Celebrating Twenty Years of Girl Friday Productions

Where it all began: Ingrid and Lam meet at Seal Press

Lam joins Seal Press as publicity director after spotting the feminist press in Pacific Magazine. Ingrid, then marketing director at Seal Press, brings her on board. Over the next five years, the two rise through the ranks—Ingrid to associate publisher, Lam to editorial director—acquiring, shaping, and editing the Seal Press list. 

Two departures, one future

After Seal Press is acquired by Perseus and operations shift, Lam and Ingrid each decide to move on. They step away from traditional publishing and begin freelancing—trading projects, staying close, and quietly laying the groundwork for something new.

Girl Friday Productions is born August 3, 2006

After a walk through Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood, a packager’s nudge to “go legit,” and a name that captures exactly what they do—Girl Friday—GFP incorporates on August 3rd, reclaiming a classic 1940s archetype for the twenty-first century. The original “Girl” (designed by a friend using another friend as a model) becomes the company’s first logo. 

The team grows: Christina and Jenna join GFP

Girl Friday doubles in size, welcoming Christina Henry de Tessan—a Seal Press and Chronicle Books alum who was ready for a new challenge—and Jenna Free, a publishing pro from becker&mayer!, who was especially drawn to GFP’s flexible, values-driven model. Each partner works on their own projects, contributing to a shared overhead structure that would define GFP’s early years.

GFP goes literary: the eNotes project

Girl Friday lands a contract with eNotes to create comprehensive literary study guides for high school and middle school readers. To win the contract, the four founding partners each take a section of 1984 by George Orwell—writing discussion questions, essays, and analyses of themes and symbolism. The success of that first study guide leads to dozens of fifty-plus-page guides across the curriculum. 

A year of transformation: big clients, new faces, an ebook boom

A conversation at a yoga class leads to a connection with an emerging large-scale local publishing program. GFP begins doing developmental edits for translated novels, which evolves into full editorial production for the company’s other imprints including romance, thrillers, young adult, sci-fi, and more. GFP’s longest-running client relationship remains to this day.

Rapid growth: new hires, new digs, and a Capitol Hill home

GFP moves into a revamped carriage house on Capitol Hill (with some noisy parrots in the upstairs apartment as part of its charm) as the team expands rapidly to meet editorial production demand. The year also marks a milestone: the first man ever hired at Girl Friday Productions, beloved and talented art director, Paul Barrett. Lam begins her executive MBA program, supported by the whole team, with a capstone focused on self-publishing education.

Slothlove and the Inkshares era

GFP continues production work for Inkshares, a reader-funded publisher. Among the projects: Slothlove, a book that earns a devoted following inside the GFP office.

New ownership, new brand, deeper commitment to self-publishing

Kristin Mehus-Roe and Meghan Harvey join the ownership team. Meghan leads GFP’s expanded self-publishing services; Kristin deepens packaging relationships with partners including National Geographic, PBS, and Sesame Street. A new website and refreshed branding signal GFP’s evolution.

GFP goes fully remote—and keeps going

The pandemic scatters the team to their home offices. After a brief adjustment period, GFP finds its footing—and then some. A new wave of clients— many finally ready to write that long-planned book— keeps the team busy and optimistic through one of the most uncertain periods in recent memory.

GFP launches three imprints

Leveraging their small press roots and an Ingram distribution partnership, Ingrid, Kristin, and the leadership team launch three hybrid publishing imprints: Flashpoint, Bird Upstairs, and Girl Friday Books.

Bindery launches: the publishing program evolves

Meghan Harvey departs to co-found Bindery Books, a new venture that becomes a meaningful GFP production client almost immediately. Meanwhile, GFP refines its publishing program: the Bird Upstairs imprint is retired, Flashpoint sharpens its editorial vision, and Girl Friday Books evolves into GFB and shifts to an online-only model.

Dave Valencia joins the ownership team

A familiar face and longtime GFP team member, Dave Valencia is offered—and accepts—an ownership stake in the company by remaining owners Ingrid, Leslie, and Christina.

The newest hybrid, GFB gains momentum

Responding to the strength of online distribution and reader buying patterns, GFP's newest hybrid program offers a strong publishing partner for authors with the flexibility and lower costs that print on demand offers. Demand for space in this program triples, with the editorial board choosing compelling stories and motivated authors. 

Twenty years—and counting

What started as a walk through Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood and a joke about “doing it all” has grown into one of the publishing industry’s most trusted editorial and production partners. Here’s to the next twenty years, and beyond.