Font, Font size, and line spacing

[Hannah]

I'm in the middle of my second book. I read that different authors use different Fonts. What Font, and Font size do you use the most? What about line spacing? I'm currently using Tahoma, size 11 with 1.5. I'm wondering if I should change this.

[April]

Hannah, what type of formatting are you referring to? Are you referring to formatting an e-book? A paperback? That makes a difference.

If you're referring to formatting an e-book, you should use the most basic font: Times New Roman, 12 point. The reader will change the font to the one he or she wants on the e-reader. You don't really set the font. (It's different if you're typesetting the interior of a print book.)

As for line spacing, again that's something that the reader sets for herself or himself. Just use a basic 1.15 in your e-book.

Does that answer your question? Am I interpreting what you're asking correctly?

[[deleted user]]

I prefer Times New Roman. Size for print book depends on word count. My first book was 11 PT font size, but it had >137k words, and I was cutting minimum costs per book to the reader. My next one will be 80-90k and I will make it 12 PT font.

[Hannah]

That does answer my question. I've only released my book in digital, but was thinking about doing an actual book in paper.

[Helge]

I used the CreateSpace default template and adjusted it a bit: Garamond, 12, 1.2 spacing. I love how it looks printed. With 1.2 the pages are not too crowded. :)

[Danielle]

Times New Roman. 12 pt, 1.2 line spacing.

[Ottilie]

1.15 spacing and Antique book for font

[C.A.]

I'm also in the Times New Roman camp. 12 point font. 1.2 spacing.

[K.P.]

I use Georgia 11 1.5 spacing for easier readability. I don't use times as it's copyrighted so I use similar serif fonts

[C.B., Beach Body Moderator]

Truth be told, unless the font is horrible, most people do not notice the font. :)

For printed text in a book Serif fonts are the king and for good reason. They really do help legibility over large areas.

There are a few great fonts for book interiors.

Times New Roman is a great font. Due to it being a default font of Word for so long though, and because it is often required for book submissions, it can be considered 'overused' by some, so be mindful. (of course in most Ebooks it doesn't matter much)

Minion, It is probably best to avoid other default fonts for the same reason as Times New Roman. Minion is one of these fonts, but it is just so nice it is hard not to use. It is far more modernly default (in Adobe's book layout program no less), so you can still use it and it still feels fresh, but it might make your work age faster as the font becomes becomes more mainstream.

I used Garamond in my book because it had all the Glyphs I needed. It is a very common book font, bit it looks like a different Times New Roman which can set it apart!

Electra is a nice font as well, it is thinner and gives your pages a lighter airy look. It is a bit harder to read when smaller due to the thinner look, so be mindful and maybe avoid it if your reader base is at reading glasses age.

New Baskerville is a fine font as well, it looks a bit antique though, so it doesn't perform as well in modern books or sci-fi. Fantasy and historical works though, it shines.

There are many others of course. Remember, changing the font is easy. You can print off a page of your book with different fonts and see what 'feels' right. It is amazing what a difference a font can make. It can set the mood of your work, it can set the tone, it can do many things... but don't stress! ^-^

[April]

Hannah wrote: "That does answer my question. I've only released my book in digital, but was thinking about doing an actual book in paper."

Hi, Hannah. If you're looking to format the interior of a print book, then I would go with a nice serif font with some character. And I definitely would not recommend using a sans serif font. If you don't know the difference between a serif font and a sans serif font, just Google it and you'll find an explanation.

You can Google free fonts that work well for formatting print books. Here are some good industry standard choices:

Palatino Linotype
Book Antiqua (tends to set tight, so you may have to loosen it up a bit)
Georgia
Goudy Old Style
Adobe Garamond Pro (tends to have a short x-height, so it might seem too small in typical sizes)
Bookman (the name sort of gives it away, doesn't it?)
Century Schoolbook (tends to be a bit wide, creating extra pages)

Personally, I use a font called Calluna - it's an Adobe font, 11 point, with 14 point leading. Look around. You can find well-crafted serif fonts with good character for free on the Internet.

[Hannah]

April wrote: "Hannah wrote: "That does answer my question. I've only released my book in digital, but was thinking about doing an actual book in paper."

Hi, Hannah. If you're looking to format the interior of a..."

Thanks. I use word and it has so many choices, it just confused me.

[Hannah]

Thanks everyone, I made notes and will check all these recommendations out.

It's nice to have somewhere to go for help!