As part of the accessibility of digital books, the reading tool is very important. It must be adapted. Currently, very few e-reader models can both read text in audio and allow correct navigation. When I talk about navigation, I mean keys allowing you to move through the text and select actions indicated in the menu.
For my part, I tried a first model that was lent to me some time ago. He read the text of my book, which is quite astonishing and which, for people whose need arises, proves very useful function text to speech. Enlarging sans serif fonts is also an essential feature for reading digital books.
Meeting around large print publishing
The meeting around the edition in large print took place online on Thursday, March 28, 2024 on the website of Occitanie book and reading. It is part of the reading for all. This event brought together several professionals around a theme related to the accessibility of the book.
I participated in this meeting which seem interesting for the artists here is a little report on this subject. The interventions of several participants including a visual disability awareness association and a specialized publishing house.
One of the most important information for reading adapted books concerns the font used, its size and the fact that it is necessarily without serif. The text needs to be formatted (paragraph, leading, etc.) too. A font has been developed following several studies, firefly is available on this website.
Tips
:
Avoid fonts with serif, that is to say with wheelbase, for reasons of accessibility.
Prefer a suitable size for reading or that can be enlarged with a support tool.
Regarding formatting air paragraphs with interlines.
Following the conference, a font that can be downloaded and used free of charge was proposed by a speaker: link to the website of this font.
Work mutations number 3
Today, I will attend the career changes conference organized by Occitanie Livre et Lecture. If you are an author too, you can contact me at this address.
Digital book and accessibility
The 24th edition of the Digital Book Conference is dedicated to accessibility in the world of books.
To find out more click on the link.
Thought 0421
As an artist, I am crossed by all kinds of emotions which interact on my job. This is not just about looking for inspiration and writing hundreds of books without interruption.
The world around me is important.
Today, I heard a program on the radio on France culture and which quoted a group of several authors in the United Kingdom. Its objective was to question the various publishing companies on their ability to control printing in order to move towards a more responsible use of paper.
This environmental issue had already worried me during the first COVID epidemic when I started my professional activity. And, I was indeed not the only one. Conferences on the malaise of authors facing their profession and the possible impacts on the planet had taken place at the BnF.
My comments are not those of all the authors, they engage only myself.
In a previous article, I proposed some lines of thought on a changing profession and they were as follows:
- promote on-demand printing
- the end of the D.R.M
accelerate digital accessibility (for all types of audiences) - remunerate the authors for their creation (for example: the systematic payment of an advance at the signing of a publishing contract rather than a payment at the end sales when not self-publishing)
Currently, there is a disparity between accessing and purchasing a physical book and a digital book. In the majority of cases, for digital it is access to online content under conditions clearly defined by the broadcaster. Which wouldn’t be a problem if we were talking about a reading subscription rather than a book purchase. In the case of a file purchase for the digital version of the book, if it is done without D.R.M, the author may be exposed to a sharing of the book without receiving the benefits, but this is not certain. In order not to hamper individual freedom, having a digital file in an open format is fairer. It is up to us to make the public aware of our working conditions as artists and our method of remuneration.
In the context of printing on demand, if the choice of the type of paper is recycled, certain labels should make it possible to ensure that it has not been treated beforehand and that the forest has not been over exploited. . As for the use of vegetable inks, they can prove to be an alternative to think about.
It has always seemed obvious to me that it is better to favor quality over quantity and that in any activity.
As an author, I try to act at my level by having a human and logical rhythm of artistic creativity, by talking about these ideas around me, thus proposing the result of my reflections. Everyone is free to use them.
The evolution of writing
As a professional, I think about the evolution of writing. And, of course, I ask myself all kind of questions to which I try to find a solution. They are not necessarily the best but having a vision of the future allow you to anticipate.
Here are three issues we should think about :
As an author we can facilitate accessibility by offering files whose content is structured through the use of style sheets. Publishers will then be able to continue the accessibility process.
Regarding the recycling of paper, there are labels that are more compliant than others, similarly vegetable inks are possible. That said, print on demand seems an alternative.
Finally, DRM does not seem to me to promote the dissemination of a book for the public. Similarly, the multiplicity of formats according to a particular type of equipment restricts reading.