. As D.W. Friesens, our founder, said: “We Will be Successful, When Our Customers are Successful!”
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It has been a very long road to be the expert book printer that I am today. I started out as a single mom waiting tables. I came from very humble beginnings in rural Kentucky. I moved through a variety of sales, marketing and advertising jobs. In one form or another, helping others share their voice and message has always been my calling. Along the way, I battled an opiate addiction. I finally found sobriety in the winter of 2011 and I finally stayed that way (We Do Recover). In 2015, I took a position in sales at a commercial printing company in Nashville, TN. It was there that I fell in love with print! The art and craft of turning digital work into well-printed, physical pieces intrigued me. I always had a love for art and was once a painter myself. The ink, the smell, the CMYK, the spot UVs, the foil stamps all spoke to me. I knew I was where I should be and I dug into learn everything I could about the world of printing. In 2020, God answered my prayers to take these skills to the next level. Friesens offered me a postion to manage their SouthEast US publishing accounts and it was the marriage of 3 things I loved dearly: The South, Books and Printing. The rest is history. Now, I bring to life gorgeous books for artists, authors, museums, universities and publishers everyday!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.friesens.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandiefriesens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandiefriesens
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandie-herrell-01691a125/
- Twitter: https://x.com/brandiefriesens
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@friesens2899
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brandiefriesens
Image Credits
Brandie Herrell-Friesens