What made you decide to produce books in large print?
Margaret – I have Dry AMD and now struggle with reading. If I hadn't a problem myself, I perhaps wouldn't have given it much consideration.
In my case it's because both my grandmothers, who were very keen readers and encouraged my love of the written word, suffered visual impairment in later life. Large print books helped them to continue enjoying reading and I'd like to add to the variety of books now available in this format.
Is this something you'd advise other Indie authors to try?
Margaret – Give it some thought. If your books are quite lengthy the printing costs could mount up. I've only published two titles so far. One a novella of about 22,000 words, the other a collection of nine short stories. (Both Previously published, not new work.) Although they were both more expensive to print in Large Print Format, I hope the retail price is not so expensive as to put potential buyers off.
Other than making the font larger, are there others things we need to do when formatting our books?
Margaret – The book size is larger. I'm using 6'' x 9'' and a cream paper and you keep text left justified so the right is 'ragged'. Also leave 1.15 -1.25 line space and don't indent paras, just leave a line space between. This makes them more easily defined. Also, on title page, under title put 'Large Print Edition.' The large print edition will need a new ISBN, but if you're only publishing through Amazon you can use their free one as you would with regular editions.
You'll also need to select a clear sans serif font – that's one with no little flicks or flourishes which can make reading harder for visually impaired people.
Is there anything else that's different from regular print books?
Margaret – You'll notice there's a lot more 'white' on the page. It makes it easier for anyone with low vision to make out the text.
When you upload the book to Amazon or Ingram Spark, make sure you tick the box to say it's large print, so that shows in the book's metadata and is displayed on the sales page.
Which books have you published in large print format?
Margaret – The two books I've published so far are Reflections of Murder, a novella, hardback, and Picking the Bones, nine tales in the folk tradition, in paperback.
Mine is Coffee & Cake, a collection of 25 short stories and I've done both paperback and hardback large print versions. It was already available as a ebook, paperback and audio version, so I thought I'd do every possible option!
Do you read large print books? Have you published any yourself, or is it something you'd consider in the future?
(As always – New blog posts are published each Saturday. All blog readers are welcome to use the comment section to share writing news, tips, successes, links to competitions and other publication opportunities, to ask questions and to respond to comments from others.)
17 comments:
Thanks Margaret and Patsy for a really interesting interview.
I’ve read a couple of large print books I got in charity shops just because standard print wasn’t available and actually kept them for train journeys which made reading on the move much more enjoyable.
What I do hate is books that have really tiny type. If I’m buying in a shop then I always flick through the pages to make sure it’s ‘normal size’. I have some old very old leather bound books on ultra thin paper and the print is minuscule!
Over time, I have known many people, including my family, who have used large print books. As long as you have some sight, they are very valuable. I don't know much about it, but I understand talking books are expensive to buy and also, for authors, produce. Although I am nowhere near writing a book let alone having a variety of formats, I can see this is a very useful idea. Thank you, Margaret and Patsy.
Self publishing, and using Kindle Direct Publishing it is a simple process to produce Large Print books. I have produced three of my books in Large Print, and donated them to a local charity for the blind or visionally impaired.
Thank you for such an interesting post Margaret and Patsy.
I haven't self published in any format, something I have considered but not yet done. I have however been very lucky that my D.C Thomson pocket novels have been picked up by Ulverscroft, who publish many titles for those who are visually impaired. My novels are available in libraries under the Linford Romance titles.
I know from feedback that all large print novels are very well received by those who find standard sized print difficult to read.
Thank you both for sharing such useful information.
Self- publishing using KDP might be a simple process for some, but not for all.
I'm not technically minded and mental health sufferers may find the process difficult to understand.
A large print aspect may become an extra hassle.
On another note, the Yours fiction specials have been published in Dec 2022, Jan 2023 and the next issue will be out in Feb.
Has anyone heard if they are going monthly? I hope so!
Thank you for an interesting piece Margaret and Patsy. I haven't self published but I do squirrel away information about doing so.
@Sharon I know I have a story in the Feb issue. I was told that when they bought it. No idea about other issues. Do you know if they are all new stories? Monthly would be very good!
Thanks.
Alyson
Well done Alyson!
I think they are all new stories.
Val McDermid had a story in the Dec issue, a Xmas one that was taken from her collection of short stories.
I had a look at the Yours website and there's no new announcement there.
Unless the December one was a Xmas special, the Jan one is as scheduled, and the Feb one is classed as the March issue?
With some monthly mags being well ahead, I can't keep up!
Right side ragged - I don't think I've seen a book like that.
Hopefully doing large print pays off big!
Thanks Patsy and Margaret for a great interview, really enjoyed it. It seems like a great idea as though Kindle is good there is nothing like the feel of a book in hand I always think. One day maybe I will write a book for now my limit is about 2000 words but its great to hear of different ideas and opportunities. Thank you both.
The People's Friend have just published a blog post with all their story lengths listed. Worth a look. Sorry I can't hyperlink it...
https://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/2023/01/15/all-about-our-short-story-word-counts/?fbclid=IwAR14_5MGB_qEg1t9yV3Sh-5ZYBeRR6ILCJHXBty-T66U7xl_nrYMiGuC1aE
@ Fiona – I don't like tiny type eitherI suppose it makes the book lighter and cheaper, but I don't think that makes up for the difficulty in reading it.
@ Marguerite – Audio books can indeed be expensive, both for readers and writers. It does take a long time to read and record them, but even so I'm surprised how expensive some are.
@ John – That's a nice thing to do.
@ Elizabeth – It's great that more books are becoming available in this format.
@ Sharon – There's quite a bit to learn before a book can be self published, especially if the author does everything themselves, and you're right that it comes easier to some than to others. However, for those who've already mastered the process for a regular paperback, producing a large format edition should be fairly straightforward.
Ebooks are a bit easier than paperbacks, and as users can select the font size they wish, these are automatically available in large print.
I've had a story accepted for the February Yours Fiction, so it does seem as though they might be monthly now. Like you, I hope so.
@ Alyson – Self publishing isn't for everyone, but even if you don't want to try them, I think it's good to know what options are available.
@ Alex – It does seem odd to have the ragged margin, but if it helps I'm happy to produce the books that way.
@ Sharon – I've just checked the email and it actually says 'next issue, published 16th Feb' so maybe it is the March one? Publication dates are confusing!
@ Sheelagh, for years I never wrote anything longer than 1,000 words and doubted I ever would. Then one story kept on going! (It's now my novel Paint Me A Picture.)
@ Alyson – Thanks. I'll add the link in to my next post.
Brilliant thanks for that information on the People's Friend Short Story Word Counts, so really have quite a range there, something for everyone.
What an interesting post. Thanks, Margaret and Patsy. My husband was recently registered as severely sight impaired, and not being able to read regular books any longer was a huge blow, so I really appreciate anything that improves access to literature. (In his case, even large print isn't really viable, but he got a huge boost from finding that he can read on an e-reader, as it has a lit-up screen and he can enlarge the point-size massively.) I am curious to know whether anyone is willing to share what the payment is from companies who buy the rights to large-print versions of their books. Also, it's very encouraging to hear that Yours Fiction might be going monthly - there is such a wonderful tradition of popular magazine fiction in the UK and it's great to learn of publishers backing this type of writing. Happy writing this week to all!
Although I've only written short stories myself, I was very interested to read this post and also everyone else's comments. Thanks to Sheelagh for pointing out The People's Friend word counts - fascinating to see just how many of each word length they publish each year.
Hi Eirin, in response to your question about payment from companies you buy rights to large-print versions, I am unsure if each author negotiates their own contract, so it would be wrong of me to quote a figure in this instance.
What I can say is that once published and available in libraries the author can apply for Public Lending Rights. The 2021/2022 figure paid for rate per loan, bearing in mind this is for selected libraries, is £0.3053.
I hope that is helpful.
@ Sheelagh – Yes, it's the biggest word count of any magazine I know of. Perhaps that's partly why it's so popular with writers – and readers?
@ Eirin – Yes e-readers must be very helpful to people with impaired vision. I imagine changing the actual font, as well as the size might make a difference.
I've not sold large print rights myself, but believe the payment is generally a few hundred pounds for a pocket novel. As Elizabeth says, the rates might well vary with better known writers getting more, and different companies making different offers.
@ Marian – I'm glad you still found it interesting, despite this not being something you're currently considering.
@ Elizabeth – good points. Large print books often are stocked by libraries and seem popular, so the plr might amount to more than the sale.
Thanks, Elizabeth and Patsy!
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