Meet an Employee Owner: Jodi Brown
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“[Employee ownership] means everything. I see a big difference working for a company where we are employee owners and there’s not someone at the top collecting the profits.”
In our Meet an Employee Owner series, we’re getting to know some of the amazing individuals who help our authors publish their incredible books.
In this month’s edition, we’re putting our first book designer in the spotlight! Jodi Brown has been a FriesenPress employee owner and full-time member of our design team for over half a decade – bringing a wellspring of creativity and passion for bookmaking to bear on hundreds of projects.
What drew you toward applying to join the FriesenPress team?
I actually started out doing some freelancer design work for FriesenPress, back in 2018. When I was approached about applying for the permanent in-house position, it was an easy decision. I loved the work, and wanted to do more of it! I was excited to be a part of the in-house design team and to learn from them — including direct access to all their tips and tricks they use within our design software.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
When I hear how happy an author is about their book – sometimes their life’s work – it is such a feeling of accomplishment.
This is particularly true when the author wasn’t sure about the direction that their book design was headed. It’s so satisfying when an author is over-the-moon happy with their finished book when they were nervous or unsure just weeks before.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of work – what are some activities and/or interests that fill your cup?
I take daily classes at a dance studio – dance cardio, strength and conditioning, step, and some choreography. Besides work, this is a big part of my life, and has changed my life a lot in the past year. I’m so much stronger physically, and my mental health has improved. I look forward to a class at the end of each work day and at the start of each weekend day.
My other favourite activity is riding my motorcycle. I ride on the street and take it to the race track (Area27). I’ve never felt freer than when I’m riding – I only wish I was younger so I could get into racing! In addition to riding, I watch professional motorcycle racing (MotoGP) and have been to Barcelona twice to see a race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
And, then there are my 2 cats: Enzo and Pedro. My life would be so empty and boring without them. They make working from home less lonely… and so entertaining!
What are some of your favourite books or authors?
I’ve always been a fiction fan. I love to escape from real life and into a book.
My favourite book is My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Other authors I enjoy are Colleen Hoover (It Ends With Us and the sequel It Starts With Us) and Emily Giffin.
What does being an employee owner of Friesens and FriesenPress mean to you?
It means everything. I see a big difference working for a company where we are employee owners and there’s not someone at the top collecting the profits.
Everyone that I’ve worked with genuinely seems to love their job, which also makes my job more enjoyable. FriesenPress has great vibes.
Looking back across all the conversations you’ve had and books you’ve worked on, what projects jump out as being particularly noteworthy or special to you?
I had a Signature author who was in his 90s and wanted to publish his life’s work. He was ill when we started working on his cover and he sadly passed away right after he saw his printed proof copy. His daughter said that he got to see it before he died, and that he was so happy. She chose not to proceed with publishing – the goal was for him to see it in print – but knowing that we helped the author achieve one of his life’s goals meant so much.
There was also a children’s book (Twinkles and Wings by Tannis Mary Fisher) that I worked on, where the daughter was publishing her late mother’s writing. I felt so privileged to be a part of this project – its purpose was to honour her mother, and every detail in the book was important. Their relationship reminded me of the one I had with my Grandma, who I had also lost. It really touched my heart.
Finally, one of the bigger projects I have worked on is Edward Penner’s 5-book Adventures of Tom and Andy children’s series. I loved designing these books! The author was amazing to work with – I had so much free rein on his books and I could really let that creativity fly.
What’s a piece of writing and/or publishing advice that you wish more writers knew (and why)?
It truly takes a team to publish a book. The writing is a big part of it, but your publishing consultant, designer, and promotions specialist play important roles in publishing a book. Trust your team.
After working on a manuscript, sometimes for years or decades, I understand it must be difficult to hand a manuscript over to get started on publishing their book. I would like authors to know how passionate we all are about helping you create the best book possible.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your role helping authors at FriesenPress?
I’ve learned the importance of being able to articulate why some design choices work better than others.
The author’s vision for the cover is of course very important, but it also needs to fit in that genre as well. Or maybe an idea that seems strong in theory isn’t possible in practice and we need to go in a different direction. Creating a great book is a conversation – and the best results often come when we trust and listen to each other.
Asked by our previous respondent, Lucien: If there was one fictional world you could live in, out of all the books you’ve worked on at FriesenPress, which one would you choose, and why?
Hmm. There isn’t a fiction book that jumps out at me, but there is a non-fiction book: A Happy Has-Been by Bill Welychka
Bill was a VJ on MuchMusic and led a fascinating life that I would have loved to experience: meeting and interviewing so many incredible music artists.
