I am sure there have been plenty of threads made about fonts and which ones to use, but I'll start a new one. I am getting closer to the end of my book, and have two people proofreading and editing it for me as I finish the first draft. What I was wondering was which font I should be using. Right now I'm using the same font I'm writing this thread in (Book Antiqua) and I think it looks awesome. Just want to get a feel for what is used the most for someone who is going to self publish. I dont have the money to buy fonts, so I kinda have to use what I got or find free ones. Any suggestions?
IMHO Book Antiqua is good enough. It's a non-excentric serife font. Should be pretty standard. But I'm no professional, only a reader. ^ ^
Posted to 'The Fiction Desk' last night, or actually it failed 403 error something something HOWEVER...'those people' are still requesting Times New Roman 12 without exception. I thought maybe it was a British thing or an over-forties thing as I'd heard before that TNR was a little fuddy-duddy, but they're still insisting it's the mark of the professional blah blah blah. The sub page demanded TNR12/double-spaced/indented paragraphs/no spacing between paragraphs in Word - and you join 'the top 1% of submissions.'
I'm currently writing in Helvetica but only because it's default font in open office and i didnt bother to change it
Well, WRITING I do in Andalus. But I would not dare turning in a manuscript somewhere in that font. But I love the elegant note it has - it matches the fantasy/romance genre I write in very well.
Several years ago, someone on this forum insisted that the only font to use was Courier New, 12 pt. It was laid down as law. But, like a lot of other things she laid down as law, it proved not to be so. A few places, I've seen font type specified in the submission guidelines, but it's been rare. So, as long as it's a common font like Courier, TNR or Helvetica, you should be fine. One note - I had a boss years ago who had poor eyesight and wore glasses that looked like the bottoms of Coke bottles. He insisted that any document he had to review be done in Helvetica because it was a sans serif font and therefore easier for him to read.
I just got judges score cards back for a writing contest I entered and I was marked down for using Times New Roman, so I'd recommend not using that one. They said the font seemed smaller than 12 point, but if they are used to reading Courier New, then Times New Roman would seem small. Not all 12 point fonts are created equal, I guess.
I think it depends on the outlet. One contest I entered demanded Courier New, so that's what I sent them. Others don't specify a font, so I use TNR because that is the default for my computer. Below are some font recommendations for books. I noticed TNR is not listed among them. Best Fonts for Books: The Only 5 Fonts You'll Ever Need http://www.indesignskills.com/inspiration/fonts-for-books/ Picking Fonts for Your Self-Published Book https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/06/picking-fonts-for-your-self-published-book/
If you want to submit your work to anyone: Always check the submission guidelines specific to the venue (be it a publishing house, editor, agent, etc.) If you're self-publishing (or if the venue you're submitting to doesn't have guidelines for font): It's probably a good idea to use one of the more common fonts (e.g. those suggested by @EdFromNY), since (1) most people will be used to those fonts (as they are used everywhere), (2) they are quite plain, and (3) no additional downloads are required for anyone.
