What Book Font and Size Should You Use?

Have you ever picked up a book, started reading, and just felt that it looked right — comfortable, professional, easy on the eyes — without being able to say why? That feeling is almost always down to the font and its size. Typography is the quiet craft behind every well-made book, and getting it right is what separates a page that looks self-published from one that looks like it came from a major publishing house. So what font are books actually written in, and what size should the text be? Here's a clear, practical guide.

What font are most books written in?

Open almost any professionally published novel and you'll find the body text set in a serif font — the style with small "feet" on the letters. Serifs have been the standard for book body text for centuries, and for good reason: in long passages of print, they guide the eye smoothly from word to word and reduce fatigue. They also carry a timeless, literary feel that readers subconsciously associate with "a real book."

Common, trusted book fonts include:

• Garamond — elegant, classic, space-efficient; a favourite for fiction.
• Minion — highly readable and versatile, designed specifically for body text.
• Caslon — warm and traditional; "when in doubt, use Caslon" is an old printer's saying.
• Sabon and Janson — refined serifs widely used in literary publishing.

You don't need an exotic or expensive font to look professional — a well-set classic serif almost always beats a trendy choice.

When sans-serif fonts make sense

Serif isn't the only answer. Sans-serif fonts (clean, without the feet) suit children's books, some non-fiction, workbooks, and anything with a modern, minimal feel. They're also easier for early readers and for readers with certain visual needs. The key is to match the font to the book: a literary novel wants a classic serif; a bright modern self-help book might carry a clean sans-serif beautifully.

What font size should a book be?

For print, book body text is almost always set between 10 and 12 points, with 11 point being a reliable sweet spot for most novels and non-fiction. But — and this is the part most authors miss — the "right" size depends on the specific font. Two fonts at the same point size can look noticeably different, because their actual letter heights differ. That's why professional typesetters set the size to the typeface and the trim size, rather than picking a number in the abstract.

Book type	Typical body size
Adult novel / non-fiction	10.5–12 pt
Large print edition	14–16 pt
Children's early reader	14–18 pt
Reference / academic	10–11 pt

Size isn't the whole story — spacing matters just as much

A perfectly sized font can still read badly if the line spacing (leading) and line length are wrong. Lines packed too tightly feel claustrophobic; lines too far apart feel disconnected. Similarly, lines that run too wide across the page tire the eye. Good book design balances font size, line spacing, and margins together — they're a system, not separate choices. This is a big part of why professional formatting looks so much calmer and more readable than a document typed in Word.

Ebooks are a different story

Everything above applies to print, where you control the final page exactly. Reflowable ebooks are different: readers choose their own font and size on their Kindle or phone, so you don't set a fixed typeface at all. Instead, good ebook formatting focuses on clean structure — proper headings, consistent styles, and correct spacing — so the book looks great no matter what the reader picks. If you're publishing both print and ebook, they're formatted differently for exactly this reason. (For more, see our guide on what book formatting costs.)

A few honest tips

1. Pick one body font and stick to it. Mixing fonts in body text looks amateur. One serif for the text, perhaps one complementary font for headings, is plenty.
2. Don't chase trends for body text. A classic serif you barely notice is doing its job. The reader should notice the story, not the font.
3. Test it in print. A size that looks fine on screen can read differently on paper. Always check a printed proof.
4. Mind your licensing. Some fonts require a licence for commercial book use or embedding — worth checking before you publish.

The bottom line

For most books, a classic serif font at around 11 points, with well-judged spacing and margins, will look professional and read beautifully. Match the font to your book's character, set the size to the typeface rather than a fixed number, and remember that print and ebook are handled differently. Typography is subtle work — but it's exactly the kind of detail that makes readers trust your book before they've read a single word.