I was looking at the recommended page layout for published novels and noticed a preference among publishers to use fully justified text. Since working closely with a special educational needs department in a school, I have also seen recommendations to use left justified text to make the paragraphs dyslexic friendly. I'd like my work to be accessible to all, and if I try to encourage people with dyslexia to read by formatting using only left justified text, this may make the book look odd to people who either don't have dyslexia or have read many, many novels. Would it be worth making two editions of the book - one using standard fonts and layouts, and another with a dyslexic friendly font and left justified layout?
Considering it's more of a publisher's decision than yours whether to make different editions (I know some make a big font edition for people with eyesight problems) as all it is changing the layout of the pages. It would require basically no work on the author's part but twice the expense for a publisher (Twice the books, twice the cost) and I'm not even sure whether they'd get a good enough return on it to justify it. So, it'd be out of your hands unless you hunt down publishers who do just that.
Personally, it drives me crazy reading left justified text in a finished publication, but it happens a lot now anyway -- in digital format at least -- when self-publishers struggle with formatting. Have you had a look at the possibility of using one of the current 'friendly' fonts, like dyslexie instead? If you have links to the department you mention still, I'd talk to them about what difference each individual alteration could make and then weigh it up. You may also be able to do a bit of your own research with them.
I forgot to mention that I'll be self publishing the book, so I've got full control over the fonts and layout. One of the fonts I've been looking at is "Open Dyslexic", but I could have a look at "Dyslexie" too. I'm still in contact with the department, so I could send some samples with each combination of font and layout.
First off there is no such thing as "left justified" text. Second: no, publishers are not using justified text on their novels. Third: Holy shit that font is terrible. Don't ever use that font if you want people to read your book. Fourth: e-readers actually set the font that they will use. There might be overrides, but the individual is actually the person who will be choosing the font that they read your book on. I know my nook doesn't have a dyslexia friendly font, so you're kind of SOL there.
http://opendyslexic.org/ This. According to the people who made it. Seriously don't ever use this font for text. For a title it might be okay, it that's the message you're trying to send.
Are you self publishing in electronic format? If so, does the format allow the reader to override your choices anyway? I'm not asking these as rhetorical questions; I really have no idea. I'm just suggesting that it may be worth researching to find out. Because if so, then I'd guess that dyslexic readers would routinely override your choices and make this a non-issue.
No. As I pointed out, the reader chooses the font. Even when the reader is using a .pdf format it's using the text recognition system inside that format. Choosing the font that the original poster is talking about would probably make it harder on the reader as well. You might hoiia |>rob!rm5 Ii|<e ThI5.
as a dyslexic do not change from the norm, there are so few of us (10% even less who read) and over the years we learn to cope, I use text to speech so changing the font will not help me, it could mess up some TTS software
I don't understand how that makes things easier for dyslexic people. I'd be interested in know what reasoning went behind it to claim it's supposedly dyslexia-friendly? Because depending on the reasoning and whether it's scientific, it could be very helpful, or very insulting to dyslexic individuals... As I understand though, there're fewer instances of dyslexia amongst the Chinese not because there would necessarily be fewer people with the condition, but that the Chinese language itself, by being pictograms, somehow means dyslexic people have fewer problems with it. That's what I heard - I've never verified this.
A fad so far with mixed mostly negative research results. Letters are shaped thicker, thinner or with off-roundness to enhance differences between similar letters.
The research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDyslexic http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2014/11/10/christian_boer_s_dyslexie_is_a_typeface_for_dyslexics.html
I showed the font to another graphic designer and we spent a good five minutes laughing at how bad it was.
As a dyslexic myself I find the dyslexia friendly fonts infuriating. A lot of people who aren't dyslexic find them difficult too. fully justified doesn't just annoy dyslexics either, it annoys a lot of people. there are neuro-typical people who find left justified is hard to read, though, so it's really a hard call as to deciding the right course of action on this one. not very helpful of me, I just lie to spread ambivalence and fence sitting where ever I am...
It's awful isn't it? I'm dyslexic and it gives me a special kind of rage when people try to help without thinking it though. the dyslexic fonts are for people trying to feel better about dyslexics, not for dyslexic people themselves. it's like comic sans had a baby with an idiot
I've since chosen to use justified text with the Bookman Old Style font. I won't be pursuing a dyslexic friendly option, since the idea has been panned by everyone.
