Large Print Finds Its Mark

By many accounts, large print books are well suited to weather the recession. While the category represents a fraction of overall book sales, demand is constant and poised for significant growth. This year the youngest of the baby boomers turn 45; as the population ages, the number of people suffering from normal age-related presbyopia (loss of elasticity in the eye lens), not to mention macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and other vision-hindering conditions, will rise.

By next year, as many as 20 million Americans will report a visual impairment, according to Lighthouse International, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving vision and to helping people overcome the difficulties of vision loss. For these people—as well as for younger or more sharp-eyed types who prefer their cookbooks, treadmill reading or reference material writ large—accessibility to large type will determine whether and how much is read.

In recent years, print on demand technology has helped mitigate cost, modulate quantity and promote variety, enabling certain book business pioneers to take more risks for more potential reward. Other publishers have seen great success by releasing large-print titles directly into trade paperback format. It's a strategy both economical and enabling for consumers who don't have the dexterity to carry a large volume. These advances have inspired Hachette, HarperLuxe, Severn House and others to rebrand their large-print programs, emphasizing that readers can find more of the books they're looking for. Severn House, for example, is introducing into the U.S. market romances and mysteries that are popular in the U.K., as well as the gritty noir of Stephen Solomita. The result of all these efforts, says Chris Bitely at Center Point Large Print, is “more people accepting large print as a format.” So with a widening audience and great potential for swift, economical publication, how exactly will large print grow? It depends on whom you ask.

The E-book Question

The increasing popularity of handheld devices with font-size variability, which can arguably turn any book into a large-print title, has been on the radar of large-print publishers for years, ever since the rollout of the Sony Reader Digital Book in 2006. But the past six months have seen the phenomenon reach new levels: the release of Kindle 2 stoked interest and sales (for books available on the Kindle, sales are already 35% of the same titles in print—up from 13% in February, according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos); on May 6, Amazon rolled out the Kindle DX, targeted for readers of newspapers, textbooks and personal documents. (Tech blogs are abuzz with rumors that Samsung, Apple and Hearst are each developing a version.) With 2.5 times the surface area of the original Kindle and a function that allows users to determine the length of each line (which can help with eye tracking), as well as a choice of six font sizes, the introduction of the Kindle DX poses the question: for the visually impaired, are these innovations better than the book?

“I've had numerous people contact me about it—some are legally blind, some have a hard time seeing, and others have said, 'I've given it to my grandmother,' or 'my friend uses it,' ” says Colleyville, Tex., optometrist Richard Driscoll, founder of the Eye Doc blog, which last month touted the Kindle as a good option for the visually impaired. “Large-print books are popular, but the contrast isn't great, and contrast and brightness are very important for someone with low vision.” He adds that for patients who have poor motor control as a result of tremors, arthritis or other conditions, the lightness and facility of an e-book reader, which requires the push of a button rather than the turn of a page, may also be a boon.

Most large-print publishers acknowledge the benefits Driscoll mentions, but insist that, for now, devices like the Kindle have affected neither their plans nor their bottom line: “I think there'll always be a place for books, but in terms of the future, [e-book readers] could certainly change the landscape for large print,” says HarperLuxe publisher Liate Stehlik. “And if the world moves to digital rather quickly, it could change the parameters.”

Nicole Kuritsky, a publicist for Random House Audio Publishing Group who handles large print titles, adds that the introduction of new formats—especially those that will promote new titles—is always exciting: “But I'd say that, for the most part, the people who are buying large-print books aren't necessarily buying the Kindle. Interest is growing, but it's still marginal at this point.” It's a sentiment echoed by Center Point's Bitely: “I certainly see the appeal, but it hasn't affected our market yet. If it does smashingly well, then terrific for the Kindle.”

Thorndike Press, which releases 1,100 new large-print titles for the library market and about 120 trade paperback editions annually, has a similar attitude: interest, but not panic. “We're keeping our eye on it, but we're not actively worried,” says publisher Jamie Knobloch. “Certainly for on-the-go reading, like newspapers, the Kindle is marvelous. We do pleasure reading, and there's still that feeling that the tactile experience of reading the book is part of that pleasure—I don't see that changing.”

Large Print, Large Selection, Large Sales

“The issue that's bubbled to the top with the whole Kindle controversy is accessibility—we [incorrectly] assume everyone's able to read a book,” says Tricia Roth, CEO of Read How You Want, which uses technology to repurpose books into a variety of alternative formats (including 16- to 24-point large print, Braille, e-books, synthesized audio MP3 and DAISY). “Once you realize that for a vast number of people, it's not so simple to read, you become aware of issues related to accessibility.”

Roth says that, for publishers, a partnership with her company is a no-brainer: “We're talking about not only making an important social contribution but about finding a new revenue stream.” Which is perhaps why the Sydney, Australia, startup now has more than 30 publishing partners, among them Wiley, Random House Australia, Simon and Schuster Australia, Murdoch Books and Parallax Press; its current library is 3,500 books. Its latest collaboration, announced April 30, is with the Perseus Book Group, which includes, among others, Avalon Travel, Basic Books, Da Capo Press and Seal Press.

Now a partnership with Career Press has the company introducing a number of business titles. “It seemed counterintuitive,” says Roth, “but people who are print disabled are facing the same issues in the marketplace. They need the same advice.”

But new businesses aren't the only ones capitalizing on increased demand for accessible formats. “A lot of publishers right now are in a tough spot, but large print has always been strong,” says Random House's Kuritsky. “It's nice to look at the graphs and see.”

For the first quarter of 2009, Hachette Book Group's large-print program, which has more than 25,000 titles, was up 79% when compared to the first quarter of 2008. “We've been seeing steady growth year over year,” says Anthony Goff, publisher director for Hachette Audio & Digital Media, “and in this economy, we'd be thrilled to even maintain our levels.” Some of the credit for the record-breaking year should go to Stephenie Meyer: “The Host was an adult departure for her, and it just does not slow down—all of the rabid Stephenie Meyer fans consume that,” says Goff, noting that Hachette has also sold millions of copies of William P. Young's The Shack, which is available in hardcover and trade paperback, as well as in trade paperback large print.

“A lot of publishers have been doing large print in paperback—it allows you to go into your backlist,” says Goff, who adds that Hachette plans to roll out several James Patterson titles, upon recently receiving the rights. “As baby boomers get older, it's helpful to have these additions available. The paperbacks look sleek and sexy, and the price points are in line with the hardcovers.”

HarperLuxe is another imprint that's seen considerable growth, even in a down economy—it's tripled its count since its launch three years ago. What works: bestsellers, of course, and a mix of literary, history and sports titles. On the fiction front is Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna (Oct.)and Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes, coming in November along with Carolyn Hart's Merry, Merry Ghost. Readers of nonfiction who are looking for bigger print will find, among other titles, poet Mary Karr's memoir, Lit, and the political biographies Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith Geller (June) and Christopher Andersen's Barack and Michele: Portrait of an American Marriage (Sept.) .

“Books about Barack Obama transcend all categories,” says Kuritsky. During the past year, the company's audio and large-print groups have seen especially strong sales in large-print books written by the 44th president, including Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. “They're not traditional blockbuster classics, but it's clear the interest is there.”

Though membership has dropped off slightly at Doubleday Large Print Book Club, which has about 200,000 members, interest in new titles remains strong. “As with anyone, we've seen slower sales—strong, but nothing exceptional,” says senior editor Jennifer Hufford-Varrone. “But members are loyal, and their buying habits tend to prove it.”

Sheryl Cotleur, buying director at Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., has also seen a slight decline in demand for large-print books. It's a small corner of the market from the start—“In a store that carries about 100,000 titles, I'd say I have probably 60 or 70 in large print,” she says—and the time of year also influences demand for certain titles. “This time of year is often pretty slow—my customers are less impacted by what's a bestseller than by what's good to read.”

Knobloch at Thorndike says that increased demand at libraries across the country is “wonderful news for us,” but acknowledges the added pressure on the often cash-strapped institutions. Visits are up 12% at the New York Public Library, for example; circulation is up 17%, and attendance at library programs is up 34%. Interest in large-print titles is steady, according to Miriam Tuliao, assistant director for central collection development and collections strategy at the New York Public Library. “The library is committed to making our collections accessible to and inclusive of people who cannot read standard print,” she says, noting that most readers are looking for current bestsellers like those mentioned above, as well as for popular nonfiction works by writers such as Malcolm Gladwell and Bill O'Reilly.