Lightning Source bags book gong for large-print work

On-demand publisher Lightning Source UK has landed a 2007 British Book Award for producing large-print books for the visually impaired.

The company was awarded the 2007 Nielsen Bookdata trophy for its Pilot Large Print Initiative, which reformats data to produce large-print books.

The project has been supported by the the Royal National Insititute for the Blind (RNIB) through its Right to Read initiative, which campaigns for books to be made available in a range of accessible formats.

Lightning Source senior vice president of global sales David Taylor said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the award for innovation in the book industry.

“Less than 1.5% of books published in the UK are currently available in large print. Our unique ability to print a single copy of a book when we get an order allows publishers to make many more titles available in this format with minimal risk and investment.”

Known as the Oscars for the book industry, the 18th Annual Galaxy British Book Awards were held in London last night.