New Guide Shows How to Use Readability Formulas to Achieve Better Results in Writing and Reading

PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 14, 2008 – What causes low literacy or poor reading with many readers? Statistics show that many adult readers are not literate enough to comprehend most text above a fifth-grade reading-level. This may be true, but it is not the reader's fault for failing to comprehend certain texts – rather it is the writer's fault for failing to write for his readers. To help writers and non-writers write text that their readers can understand, ReadabilityFormulas.com has published a free e-book called "Can YOU Read Me Now? : How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience," available at http://www.ReadabilityFormulas.com

"Can YOU Read Me Now? : How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience" helps writers and non-writers, organizations and businesses, use readability formulas to evaluate what they write and determine if their readers can understand what they write.

Presently, there are more than 200 readability formulas developed by various scholars. Only a handful of these formulas are reliable to determine the reading-level of text.  "Can YOU Read Me Now?" covers the most popular readability formulas, and helps you:

1) use readability formulas on your own materials;
2) choose the best readability formula for your document;
3) calculate the grade-level or reading-level of your text;
4) write for the right audience using readability formulas.

"In school our teachers taught us the basics of good English: how to write, how to use correct grammar, and how to use proper style usage, but most teachers failed to teach us how to write for our readers' reading-level," says Jesse Dawson, author of the e-book.

Writing at a higher reading-level has adverse effects in all industries – health, insurance, publishing, military, etc. If readers cannot understand what you write, then readers become bewildered and frustrated and won't read the text. "If readers can't understand your text, how do you expect your readers to react or act to your message?" says Dawson. "This results in communication breakdown, low response rates, customer dissatisfaction, and so on."

Good readability means readers can understand and recall what they have read, according to Dawson, who adds, "Scholars, writers and researchers have been using readability formulas since the 1940s to achieve the best writing results."

All industries benefit from using readability formulas on their materials, such as:

1) Schools, colleges and universities use readability formulas to make sure students can understand their assignments, homework, tests, books, and handouts;

2) Insurance agencies use readability formulas to make sure their policy holders can understand their insurance documents, driving policies, and legal documents;

3) Corporations use readability formulas on their sales literature to increase response rates from their target market;

4) Hospitals use readability formulas on outpatient pamphlets, brochures, business letters, and correspondence with patients; and

5) Concerned parents use readability formulas to pre-screen (or find) books that their kids (with autism or special abilities) can read and comprehend.

To achieve good readability with all of your documents, download the 60-plus page e-book, "Can YOU Read Me Now? : How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience," for free at http://www.ReadabilityFormulas.com