Any author looking to publish a book is probably curious about the cool writing fonts out there that they could use.
There are so many ways to customize your book and your writing style through the choice of book fonts on the outside and inside of your book.
In this article, we will be going over the basics of fonts, talk about why they are important, take a look at some examples, and then dive into some tips on how to pick yours.
Cool Writing Fonts
A Quick Primer On Fonts
Compared to our ancestors, we now have more fonts available than ever before.
Back in the days of the printing press, there was only a handful of fonts available for printing. At the same time, many of the fonts today are inspired by the fonts that were originally created in the past.
There are a few keywords you will need to know when it comes to selecting fonts:
- Typeface refers to a lettering design that can also have variations in size, weight, slope, width, and more. Some examples include Arial, Times, and Garamond.
- Font refers to the exact type of typeface you are using. For example, Roboto is a typeface, but Roboto Bold is a particular font.
- Serif refers to the little “tail” on the end of some letters that some fonts have. Some examples include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond.
- Sans serif means literally “without” the serif. So, the font does not have the little tail at all. Some examples of this include Arial, Helvetica, and Futura.
- Script fonts have that almost cursive-writing look to them. Some examples include Dancing Script, Parisienne, and Lobster.
One thing you will need to know as well is that many fonts will come pre-installed on your writing software, but if you want a specialty font you will have to buy it or get the rights to use it.
Also be sure you are buying from a legitimate site when it comes to buying fonts. Make sure you are also buying the whole family of fonts because there are some you cannot use and customize without buying.
There are also some websites that have free fonts for you to use. Just be sure to double-check before you use a specialty font in your book that it’s actually free.
Why Book Fonts Matter
Even if you have not paid a ton of attention to fonts, you might not realize how important they are.
If a font is unpleasant to read, you can quickly turn away readers because it’s not a pleasant experience. Book fonts are one of those things that go unnoticed, but you will notice them if they are terrible.
You also want to make sure you are picking fonts that are in line with the type of brand you are creating as an author.
For example, if you are a horror author, you do not want your book to be full of beautiful, cursive fonts that would look better in a romance novel.
For the most part, if you pick some of the most famous fonts out there on most of the writing software, you will be just fine. Especially when it comes to the main font you pick for your inner pages.
Cool Writing Fonts
Let’s go over some basic and some unique fonts you can use as part of your book.
Garamond
Garamond is one of the classic fonts that you will see everywhere. If you want a safe font to use for the body text, choose Garamond.
This font is one of the go-to fonts that gives the reader a pleasant experience while they read.
Apothecary Serif
This font looks great in most books and was created with the inspiration from antique and vintage objects. It has a little bit of a washed-out look to it, but that is what gives it its special look.
Tangerine
Tangerine is a fun font that would be perfect in children’s books. It has a friendly, easy-to-read style that is pleasant to the eye.
It looks almost like handwriting, which always brings a fun element to fonts.
Caslon
Caslon is another safe choice when it comes to the font inside the body of the book. This font has been such a popular choice that it’s even in the Declaration of Independence.
Fonts Authors Use And How to Choose One
Now that you know some popular ones, we should dive into how you can actually pick one.
#1 – Pick by genre
One of the first things you want to do as an author is take a look at what fonts people in your book genre prefer to use.
This can give you inspiration for some fonts for your own book.
Go to your local bookstore or browse your genre on Amazon and see what grabs your eye.
#2 – Be selective with colors
If you have a brand as an author, you might already have a pool of colors you choose to use for your books.
If not, you will want to try out a wide variety of colors for your fonts to find the right ones.
You might want to read up on color theory to figure out which colors work best together. You do not want to publish a book where you love the colors but the rest of the world thinks they do not go well together at all.
#3 – Pick one that is easy to read
There are a ton of fonts out there in the world, but not all of them are easy to read and understand.
You want a potential reader to see your book cover and be able to read it so they know what it is about, you have to pick a legible font.
You might also test being able to read it at various angles and distances.
Of course, great book covers can draw the eye and attention, so that can make up for a book font. However, you still will need to pick a good font for every other place in the book as well.
#4 – Tell a story
Ideally, you would get creative with your font choices and be able to tell a story inside your book by the fonts you select.
You can do that by picking fonts that relate to your story.
If you are writing a horror story, you can select famous fonts that are in other horror books do something creative like having your chapter titles get smaller and smaller with each chapter to represent what is happening inside the story.
Your fonts should compliment your story instead of distracting from the main theme.
#5 – Find related fonts
While you do not need to pick one single font for your whole book, all the ones you do pick should compliment each other.
For example, if you mostly use serif fonts, you should keep that going throughout your whole book.
Or, if you pick fonts based on the book genre you are in, you want to pick ones that also have a similar theme.
You do not want to have chapter titles looking weird next to the body font. The less the reader even notices your fonts, the better you have integrated everything.
What’s Next
Ready to get some help with publishing your book?
This guide is your ultimate go-to resource for sending your book out into the world.
