FriesenPress review: what it costs, what the contract says, what authors report

FriesenPress publishes four prices, one for each "Publishing Path", on its path pages and in its comparison PDF (checked 19 October 2026; archived copy). These paths are what review sites call Friesen Press publishing packages; none of its pages names a currency.

Every path includes hardcover, paperback and ebook editions, an "Editor's Manuscript Evaluation", a custom cover and layout, three ISBNs and lifetime ebook distribution. Children's paths cost $2,199, $3,999 and $6,499. On Launch, extras are priced one by one: editing "+ from $250", bookstore returns "+ from $399", Nook and Kobo "+ $249" each, a printed proof "+ $99". Shipping is not included.

Editing sold on its own costs, per 100 words: $2.50 for a standard copy edit ($3.40 complex), $3.30 for a developmental edit and $1.75 for a proofread. For an 80,000-word book that comes to $2,000, $2,640 and $1,400 (derived).

FriesenPress says you keep "100% Copyright Ownership" under "Non-Exclusive Contracts", but it does not publish the agreement. Its royalty PDF refers readers to "the FriesenPress Service Agreement for full details"; we found no public copy. So the term, the notice period, what happens to your files and ISBNs when you leave, and refund rules are not published. Its printing page says authors "may, at their discretion, opt out of book distribution channels."

The comparison PDF lists "Worldwide Distribution" for "1 Year" on Launch and "2 Years" on the other paths. It does not say what happens to print distribution after that. Ebook distribution is listed as lifetime.

Royalties are a share of the list price above a minimum. FriesenPress sets the minimum list price, the price at which you earn nothing, "based on your book's page count, interior type (B&W or colour), trim size, and binding style." Above it, you keep 97% on the FriesenPress Bookstore, 45% through Ingram at the 55% trade discount and 60% at the 40% short discount. Ebooks earn up to 70% on its own store and up to 55% through Kindle, Apple, Kobo and Nook.

Its own example, "subject to change", is a 210-page 6×9 paperback with an $11.00 minimum list price. At $14.00 on the short discount, that book earns $1.80 a copy. The same book at $14.00 earns $1.35 at the trade discount and $2.91 on FriesenPress's store (derived).

You get a team that runs the project, printing through its parent company and Ingram, and listing with "over 50,000 booksellers" worldwide. Every book gets an Editor's Manuscript Evaluation, in which "your editor reads your manuscript in its entirety and produces a 5 to 6 page written assessment." FriesenPress says its editors are vetted against Editors Canada standards. It also states, "We do not use generative AI to create your visual assets."

You do not get a full edit on Launch, bookstore returnability below Signature, or a published contract. Its royalty page says most physical bookstores require the trade discount and returnable status. Returns cost extra on Launch and Classic and last one or two years on the higher paths.

The do-it-yourself route costs less. Amazon KDP charges nothing to publish. The same 210-page paperback at $14.00 earns $4.88 a copy on KDP (derived), against $1.80 in FriesenPress's example. A freelance copyedit of 80,000 words costs $2,400–3,200 at the EFA's 2026 median rates, so FriesenPress's standard rate of $2,000 is lower. What it costs to publish a book sets out each route.

FriesenPress's BBB profile, with BBB Central Canada, rates it A+, accredited since March 2021, with 1 complaint in three years (checked 19 October 2026). Its 70 customer reviews average 4.8 stars. BBB says "Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation." A BBB reviewer, August 2026: "Every specialist I worked with was patient, knowledgeable, and professional." A one-star BBB reviewer, May 2025: "The consultant I was dealing with didn't honor our original agreement to help me self-publish my ebook, softcover, hardcover, and audiobook."

Trustpilot offers no Friesen Press review to compare: its FriesenPress page, claimed in September 2022, has none.

ALLi's Watchdog Desk rates Friesen Press "Mixed" on its service ratings and lists its concerns as service, communication and value (checked 18 October 2026). Writer Beware has no post about FriesenPress. Its 16 February 2024 post on book returns programs names FriesenPress among companies that charged for returnability, and says Ingram charges nothing to make a book returnable. On Reddit, authors ask about it in "Already paid Friesenpress, should i follow through with them?" (r/selfpublish, 36 comments, April 2024) and "Anyone ever use Friesen Press?" (r/selfpublish, 17 comments, December 2023).

A search for a FriesenPress lawsuit on CourtListener, which covers U.S. courts, finds no case naming FriesenPress as a party. Google News for the past three years shows local stories about FriesenPress authors and no reports of regulatory action. Friesen Press books turn up in that coverage from Manitoba to British Columbia.

1. Ask which currency the path prices are in, and get the total in writing.
2. Ask for the Service Agreement before you pay. Check the notice period, refunds, and what happens to your files and ISBNs if you leave.
3. Ask what happens to print distribution after the 1 or 2 years listed for your path, and what renewal costs.
4. Ask for the minimum list price of your book, at your page count and trim size. Your royalty is a share of what you charge above it.
5. Decide whether you need bookstore returns. They cost "+ from $399" on Launch and Classic, and Writer Beware notes that Ingram charges nothing for returnability.

• Palmetto Publishing: publishes its terms and per-service prices; "most packages start around $1,598".
• BookBaby: prices each service separately and publishes its terms; its FAQ puts a fully produced book at $2,000–7,000.
• KDP plus a freelance copyeditor: $2,400–3,200 for an 80,000-word book at EFA rates, with no minimum list price set by a middleman.

The best self-publishing companies, compared covers 13 more.