Reach a larger audience by making your eBook accessible
Image: Marco Verch
Sadly, with the current state of eBooks, many readers cannot enjoy your content. As a result of digital rights management, proprietary formatting, and unusable software, eBooks do not meet the basic accessibility needs (JISC). Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to make sure that everyone can access your eBook.
Choose the best format
The first thing to do is make sure that you use a platform that supports accessibility. The two best platforms are EPUB and Kindle. Both of these platforms offer a range of accessibility features like HTML markup features, enhanced text-to-speech playback, and standard formatting. These features make it easy for both the writer to create an accessible eBook and the reader to enjoy it.
“eBooks are a great format for long-form content. They can offer complex details about your products and services, and position your company as an industry thought leader.”
eBook accessibility formatting tips
Much like the accessibility standards for web-hosted content, following some format tips can ensure your eBook content is accessible:
● Use correct heading tags
● Use alt tags on any images or graphics
● Avoid created tables if possible, unless for a plain data chart
● Do not place text within an image
● Be conscious of your contrast ratio, font style, and size
You can also use the same strategies you would use to make sure your website content is accessible.
Verify your accessibility
Finally, once you’ve finished creating and formatting your eBook, you’ll want to check the accessibility. There is a whole variety of accessibility checkers available online that you can use. However, if you truly want to ensure your eBook is accessible, speak to the content management experts at ALHAUS. We’ll review and edit your content to meet the latest accessibility standards. With our help you can be assured that your eBook is reaching everyone.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help make your content more accessible.