Why breaking the rules in publishing was the right thing to do!
Share
Dyslexic-friendly fiction for adults
On the 5th June 2020, Scorpius Books was born and became the 1st UK publisher of dyslexic-friendly fiction for adults, determined that great stories should be accessible to all.
When starting out, I wanted to create a company that tackled the somewhat antiquated way in which the publishing industry works - hey, sometimes breaking the rules can be a good thing!
Having worked as an editor for over fifteen years for both publishers and authors, as well as being a published author myself, I'd seen enough of the industry from both sides of the fence to know that many things in the publishing world were done the way they were simply because "that's how it's always been done". It’s a terrifying way of looking at just about anything in my opinion!
I wanted Scorpius Books to be different. To break the rules!
And we did that in the biggest way possible.
But why dyslexic-friendly fiction for adults?
It’s estimated that 1 in 10 people in the UK are dyslexic, with around 1 in 6 adults having the reading level of an 11 year old, usually due to the legacy of a lack of support in schools. They attended school in a time when children with dyslexia were deemed lazy or stupid, neither of which are the case, and as a result were not supported with reading or writing. This has recently been brought to the forefront by celebrities such Jamie Oliver and Chris Packham.
My husband is dyslexic, yet despite being a huge book lover, he struggled to read many books due to the layout and size of the text. He’d have to read each word slowly to make sense of them, then go back and re-read them to make sense of the story, which became very mentally taxing.
Knowing there was dyslexic-friendly fiction for children, I assumed there were books for adults, too. But despite a lot of searching, I couldn't find anything. Absolutely nothing! I was shocked. It was as if the publishing industry thought you simply grew out of dyslexia.
I had lengthy conversations with dyslexia associations, individuals and booksellers. I thought I must be missing a huge part of the puzzle and that it couldn't be that simple. Six year later and I'm still waiting! The publishing industry just didn't want to know, despite there being a clear demand for accessible books. The big 5's attitude that there were ebooks and audiobooks wasn’t good enough. Why couldn't an adult with dyslexia enjoy the same physical books as everyone else?
So what makes a book dyslexic-friendly?
The shameful part is that it isn’t rocket science to make a book dyslexic-friendly, and for publishers that have all the software already for their regular books, all it takes is a quick set up of a template and a few extra clicks and the process is actually pretty quick. It makes their lack of interest in the whole demographic even more shocking.
Our simple design uses a larger, dyslexic-friendly sans serif font, which is instantly easier to read. We increased spacing between each letter, word, and line, which improves blurring and distortion. The text is left justified instead of fully justified, like a regular book, which prevents odd line spacing that could interfere with a dyslexic reader’s processing of the words. Lastly, our books are printed on crème paper which reduces the contrast from the black ink, another issue that can cause a dyslexic reader to struggle with text. These font choices also extend to our covers and blurbs.
The impact of change
Starting mid-pandemic, our first books were launched to closed bookshops and libraries during lockdown. We had no shop front to fall back on, nowhere physical to sell our wares and the rest of the industry looking at us and asking ‘Who the hell are you?’
Yet six years after our first dyslexic-friendly book was released, we’ve spoken to Big 5 publishers about being dyslexic-friendly – Bloomsbury have been the first to heed the call – and were finalists for the British Dyslexia Association’s Innovation award in 2023.
We were named Regional Small Press of the Year 2024 at the British Book Awards, a major achievement for such a new publisher, and were finalists for the same award in 2025 and 2026. We’re currently finalists for an EVA Diverse Business award.
We’ve partnered with a scheme to supply our books to inmates in the US prison system, featured in Dyslexia Scotland’s The Voice Magazine, were invited to join the Small Business Sunday Network set up by Theo Paphitis, and have signed books by bestselling horror writer James Herbert and Thunderbirds from Gerry Anderson, all to be produced in a dyslexic-friendly, accessible format. We were even approached by Drop Dead Films about publishing a novelisation of their award-winning film Charlie Shaw’s Revenge, due for release in 2026, as they wanted the story to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
We’ve signed some amazing debut authors, some of whom are dyslexic themselves, and all of whom have been immensely supportive of our mission.
The feedback we've received since our first day has been amazing. We’ve sold dyslexic-friendly books across the globe and had amazing feedback from people who had struggled to pick up a book because publishers ignored those who read differently. Our dyslexic-friendly books have helped people find a love of reading when they thought the book world had forgotten them, and our special formatting has proven helpful to others too, such as those with sight impairments. Even non-dyslexic readers have preferred the larger layout, stating it’s easier on the eyes after a day filled with screens.
It's a shame the industry is so mired in convention. Publishing should always be accessible and inclusive. There's no maybe about that.
Our core belief that great stories should be accessible to all is as true today as it was six years ago. We’ll keep making a difference, because the publishing industry needs it.
Readers need it. And readers deserve it.
That’s why we made a change.
And we're proud to continue doing so.
Jacqueline Kibby, Scorpius Books
