Best Fonts and Sizes for Books: A Complete Guide

• May 01, 2025
• 7 min read

• Tags: Fiction, Formatting, Nonfiction, Novel

When it comes to book design, one of the most important considerations is font choice. The right font can make a significant difference in the readability and aesthetic appeal of a book. Book designers play a crucial role in selecting typefaces that align with the emotional tone and message of a book. They emphasize the importance of font choice in enhancing that a suitable typeface can create a seamless reading experience, while an inappropriate one can disrupt the intended mood.

Want to enhance your book’s readability by selecting the best fonts? Explore our guide and learn everything about the best fonts for books. Whether you’re searching for a book title font or the best font for book covers, we’ve included everything. 

For readers wondering what font size books are written in, we’ve explained all you need to know. Dive in to explore the best font sizes and book fonts for nonfiction and fiction! 

Let’s begin by understanding the popular fonts for print books. 

What fonts are most books printed in?

Serif fonts are a popular choice for print books that are heavy on text and aim to create a formal, coherent, and lucid impression. When selecting a font family, it is important to consider both serif and sans-serif options to maintain a professional appearance. Some of the widely used Serifs are:

• Garamond 
• Times New Roman
• Century
• Georgia
• Palantino
• Merriweather

On the other hand, sans-serif fonts feature a simplified, clean, and easy-to-decipher outlook. Some of the best choices are:

• Helvetica
• Arial
• Futura
• Roboto
• Myriad

Additionally, some of the best fonts for book covers include Garamond, Baskerville, and Bodoni.

Wondering what the font size is for a book that goes into print? Large text blocks in traditional printing use a novel font size of 10–12 points.

The font size for headlines strikes an essential balance between the standard practice of maintaining headlines to one or two lines and the desire for large text. The margin between subheadings and body text should be roughly 10 points.

For print book title fonts, you can usually use three-point sizes like 48 and above.

Understanding body text

Body text is the main text of a book, and it is essential to choose a font that is readable and comfortable to read. A good body text font should have a clear and consistent style, with adequate letter spacing and word spacing. The font size should be appropriate for the book, with larger point sizes used for children’s books and smaller point sizes used for adult fiction.

Some popular fonts for body text include serif fonts like Garamond and Bodoni, which are known for their readability and classic appeal. Sans serif fonts like Arial and Calibri are also excellent choices, especially for digital formats, due to their clean and straightforward design. When selecting a font for body text, it is essential to consider the genre and tone of the book, as well as the target audience. For example, a font with a more formal tone, such as Times New Roman, may be suitable for non-fiction books, while a font with a more casual tone, such as Comic Sans, may be suitable for children’s books.

Best fonts and font sizes for eBooks

You need to adhere to standard fonts when choosing the best font for eBooks. It is crucial to obtain the correct licenses to embed fonts for ePub distribution to avoid legal issues. Additionally, understanding the distinction between book fonts and web fonts is important, as many typefaces are versatile enough to be used in both print and digital formats. Follow these seamless steps to choose the ideal font for your eBooks:

1. Selecting the ideal font for eBooks

The best fonts for eBooks are mostly the standard fonts that enhance readability across all devices. Some standard fonts that ensure maximum readability across a variety of eReaders and screen sizes are:

• Arial- It belongs to a highly versatile group of typefaces that is lucid and fits well into an easy-to-read design.
• Times New Roman- Its clear, uncomplicated structure facilitates reading the letters.
• Courier- Courier is a monospaced font with horizontal space occupied by each character. It exhibits a uniform and well-organized look.

Although fancy serif fonts can have an amazing visual appeal, they frequently convert into cluttered characters and symbols. This may directly mar the comprehensive quality of the text. 

Additionally, some fonts are specifically designed to provide optimal readability on e-readers and various digital devices. Choosing fonts that meet specific requirements for both print and eBook formats is crucial for user experience across different platforms.

2. Pay attention to font attributes

Check out the format font menu or the toolbar buttons to add additional elements, such as bold, italics, or underlining.

When using characters that aren’t available on the keyboard, remember to select them from the menu that has the same name as your font. Avoid using Wingdings, symbols, or special characters instead.

3. Best font size for eBooks 

While choosing the best fonts for eBooks, you need to keep in mind the book is drafted in a way that ascertains seamless conversion. Best font sizes for eBooks in the case of chapter titles should be between 14–18 points, while body text should use 12 points.

However, the reader ultimately selects the font they’d like to read your eBook in after the file is converted to EPUB format. This happens irrespective of what font you select while drafting your eBook manuscript.

Best fonts and font sizes for children’s books

Typically, picture book manuscripts for children have a word count of 500 words or less and are organized into 32 pages. You will have roughly 14 double-page spreads for the story plus the final page 32, along with a title page, half-title page, copyright page, and dedication page. Understanding the unique design requirements of a children’s book, such as appropriate typography and visual presentation, is crucial.

You can usually use a font size of 18 points or greater if you adhere to that standard format. Every page should have the same font size unless you intend for it to become an integral part of the artwork.

Setting a font at a certain point size can be confusing, and it frequently is. However, following are some useful recommendations: 

• Books for younger readers: typeset in 24-point
• Ages seven to twelve: Font size 14–24 points
• 12-point font for those over 12

In a children’s picture book, both serif and non-serif font styles are appropriate, but non-serif fonts might be more appropriate if the text is extremely brief. While no two books are precisely alike, the following suggestions for  best fonts for children’s books are a useful place to start:

Serif fonts

• Myriad Pro
• Georgia
• Plantin Infants
• Alegreya
• Garamond Pro
• Crimson
• Baskerville Old Face
• Century Schoolbook.
  

Sans Serif fonts

• Andika (free Google font)
• Helvetica
• Gill Sans
• Quicksand
• Century Gothic
• Avenir Next
• Lato

Best fonts and font sizes for nonfiction books

The standard book font size is typically 12 points, but most nonfiction novels range between 10 and 14 points. The word spacing is ideal for comprehension at this size, and your book will look consistent with other works in the same genre. Additionally, the book’s genre plays a significant role in font choice, as different genres may require distinct approaches to design and typography to align with the intended tone and emotional impact.

Some of the most recommended and best fonts for nonfiction books

• Garamond
• Baskerville
• Minion 

Best font and font sizes for poetry books 

The best fonts for poetry vary depending on the book’s size and genre. In general, sans-serif fonts with point sizes of 10 to 12 work best for most books. Poetry books look more adept with a moderately bigger font size of 12 to 14, as they have less writing on each page. A perfect book font for poetry should have qualities like readability, versatility, and character neutrality to enhance the reading experience.

You can use any typeface that you think best captures the essence of your poem, but the following fonts are frequently found in books and poems that you might want to check out for size:

• Baskerville
• Garamond
• Palatino
• Janson
• Verdana
• Optima
• Helvetica

You can also refer to The Font Book by Jack Font to know about fonts in detail. After understanding what font are books written in, let’s see how to buy fonts for your book. 

How to purchase fonts for your book?

You can seamlessly buy a font or a font family by initiating access to licenses. This can be free for personal use or chargeable instances of commercial use. However, you can consider the following factors when choosing to purchase the best fonts for book covers or utilize a typeface to ascertain the perfect match for your textual requirements:

The number of variations (bold, regular, and matching italic versions)

• The accessibility of tiny caps
• OpenType fonts
• Ligatures
• Variations on a single glyph
• Accents

You can directly buy book fonts from some of the popular companies that design and curate them. Some of the key players in the industry are:

1. MyFonts

One of the most extensive font resources available online is MyFonts. This website offers a wide selection of typefaces, from constructed foundries to promising designers. 

2. FontShop

FontShop blends expertise in design requirements with high quality. It’s a forum where type designers can peruse instructional guides and tools rather than just a market.

3. Adobe Fonts

Adobe Fonts provides unparalleled workflow compatibility with your design process and is available as a subscription service through Adobe Creative Cloud. With an extensive library at your disposal, you can explore and refine your ideas without worrying about the price of individual fonts.

Now that you know what font are books written in, you can start your typesetting journey! At PaperTrue, we help you choose the best fonts and select the best font for books (depending on the genre and requirement). We streamline requisite typesetting for your book, enhancing your book’s readability and visual appeal. Our self-publishing services also comprise editing, securing an ISBN, curating a copyright page, and designing a book cover.

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.