I am an independent author, often abbreviated as indie author, meaning I make and fund every decision that goes into the work I put out to the public. There is no big publishing imprint behind me; it's just me, my spouse, and our small registered business, Boundless & Curious Publishing. This chaos is something we both drown & thrive in as AuDHD+ humans—which is something I will dive into in a later post.
Our long-standing goal is to expand our non-fiction and fiction and add as many accessibility access points to our work as possible. This means when we release an ebook, we automatically begin to "accordion out" into paperback prints (large print, dyslexic font) and start saving to fund the process of creating an audiobook. Even with putting all royalties back into our publishing, it takes time to develop, fund, and launch each expansion.
If you follow me on social media, you've likely heard me mention that I am disabled and take personal and professional issues with accessibility costing more when disabled individuals are disproportionately more likely to live in poverty. When you own a small business, every dollar counts towards keeping your lights on, and this is no different for indie authors.
Yet, as I said, I make and fund every decision that goes into the work I put out to the public, and I want this to be consistent with my values. So, when I roll out large print or dyslexic font editions of my fiction and non-fiction work, I keep the price consistent across all of my print editions despite the increased cost of materials to print books that need more ink and paper.
I'll use the Late-Identified AuDHD workbook printed from Amazon as an example. All print editions of this workbook are $16.99—this feels fair to me. After Amazon subtracts the cost of service and the cost of printing, Boundless & Curious earns $3.31 on each standard print paperback and $1.21 on each large print paperback printed and sold through Amazon. For every 20 standard print paperbacks, I perhaps sell one or two large print editions to a population with a higher percentage of individuals—like me—who need a larger or dyslexic font.
There are indie author peers who tell me this is not a sound business decision. Even on days I wish I could quit my full-time mundane job, I can't agree. I think I am a new author writing for a niche audience, and it takes time to grow, refine my process, and expand my accessibility points—including getting my work into public libraries. I believe my values align with my business statements and will continue to unravel these mysteries as I go. The second edition of the workbook is on the horizon, and so is audio production and research on how to expand accessibility and sell directly from my website so I may have more control over production, quality, and cost.
I've got big dreams, and accessibility is a part of that, even if it takes time. What are ways that you wish fiction and non-fiction were more accessible to you or people you know?