Make no mistake, engaging reluctant readers requires books specifically developed for that purpose.
We at Ransom have been specialising in such books for over 20 years. We know what they need to do to hook reluctant readers – and ultimately change their attitudes towards reading forever.
The following is a breakdown of some of the specialist features of our books. We hope that it helps you better understand how and why they ‘get through’ to even the most reluctant readers. We also hope it gives you confidence that when you’re buying from us, you’re buying from the experts.
People are reluctant readers for a reason. Overcoming their reluctancy to read? Well, that’s simply a case of addressing these underlying reasons it exists in the first place – and we develop our books to play a part in that process. For example:
… they believe that ‘books are boring’ and there are better ways to spend their time, such as watching TV or playing video games.
… are actively non-boring and able to compete with the other exciting pastimes the modern world has to offer.
… they find reading difficult and are in a vicious circle of not reading because they struggle, and struggling because they’re not reading.
… make reading easier – books that reduce the effort reading takes to make it a more appealing activity.
… they have low self-esteem around reading and are embarrassed by the fact they struggle with it.
… empower the reader and boost, rather than decrease, their self-esteem around reading.
In short, our books have been developed to help you cut off the fuel supply to a reluctance to read – and this informs the way they are both written and designed.
Here are just some of the ways we approach the writing of our books:
A person’s interests are often the key to unlocking their motivation to read. So, many of our books are written around common ‘obsessions’ – genuinely cool subjects of interest that ensure the books aren’t ‘boring’ and are able to compete with other pastimes for a person’s attention. (Besides, reading takes reluctant readers a lot of effort. If they’re going to stick with it, the books they read need cool content that will make that effort worthwhile.)
Example:
uses facts about top footballers to hook football fans into reading.
Our books do not feature long, literary descriptions of things like sunsets, or reflective passages where very little happens. This might be beautiful prose for a mainstream reader, but for reluctant readers such descriptions involve wading through a lot of text for little reward. They may well not bother. So, the writing in our books is tight, fast-moving and doesn’t spend any time on the unrewarding ‘boring bits’.
Example:
gives readers fast-paced adventure from the very first sentence.
The language in our books is often colloquial. It’s close to the way we would speak, tending to follow oral, rather than literary, forms. So, when reading our books, reluctant readers are meeting familiar language that behaves in the way they’d expect it to behave – which is great for building their confidence. It also means that they can bring their knowledge of spoken language to the task of reading, making it easier and in turn a more appealing activity.
Example:
is written in the colloquial language of first-person diary entries.
We also keep reading ‘easy’ (i.e. more appealing and confidence building) by using simple sentence structures, limited vocabulary and as few a words as possible. Clearly, delivering stories and ideas that are also ‘grown up’ and genuinely interesting is a tough ask. That's why we work with award-winning, experienced authors who can do simple and rewarding at the same time.
Example:
is written by David Orme – an ex-teacher who has written over 350 books!
And here are just some of the ways we design our books to engage reluctant readers:
From the covers to the illustrations, we make it visually clear that our books are not ‘boring’. In fact they look enticing – well worth a reluctant reader’s time and effort. (This is sometimes even achieved by designing books that don’t look like books at all!)
Example:
covers show things like zombies (and not the ‘babyish’ cartoon sort), while the back actually reads ‘WARNING: This is not a book’. That’s different; that’s cool.
Reluctant readers’ low self-esteem often leads to a negative mindset (‘I can’t read that’) and they can be easily daunted by books. That’s why we carefully design our books to look achievable. For one, we don’t let them get too thick. If you flick through them, you’ll also see short paragraphs and illustrations preventing any dense slabs of text building up. Our books look doable, not daunting.
Example:
books are only 36 pages long and illustrated throughout.
We always use fonts and layouts that make for an easy reading experience. The alternative (fonts that are hard to make out, a layout that’s overcrowded etc.) only adds to a reluctant reader’s struggle. That can switch them off (because who wants to do something difficult?) and further damage their self-esteem. Making the reading easier has the opposite effect. It becomes more enjoyable and the reader’s self-esteem is improved by the fact they’re not struggling as much.
Example:
features a clear font, clear separation between text and image and regular spacing between letters/words.
Font size, margin size, short paragraphs, illustrations – these are also all things we use to subtly reduce the number of words on a page. Why? So you can really race through our books. Reading Harry Potter for 10 minutes might get a reluctant reader to page 3 (a little demoralising – ‘I’m not reading that anymore’), but 10 minutes with a Ransom title will see a reader into Chapter 3, on page 11, leading to a sense of achievement and boost in confidence.
Example:
titles look like (short but) normal books - but they can be read a whole lot faster.
We are proud to be behind the books that have been a turning point in many peoples’ reading journeys.
You can read some of our most treasured success stories here. (Full warning: we recommend having tissues at the ready.)
Have a success story of your own? We love hearing about the ingenious ways teachers, literacy specialists and parents have used our titles to get through to reluctant readers of all ages.
It is why we do what we do.
So get in contact – and let’s celebrate our successes together!
