What Are the Best Fonts for Books?

Did you know that in 2010 there were around 328,259 books published in the US alone? The number of published books has only increased, and with self-publishing becoming more popular, it has never been easier to get your book out there.

One of the most important aspects of creating a book, besides the writing itself, are the fonts used in your book. With thousands of fonts to choose from, knowing which font will showcase your work the best can be quite the undertaking.

Here we will discuss what the best fonts for books are, how to choose the right font for your book, and fonts that you should avoid.

The Best Fonts for Books

Fonts fall under two general categories, serif, and sans-serif. Serif fonts are fonts that have extra overhang strokes on the letters, making them feel not only more formal but they are easier to read for your eyes when there are extensive texts present.

Commonly known serif fonts are Times New Roman, Rockwell, and Garamond. These fonts give a very literary and classic feel to your writing.

Sans-serif fonts on the other hand are more simple and contain no extra strokes, like Arial, Roboto, and Open Sans. Fonts like this are often used in advertising, blog writing, and cases where you want your writing to have a more informal tone.

Fonts that won’t work well for books are fonts like Comic Sans MS, Curlz, and other fonts that have an overpowering style.

Fonts for Titles and Headers

It’s important to choose fonts that will work well for not only the body of your book but for the headers and even the book cover font. With titles and headers, you can get away with using a font that wouldn’t be suitable for the body, since these fonts will have limited usage in the book.

Depending on what subject your writing falls under, you’ll want to look for fonts that will highlight the tone of your writing. Because book cover fonts are often the first thing a reader will notice, this font needs to tell the reader a brief story within the title.

Fonts used for book covers need to combine well with the overall design used on the cover. The last thing you want is to have cover art that clashes with your cover font, creating a garish and slapped-together feeling that will make the font look like it’s sitting on top of the cover as an afterthought, rather than a cohesive design.

Be Consistent With Your Font

Keeping the font consistent throughout the body and headings is important to tie the tone of your writing together. You can try different fonts to see how it connects with your writing, and have other people read it.

Getting a fresh pair of eyes on your work can help give insight into what you might be missing.

If you’re unsure of the font used in your book, you can create a preview of your book by printing a sample of your writing.

By creating sample booklets you can get a feel for how your font will read on paper, which is the perfect way to proof your work before publication and allows you to view it as the reader will.

Find the Perfect Font for You! 

The best fonts for books are ones that are easy to read, match the tone of your book, and won’t wear on the reader as time goes on.

Once you decide which font fits best with your book, have friends and family try reading with it. Make sure you use only one font within the body of your book, consistency is key!

If you liked this article or want to learn more about writing books, check out our other posts in education and entertainment today!