Leaf & Spine

Fonts by genre

Best fonts for self-help books

The best free fonts for self-help books: cover and title fonts such as Montserrat, Inter, Lato, and readable body fonts such as Cormorant Garamond, Playfair Display — all free for commercial use.

Cover & title fonts

MontserratSelf-Help: The Long Night
InterSelf-Help: The Long Night
LatoSelf-Help: The Long Night
Source Sans 3Self-Help: The Long Night
IBM Plex SansSelf-Help: The Long Night
Work SansSelf-Help: The Long Night
Montserrat Sans SerifCover and titles Inter Sans SerifCover and titles Lato Sans SerifCover and titles Source Sans 3 Sans SerifCover and titles IBM Plex Sans Sans SerifCover and titles Work Sans Sans SerifCover and titles

Body text fonts

Cormorant GaramondThe rain had started, steady and patient, tapping at the glass like someone who knew they would be let in.
Playfair DisplayThe rain had started, steady and patient, tapping at the glass like someone who knew they would be let in.
Libre BaskervilleThe rain had started, steady and patient, tapping at the glass like someone who knew they would be let in.
Cormorant Garamond SerifInterior body text Playfair Display SerifInterior body text Libre Baskerville SerifInterior body text Lora SerifInterior body text Merriweather SerifInterior body text PT Serif SerifInterior body text

Recommended interior settings

SettingRecommendation
Body size11–12 pt
Leadingabout 130–140% of the type size
Trim sizes5.5 x 8.5 in Digest, 6 x 9 in US Trade
Chapter titlesa display face such as Montserrat, used sparingly
Typical length40,000–70,000 words

More on this category: Self-Help book length guide · interior typography guide.

Sources & data

  • Fonts from Google Fonts (open-source licences allow commercial use and embedding).