Indie bookseller launches Kickstarter to publish dyslexia-friendly fiction

A North Somerset-based bookseller is launching a Kickstarter next month to publish fiction for adults with dyslexia.

Alistair Sims, who manages Books on the Hill, a dyslexia-friendly independent bookshop in Clevedon, has set up Books on the Hill Press (BOTH), a new indie publisher, to address the lack of titles available to adults in mainstream publishing.

BOTH intends to publish authors including Stan Nicholls, author of the Orcs: First Blood series; fantasy, horror and thriller writer Steven Savile; and Arthur C Clark Award winner Adrian Tchaikovsky. The books' format will include cream paper rather than white, a sans-serif font, or another specifically dyslexia-friendly one, and extended spacing between paragraphs, sentences and words.

BOTH aims to publish and print eight titles, with a long-term goal to continue publishing adult fiction to produce a wide range of books for people who have challenges when reading. The press has collaborated with Chrissey Harrison, a local author and member of North Bristol Writers Group, to design the book covers, and Harrison has overseen the printing process and typesetting.

Sims is offering rewards to donors as part of the kickstarter, including signed limited-edition hardbacks, e-books and an acknowledgement on the BOTH website.

Commenting on his experience and the project, he said: "Books are an important part of life. Even though I was diagnosed as dyslexic when I was 10 and I struggled to read properly until I was 13, I have gone on to get a PhD, have two academic papers published and now run an independent bookshop.

"Dyslexia doesn’t go away when you become an adult, it is for life, and dyslexics develop different coping strategies to manage life. I have days where reading and writing is a real challenge and I know a lot of dyslexics feel this way. Although there is now a great range for children with dyslexia, the publishing industry has not addressed adult dyslexics and this is what has spurred me on to launch BOTH Press, where we can bring really great books to the market that are adapted to the needs of those with reading difficulties."

The Kickstarter will launch on 2nd April and run for 30 days, initially raising funds to pay for the printing of titles.