Show Notes

On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m taking you on a trip down typography lane and chatting about the best fonts for books.

Did you know, on average, a bookstore browser spends 8 seconds looking at the front cover, 15 seconds reading the back cover and about 5 seconds flipping through a book? Not only are people judging a book by the imagery on the cover, they’re also subconsciously judging the typography!

I found myself down a research rabbit hole looking up the best fonts to use for my manuscript (if you take nothing else away from this episode, always use Times New Roman 12pt font for your manuscript!) — then I got curious about the typography of my favourite books.

In this episode, I discuss the history of typefaces produced just after the invention of the printing press, the five (5) most popular fonts by genre for the interior body of a book, fun fonts for book covers and the difference between a serif and sans serif font.

After listening, you likely won’t be able to pick up a book without investigating the typesetting, as hopefully you find the psychology as fascinating as I do!

Book fonts are important for two (2) main reasons:

1. Readability — the font has to be easy on the eyes for the reader to absorb for a long period of time (includes the spacing between letters, the height and thickness and the size of the serifs)

2. Elicit emotion — the typesetting of a book can drastically change how a reader receives your words. When choosing font for your own finished book, ask yourself what message is your book trying to send and what do you want readers to feel?

The Most Popular Five (5) Fonts for a Book By Genre:

1. Literary Fiction: Baskerville

2. Romance Novels: Sabon

3. Thillers and Airport Page-Turners: Garamond

4. Academic Non-Fiction: Caslon

5. General Interest: Utopia

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

#wordweaverpodcast

• Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

• Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

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