The Best Book Cover Fonts to Use Right Now

POSTED ON Sep 30, 2023

Cameron Chapman

Written by Cameron Chapman

Home > Blog > Book Typography, Cover Design > The Best Book Cover Fonts to Use Right Now

When designing your cover, it’s a good idea to figure out what the best book cover fonts are that are currently available for use. There are a lot of factors to consider when selecting the “best” fonts:

  • Is it readable within the context of the rest of your book cover design?
  • Does it fit the tone of your book and genre expectations?
  • Does the font license allow you to use the font for a book cover?
  • Has it been overused on other book covers in your genre?

The good news in your effort to choose the best book cover fonts is that there are hundreds of thousands of fonts to pick from. The bad news…there are thousands of fonts to pick from…

Below, we’ve selected some of the best book cover fonts for various genres, as well as a few that will work for virtually any type of book. All of these are sourced from Google Fonts, so they’re available for commercial use for free (always double-check licensing before using these fonts in case anything has changed since the date of publication).

Best Cover Fonts for Serious Nonfiction

Nonfiction books about serious subjects need cover fonts that match their tone. After all, if readers are browsing the shelves at their favorite bookseller (whether online or brick and mortar), they have certain expectations for particular genres. If your nonfiction book cover deviates too far from their expectations, readers are likely to pass it over and not take it seriously.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for serious nonfiction books:

Goudy Bookletter 1911

best book cover fonts - goudy bookletter 1911

Libre Caslon Display

best book cover fonts - libre caslon display

Bebas Neue

bebas neue

Paytone One

paytone one

New call-to-action

Best Book Cover Fonts for Lighter Nonfiction

Not all nonfiction books have heavy subject matter. There are plenty of lighter nonfiction books out there that are still just as worthy of readers’ time and respect. Those readers expect to see a font that’s a little less serious on the cover of your book.

Here are four of the best book cover fonts for nonfiction that’s not so heavy:

Playfair Display

playfair display

Abril Fatface

abril fatface

Josefin Sans

josefin sans

Tenor Sans

tenor sans

Best Cover Fonts for Memoirs

Memoirs are inherently personal, and so the fonts used on their covers should reflect that. Overly formal fonts are generally not suitable. In some cases, very casual fonts might work, but in other cases a typeface that’s closer to the middle ground is best suited.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for memoir covers:

Voltaire

voltaire

Quattrocento

quattrocento

DM Serif Display

dm serif display

Homemade Apple

homemade apple

Best Book Cover Fonts for Literary Novels

So-called literary novels can have a wide breadth of subject matter and tone. For the most part, though, their covers tend to use fonts that are more on the understated side.

Here are four of the best book cover fonts for literary novels: 

Della Respira

della respira

Poppins

poppins

Libre Baskerville

libre baskerville

Proza Libre

proza libre

Best Cover Fonts for Mysteries & Suspense Novels

Mysteries and suspense novels seem to take one of two approaches: either they stick with a tried-and-true serif or sans serif typeface for their cover, or they go with something that has a decidedly more eerie feeling to it.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for mysteries and suspense novels:

Sedgwick Ave Display

sedgwick ave display

Amarante

amarante

Prata

prata

Anton

anton

New call-to-action

Best Book Cover Fonts for Romance Novels

Romance novels tend to use fonts with a lighter, more feminine feeling to them. Some cover designers opt for script or handwriting style fonts, while others stick with serif or sans serif typefaces. It often comes down to whether the novel is set in the contemporary world or if the setting is from some period in history.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for romance novels:

Neuton Light

neuton light

Satisfy

satisfy

Great Vibes

great vibes

Red Hat Display Light

red hat display light

Best Cover Fonts for Sci-Fi Novels

Sci-fi novels generally stick to either modern or retro-futuristic typefaces, depending on the exact subgenre they fall in. Here are four of the best book cover fonts for sci-fi novels:

Orbitron Medium

orbitron medium

Syncopate Bold

syncopate

Michroma

michroma

Titillium Web

titillium web

Best Book Cover Fonts for Fantasy Novels

While sci-fi novels go futuristic, fantasy novels often do the opposite. They tend to use cover fonts that harken back to the medieval period, though rarely do they use truly medieval (or “blackletter”) fonts. The reason: those typefaces can be incredibly difficult to read, especially at a glance. Instead, the fonts on fantasy novel covers usually have a bit of calligraphic flair without being true reproductions of calligraphy or hand lettering.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for fantasy novels:

Caudex

caudex

Eagle Lake

eagle lake

Lancelot

lancelot

Rosarivo

rosarivo

Best Cover Fonts for Historical Fiction

Historical fiction tends to use fonts that are reminiscent of the time period in which they’re set. Some use typefaces that are authentic reproductions of early typesetting fonts, while others stick with adaptations more suited for modern readers.

Here are four of the best cover fonts for historical fiction:

IM Fell Great Primer SC

IM Fell Great Primer SC

Bellefair

bellefair

EB Garamond

eb garamond

Young Serif

young serif

Regardless of the genre of your book, choosing the best book cover font is a process. You also might note that many books use more than one font on the cover. In those cases, you’ll want to choose fonts that are complementary to each other. And in cases where your title font is more decorative, you’ll likely want to stick to a simpler font for your subtitle or other text on the cover.

Cameron Chapman

Written by
Cameron Chapman

Liked this post? Share it with friends!

More Helpful Articles