The continually increased awareness of removing the hierarchy between different types of readers implies a need for a flexible understanding of how a Hi Low book can create genuine inclusion. Moreover, The BfE Framework acknowledges that high-level literature requires different writing processes, making every book unique. The BfE Framework will therefore be presented and discussed using five books as examples [23,24,25,26,27]. The analysis of how Easy Language is understood in the production of these books will lead to a more general discussion concerning the nature or definition of Easy Language and how the publishing industry can apply this framework to include and reach more readers.
Phase 1: Initial Phase
The initial phase comprises genre and story, keeping in mind both primary and secondary target groups. In this phase, it is important to keep an open mind and consider the importance of motivation for reading. The author, illustrator and graphic novelist must consider which stories might come forward as relevant and interesting to provide the readers with the required outcome of leisure reading. Examples can be the desired reading experience wanted, as discussed by Ross [2], which might be based upon reading level, mood, if the reader wants to be challenged, frightened or amazed. Other relevant elements described by Ross [2] are the characters depicted, what kind of world the reader enters, subject and a happy versus sad ending. According to The BfE Framework, there must be an understanding of potential reading challenges among the target users. A discussion of potential considerations for the readers is necessary in the initial phase, such as avoiding too complicated plots.
In this phase, the collaboration between the author (or illustrator or graphic novel artist), the editor at the publishing house and an adviser from Books for Everyone is established. It is important that everyone involved in the development process of the book meet and agree upon the labour of division and a progress plan. Stereotype thinking must be avoided when discussing the theme of the book, the primary and secondary target groups, and which considerations to apply. The initial phrase takes into consideration that different readers should be offered various types of books and to ensure the users have access to a broad selection of genres and topics.
One example is the illustrated children’s book "Jenta som ville redde bøkene” (translates “The girl who wanted to save the books”) written by Hagerup and Aisato [23]. The main person in this book is a girl who loves books and reads all the time. This book was intended for young people with reading challenges. Originally, there was scepticism towards having book reading as a main plot. The fear was that readers who required Easy Language books would not identify with this story. Consequently, the idea was tested out on people with dyslexia. This user test resulted in a surprising result, where a 12-year-old girl with dyslexia commented: “I liked the book. I liked that it was about a girl who loves books. I want to find joy in reading books, too, just like her!”. Examples like this show the importance of keeping an open mind when initializing new Easy Language books and avoid stereotype thinking.
Phase 2: Narratology
Phase 2, narratology, includes aspects such as tense, scenic presentation, narrative speed, character, voice, and dialogue. The narratology approach to Easy Language includes all parts of storytelling that helps the reader navigate the story. Feedback from readers has led to an increased awareness that the narratology and linguistic aspects of Easy Language are equally important. Without an Easy Language narratology approach, only the language itself will be easier, and the storyline might get lost. Consequently, the goal of providing accessible and enjoyable literature for the target group is not reached. However, it will not help the reader if the storyline becomes pedagogical in such a way that the literary aspect is lost.
An important part of reading literature, is the joy and excitement of getting to know a character, following an interesting plot, getting surprized, shocked, excited, or moved by the shifts and movements in the story. The important balance between adaptation and complying with the reader’s motivation has led to the narratology advice given to authors of Easy Language books. The author is advised to build a clear and strong character the reader can relate to, which will guide the reader through the story. At the same time the author is advised to make a complex character to reach the high-quality goal of such books. The author should not underestimate the reader but build a credible story and a character without causing confusion. Moreover, time and space must be easy to follow. The narrative voice should be clear and reliable without losing dramatic shifts.
The thriller story “Hevneren” (translates “Avenger”) written by Røssland [24], is an example where Easy Language narratology is used to meet the need for an exciting storyline that is easy to follow. This book is part of a series aimed at young people with very little reading experience due to dyslexia, general reading challenges or simply scarce reading. These books relate to films or video games to build upon previous experiences with other media types. A dramatic storyline which holds a high intensity keeps the attention of the reader. At the same time, considerations are taken to accommodate a slow reading speed. Adjusting the narrative speed is important. According to Hume [28], many narrators present events too fast for the readers in contemporary novels, which does not result in real understanding. Easy Language books must therefore have a narrative speed that is not too fast, but still makes the books exiting.
In the novel “Avenger” [24], the story is told by two different main characters; Damien and Ella. The story begins with the kidnapping of Ella`s boyfriend, Damien. Ella does not know what has happened to Damien. The dramatic tension grows as the story is told in short chapters, often presented on one page. The story switches between the perspective of Damien and Ella. Every chapter has a headline showing the teller (Damien or Ella), date and time. Damien`s kidnapper keeps getting more dangerous while Ella is occupied with other problems. Through this simple, but effective dramatic trick, the unexperienced reader gets narrative support. At the same time, by letting the reader know more than the characters, a mainstream thriller excitement is kept.
Phase 3: Linguistic Text Editing
Phase 3 is the linguistic text editing, where much work is put down into ensuring Easy Language. Examples of characteristics that are attended to are passive versus active form, using a concrete and direct language in addition to considering sentence structures, words, and expressions. An overall goal is to reduce the lexical complexity of several layers, which is also pointed out by Hansen-Schirra and Bisang [5]. Nevertheless, unknown words are not always avoided, because Easy Language books should also allow the readers to increase vocabulary and reading skills. This approach is in accordance with Moghadam and Zainal [13], who emphasise the importance of having both depth and breadth in the vocabulary knowledge to increase reading comprehension. Moreover, the careful considerations in the linguistic text editing ensures that not all Easy Language books are very low in complexity [6].
In this phase, the editor, adviser, and writer will often discuss how to balance necessary linguistic considerations aimed at including the primary reader into the story, and at the same time ensuring that the author, illustrators, or graphic novel artists special signature or “literary voice” is kept. The feedback from people who have collaborated with Books for Everyone, is that they were positively surprised when discovering that the necessary considerations worked as an inspiring frame that sharpened and evolved their artistic and literature skills, not the opposite. As a result, their signature is often strongly present in the book.
The book “Søstre: Min historie etter Utøya” (translates “Sisters: My story after Utøya”) written by Di Fiore [26] illustrates how Easy Language linguistics can be applied to reach a broad target group. The topic of the book is difficult, but important: It is based upon a real-life story of two sisters who went to the Norwegian Summer camp Utøya in 2011. Both sisters were shot by a terrorist. One sister died; the other was badly hurt. The story is told by the surviving sister but is written by an experienced author. The teller point is “I”, to keep the language direct. The sentences are mostly short and address the reader, almost as if the story is told in person. The words are easy to read and create a visual scene.
One of the most important principles applied by authors is “show, don`t tell”. Advisers in Books for Everyone reveal that experienced authors often have a prejudgment towards Easy Language books, expecting that these books must explain the scenes more often than in Standard Language books. Feedback from readers, however, shows the opposite; the more the text is explained, the more it will come forward as too pedagogical, thus reducing the reading-motivation. On the contrary, difficult words or a complex storyline are not necessary to create a visual scene. Moreover, visual scenes invite the reader to co-create, bringing own experiences, imaginary skills, and empathy to the story. In the book about the two sisters, the reader is invited to see, feel, smell, and hear everything the teller is experiencing. This book is an example of how a Hi Low book can be created by combining Easy Language with visual scenes to lay the groundwork for the same level of co-creation as other mainstream books.
Another linguistic approach in this book is the mixed use of short and half-long sentences. Short sentences might be easier to read when presented one by one, but put together in a book, using only short sentences will create a staccato rhythm that disturbs the reading flow [29]. Reading fiction does not only entail decoding words, but to experience a story and be encouraged to follow the character and visualize the scenes described in the book. A natural reading rhythm that follows the logic of thinking and talking, bridges oral language with written language and makes it easier for unfamiliar readers to engage in the story.
Phase 4: Layout and Design
Phase 4 relates to presentation of the books, including chapters, paragraphs, line lengths, fonts, contrasts and the relationship between text and illustrations. The cover of the book is also included in this phase. Physical characteristics of a text has been reported to affect eye movements during reading, reading speed and overall reading strategies [30]. The integration of pictures is also important in Easy Language [5]. There has been much research on font types and sizes, blank space and line lengths for people with dyslexia. Common for this research is the conclusion that text layout is an important supplement to Easy Language. Reading speed and experience are thus affected by both the text itself and the presentation [21].
Ross [2] reported that the length and time required to read a book are important criteria, including the size of the book and the cover. People with reading challenges do not want to be seen reading the so-called “easy books” [8, 21]. Measures must therefore be taken to ensure that these books are not perceived as “adapted books”. Gambrell [7] suggests avoiding labels such as “easy”, because the users who would benefit from reading these books typically avoid such categories. The BfE Framework offers an approach to Easy Language literature which involves the specialized skills of different actors in the publishing industry. In phase 4, collaboration with designers in the publishing house is also established.
“Kaffehjerte” (translates “Coffee heart”), written by Dahle and Nyhus [27], is an example of how a universal design approach can make a book appealing to many different types of readers. The primary target group comprises readers with cognitive impairments. The main character, storyline, theme, telling point and linguistic considerations are tailored to meet the needs of this user group. In many ways the story is quite simple; a woman in her 40’s still living with her mother because it seems like she needs a lot of care and cannot manage on her own. Through the poetic and calm tone in the story, the reader is encouraged to sympathize with this woman. The sentences are few and simple, but leaves a lot of room for the reader to think and reflect; might it rather be the mother who needs to hold on to the role as caretaker?
Gro Dahle is a well-known Norwegian author with her own recognizable writing style. In this story, her style is simplified, but still preserved and actually strengthened. The illustrations, layout and design underline an artistic and grown-up approach to the story, inviting every kind of reader into recognizing the universal human aspects of the story. The book is richly illustrated, but the size of the book resembles a novel more than a picture book addressing adult readers. The illustrations are simple, but artistic, and do not come forward as childish. This approach shows that a universally designed book is not limited to Hi Low books with a high-level content but can comprise books with easy-to-understand content. Such books, however, must have poetic, artistic qualities which are also mirrored in the layout and design.
Phase 5: Publication
Phase 5, publication, comprises defining potential target groups, promotion, and collaboration with libraries and potential readers. An overall goal is to explore novel areas of promotion to reach new readers. By applying the universal design perspective, target groups are expanded beyond people with reading challenges. The main purpose of this phase, however, is to locate readers who rarely visit a library or bookstore. Reaching potential readers is therefore also an important element of The BfE Framework and requires both sufficient planning and effort.
A relatively large part of the Norwegian population consists of people learning Norwegian. Reading literature is an efficient and pleasurable way to learn a new language, understand a new culture, and expand the vocabulary. Hi Low books are therefore highly suitable for second language readers as they present a high-level content in Easy Language. Nevertheless, literature and Hi Low books are seldomly used as a source for language learning in schools for adults or language cafes (meeting places where second language learners can practice speaking their new language). Books for Everyone has therefore focused on how literature can be used as a source for language learning and bridge to interesting conversations in Norwegian.
Feedback from language cafes has shown that Easy Language poetry works well as a starting point for dialogues in Norwegian. Recognition is perceived as an important inner motivation for many readers [2]. Moreover, the best conditions for learning a new language is a solid foundation in one’s first language [31]. Few books written by authors from other cultures living in Norway are published. Books for Everyone has therefore initiated a bilingual book project.
An example of the importance of an Easy Language approach to publication is the bilingual Easy Language poetry book “Lukta av svart” (translates “The smell of black”) written by the Iraqi poet Hayder [25]. This is an example of a bilingual book with full-text translation, as opposed to other types of bilingual books [32]. The poems are written in Easy Language both in Arabic and Norwegian. Although the language is easy, the content is challenging. The book is based upon the historical incident when the terrorist group ISIS occupied Mosul in 2014. The poems address dealing with terror, uncertainty, being forced into exile, and coping with loneliness in a new country. The main character of the book must learn to handle memories while adapting to a new society and learning a completely new language and culture.
To accommodate the reading level of an adult second language learner, the poems were simultaneously written in Arabic and Norwegian. This was a new approach where the poet creates the poems in close collaboration with a translator, editor, and literature adviser. This writing process was chosen to ensure that the poems would come forward as new and modern in both languages. The process required discussions and dialogues between the members of the team concerning differences in culture, history, literature, and language.
In the publication phase of the BfE Framework, advisers in Books for Everyone collaborate closely with both the editor and marketing section of the publishing house. Although the bilingual book “Lukta av svart” was originally aimed at second language learners, it was acknowledged that the dialogue-approach applied when making the poems would probably also create dialogues among various types of readers. The book content and the bilingualism made the book interesting for different readers and showed the potential of not limiting the promotion of Easy Language books to one primary target group. After the publication, mainstream high schools were, among others, added to the list of potential places of promotion. This shows the potential of having a universal design approach even to the promotion of Easy Language literature, creating a space for dialogue between various readers and different people.