Introduction to Born-Accessible Ebook Production

Suggested Prerequisite

Before reading this, you might want to read:

• Rationale for Creating Accessible Content

Committing to Accessibility

Creating well-made, accessible ebooks from the get-go (aka “born-accessible ebooks”) rather than retro-fitting them post-production can seem a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before, but if you are committed to accessibility and are even a little bit tech-savvy — or have people on your team who are — it’s easier than you think.

A ton of technical help is available online. Check out our “Next Steps” section, which will guide you through every step of ebook production. Creating born-accessible ebooks requires more than technical knowledge, however; it also requires commitment — and maybe even some excitement.

Building accessibility into your projects as early as possible in the process is key. Identifying those steps in your current workflows will go a long way to easing the transition to accessibility. 

Step-by-Step: Instructions for building an accessible workflow

• Build awareness: Start talking about accessibility with your team. It’s important for everyone involved in the book production cycle to understand what accessibility means for readers with print disabilities. Striving for born-accessible ebooks is a journey made much easier when there is a collective effort.
• Start small: You don’t need to incorporate every accessibility feature at once; start where you feel comfortable and keep building with each publication.
• Ask for assistance: Reach out to experts working on accessible publishing. Accessibility experts can support publishers by helping to solve problems that publishers may encounter in implementing changes to their workflows, answering questions and providing advice on accessibility standards, and testing accessibility features. Awareness of different reading styles and familiarity with users who access content in non-traditional ways will go a long way toward helping publishers strive to create ebooks that are accessible for everyone.
• Update your documentation: Consider updating your workflow documentation, manuscript review guidelines, and/or your layout and design instructions with steps that feature accessibility.