The first 12 months of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) have seemed oddly quiet in the book industry. There have been no high-profile cases of publishers being fined and little sign of meaningful regulatory action. Without clear examples of how the legislation is being applied in practice, there is a risk that some publishers underestimate the scale of the work ahead.
That said, the lack of visible enforcement does not necessarily reflect what is happening behind the scenes. Several developments over the past 12 months suggest that mindsets are beginning to shift across the industry. This blog examines where these early signs of change are emerging, from evolving expectations around ‘born accessible’ content to the increasing challenges posed by AI.
Following the introduction of the EAA, ‘born accessible’ became shorthand for building accessibility into the production process from the outset. This approach ensures that publications are compatible with screen readers, include appropriate alt text for images, and support customisable formatting. Moreover, born accessible content avoids addressing costly post-publication fixes.
Despite inconsistent progress, some organisations are already leading the way. In April 2026, ABC International Excellence Awards recognised the work of initiatives such as Zanichelli Editore, which is ensuring that educational materials are ‘born accessible’ and available to all learners. Their work means that students with print disabilities can obtain the same high-quality educational digital content as their peers, creating a more inclusive learning environment.
As fines for non-compliance with the EAA continue to loom over publishers, indirect pressures are also pushing the industry towards compliance. Distribution requirements, platform acceptance and reputational concerns are all contributing to this shift.
These platform-led changes are, however, uneven in practice. Although Amazon has recently added accessible metadata as an option on KDP, it is still unclear how far such measures will go in driving wider industry practice. More broadly, since the EAA came into force, there has been increasing speculation that platforms may introduce pre-sale accessibility checks, although how this would work in practice is uncertain.
Overall, these developments highlight a tension. Restricting the content accepted for sale may risk encouraging box-ticking rather than meaningful transformation. For long-lasting change to occur, both direct and indirect pressures need to operate across the sector.
The EAA exemption applies to microenterprises with fewer than 10 employees or an annual revenue below €2 million, covering most independent authors and numerous smaller publishers. This means that many creators, in theory, don't have to worry about full compliance.
Even so, since the legislation was introduced, there has been a rise in the popularity of tools such as PubCoder, which validate files with EPUBCheck at the same time as running Ace by DAISY. This integration helps reduce confusion for self-publishing authors and microenterprises about what is required.
Online bookstores have also shifted over the last year, meaning authors and publishers selling directly through popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify may now be subject to EAA requirements.
Under the EAA, titles published before 28 June 2025 benefit from a transitional period and do not need to meet full accessibility requirements until 2030. Over the past 12 months, this provision has become a key reference point for publishers dealing with backlist remediation, particularly where large catalogues were built using legacy systems and out-of-date file formats. In response, accessibility is increasingly being prioritised for commercially active titles, where it is most likely to affect discoverability and sales. For example, Hachette UK notes on its accessibility page that it is prioritising newly published titles and popular backlist titles.
That said, the transitional period also carries a risk of delay. While organisations have been given time to plan and phase in changes, the task remains significant. For many, this involves reviewing hundreds, if not thousands, of titles, making the project both costly and time-consuming.
In 2026, the hype around AI has dominated headlines, budgets and development roadmaps across the publishing industry. The rapid growth of AI also presents opportunities for accessibility. It can help publishers process large volumes of content more efficiently, supporting tasks such as initial accessibility checks, metadata generation and the identification of common structural issues.
However, these tools remain limited in their ability to assess context, meaning and usability. While automated systems can identify a proportion of issues, human oversight remains essential to ensure accuracy and compliance. This aligns with wider concerns raised in the sector, including arguments by Simon Mellins that AI in accessible publishing still requires careful human oversight.
The rise of AI also raises important legal and ethical questions: if non-compliant content has been generated or checked by AI, responsibility may ultimately sit with the publisher or platform deploying it. As these tools become more embedded within workflows, questions around accountability and liability are growing more complex.
Although the industry's response to the EAA appears mixed, Easypress has observed that many larger publishers are taking accessibility seriously. Much of this work remains behind the scenes, but over the past 12 months we have seen earlier consideration of accessibility within production workflows and increased attention being given to backlist titles.
However, the picture appears less clear among many medium-sized publishers. Easypress has seen first-hand that although the awareness of the legislation is growing, implementing the necessary changes can be challenging where budgets, resources and competing priorities remain constrained. As a result, accessibility initiatives may still be at an earlier stage of development for some organisations.
Taken together, this reflects the article's central theme: while obvious change remains limited, accessibility is increasingly influencing priorities. The last 12 months can be understood through changing workflows, increased use of validation tools, shifting platform expectations and the growing role of AI in publishing.
The coming years will determine whether these early shifts result in consistent, industry-wide practice or whether they remain fragmented across the publishing landscape.
If you would like to learn more about how Easypress helps clients produce EAA-compliant content, please contact us.
Alternatively, you can schedule an online meeting for a time to suit you via our Calendly page.
Try our print and digital publishing platform for free today.
Contact us and we will provide the best solution to suit your digital publishing needs.
Get all the latest blogs straight to your inbox!
