Tuesday, March 31, 2009


LARGE PRINT BOOKS - NEW UK INITIATIVE

FOCUS – clearly a better read

Bestselling authors and top publishers back campaign to get Large Print books on the high street

Do you struggle to read small print books? Do you have a friend or relative who loves to read but has given up?
Many people would struggle to read the top sentence of this release. Many people struggle to read their favourite books simply because this ‘standard’ font size is too small. FOCUS, a new campaign to make popular and bestselling books available in Large Print is set to change all that.

Launching on 2 April, a list of 53 great reads appealing to a wide audience will be available in Large Print in bookshops nationwide, including 7 new ‘lead’ titles from bestselling authors Clive Cussler, Nicholas Drayson, Len Goodman, Cathy Kelly, Karin Slaughter, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Barbara Vine.

The books will look exactly the same on the shelf as their standard font counterparts so there is no need for readers to feel embarrassed or different when making a purchase. The cover and content is exactly the same; it is only the font that is larger – 16 point rather than the standard 10 point.

Barbara Taylor Bradford, whose novel Being Elizabeth is one of the lead titles in the campaign, comments;
I am very pleased and honoured to be part of such a fantastic initiative to get Large Print books available on the high street. I welcome a scheme which allows everybody, regardless of age or 20-20 vision, the same access to a wider variety of literature.”

FOCUS is leading the way to demonstrate that there is a market for people who want to buy books printed in a larger font size.’ The campaign is designed to encourage readers who are frustrated to be struggling with standard font size and to cater for life-long readers who are experiencing sight difficulties due to age.

Karin Slaughter, whose novel, Fractured, is being published in Large Print, comments;

Books present an opportunity to enter into a new world or see people in a different light - it's a way to travel the world or the universe without ever leaving your home. Reading is a gift that should not be denied anyone and books should be in Large Print if that helps more people enjoy their pastime.”

All the books are published in a trade paperback format and are priced £12.99 when the standard trade edition is in paperback or £16.99 when the standard trade edition is in hardback.

The seven lead titles are:

Corsair by Clive Cussler (Penguin)
A Guide to Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson (Penguin)
Better Late Than Never by Len Goodman (Random House)
Once in a Lifetime by Cathy Kelly (HarperCollins)
Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Random House)
Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford (HarperCollins)
The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine (Penguin)

FOCUS was initiated and funded by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Publishers Licensing Society (PLS). The books are published by RNIB in association with BBC Audiobooks, Penguin, Random House and HarperCollins.

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