In short: maybe. The scope of publishers’ responsibility to make their backlists accessible is actively debated, with cost a major concern. Converting existing ebooks to accessible files (a process called “remediation”) can be a complex and expensive proposition. The more unique features a book has—such as images or multiple languages—the more it is likely to cost. Images will require alt text; text-based tables may need to be converted to images; foreign languages will have to be manually “tagged” throughout so text-to-speech readers register them properly. Each of these tasks carries its own individual cost, and those costs can accrue quickly.
The European Accessibility Act offers some guidance. It specifies that books with publication dates going back to at least 2019 that are sold in the European market will need to be remediated. But how exactly and how much they should be remediated are open to interpretation. And remediation requirements for books published before 2019 are even hazier. And while some countries have opted to provide an additional 5-year grace period for backlist ebooks, not all EU countries have (yet) done so. And a lot is left to the publisher’s discretion. To read more about what the EAA means, the International Publishers Association has published a valuable overview.
Considerations that impact a publisher’s decision across their backlist may include title-by-title issues such as number and complexity of images and tables and the broad availability of resources needed to do the work of remediation. Some publishers may need to take the path of “triage” as they approach backlist remediation–which titles and lists are still selling enough to make the costs feasible? What timeframe for remediation does their legal counsel believe is appropriate, and what can be undertaken in that time?
Authors may find it helpful to contact their specific press to learn more about its plan to address backlist accessibility.
—SUNY Press, May 2024