New Day, New Poll, Same Question

[R. C.]

Apologies, I know this has been asked and I have read too many blogs/reports/marketing pitches on the topic.

Yes, I have confused myself.

Top of recommended list is an 11-point font for printed (trade/paperback) but I like 11.5pt. For my next literary effort, I am sticking with Bookerly and considering 11pt or 10.5pt. 

Is 11pt, or 10.5pt too small?  Thoughts?

R.C.

[Post-Crisis D]

Is this for the print version?

[R. C.]

Is this for the print version?

Yes, print version. Silly me for not being explicit. 

R.C.

[Post-Crisis D]

Where did you obtain a commercial license for the use of the Bookerly font?  From what I understand, it is exclusive to Amazon for their devices and you can't purchase a license anywhere.

[R. C.]

Where did you obtain a commercial license for the use of the Bookerly font?  From what I understand, it is exclusive to Amazon for their devices and you can't purchase a license anywhere.

Bookerly is available everywhere and the claims are it is free for all use.   But... you made me look deeper...

This is from their license statement in their font zip file (emphasis added):

Amazon Type Library Usage Guidelines

Overview
Amazon has created a limited library of typefaces for use across all products, interfaces, and
websites. These fonts are fully owned by Amazon, making their usage free to all internal
product teams. Fonts other than those listed below, such as Palatino, Baskerville, Caecillia, and
others are licensed from their respective rights holders (generally Monotype Corporation). To
use these other fonts with your product you must secure a license that covers the distribution
and display of the desired fonts.

Here is a list of the designs fully owned by Amazon and their intended usage:
Bookerly (eInk, LDC,3 weights and italic) Reading and Display
Bookerly Display (2 weights and italic) UX and Display

...

All of these fonts were developed under contract for Amazon - as a result Amazon owns them
fully outright. To include these designs in your work there are no licenses payments, no
royalties, no copyright or attribution notices required. The font itself carries the proper
ownership and copyright information in the header metadata of the font and Amazon does not
require any additional attribution or protections when using the font.

...

-----

Damn... rather than worry about the word salad of their "Amazon Ember Licensing Guidelines" I'll use another font for print.

R.C.

[Gessert Books]

Depends a bit on the size of your text block, which depends in turn on your trim size and margins. Most folks probably stick to ~60–70 characters per line. Bookerly was specifically made for devices, I wouldn't think it would be particularly beneficial for print.

[R. C.]

Well now, some good news from the 'Zon.

-----

Hi R.C.,

Greetings from Amazon KDP.

I can confirm Brokerly fonts can be used outside KDP.

I remain in the best disposition for any additional requests you may have.

Take care and stay safe!

Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.

-----

R.C.

[Post-Crisis D]

Did you retype that or copy and paste?  Because if they can't even spell the name of the font correctly, I would not put a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the information.

Also: "I remain in the best disposition for any additional requests you may have."  I'm sorry but, yeah, no.  No confidence at all.

Your choice, of course.  But I would just choose a different font.

[TimothyEllis]

Did you retype that or copy and paste?  Because if they can't even spell the name of the font correctly, I would not put a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the information.

Also: "I remain in the best disposition for any additional requests you may have."  I'm sorry but, yeah, no.  No confidence at all.

Your choice, of course.  But I would just choose a different font.

 

Yeah. It was either a badly programmed bot answering you, or someone in India, Pakistan or that area, for whom English is a 3rd language.

Not much confidence they even understood your question.

[R. C.]

Did you retype that or copy and paste?  Because if they can't even spell the name of the font correctly, I would not put a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the information.

Also: "I remain in the best disposition for any additional requests you may have."  I'm sorry but, yeah, no.  No confidence at all.

Your choice, of course.  But I would just choose a different font.

Cut-and-paste AFTER a three part exchange with the support person.  As for the grammar/spelling, chock it up to another offshore support team.

R.C.

[Post-Crisis D]

Is there a particular reason you want this specific font?  I mean, there are literally hundreds if not thousands of other fonts available that you can license without having to rely on dodgy customer support responses for licensing clarification.

[R. C.]

Is there a particular reason you want this specific font? ...

I like it.  The others seem common and too fluffy... Or, I am lost like last year's Easter eggs.

R.C.

[spin52]

I've used Bookerly for title pages, but I'm not sure how it would look for the body text. In answer to your original question, I've used 10 pt, 10.5 and 11 in various books. I think I like 10.5 the best, but that's a personal choice. I know many people recommend 12 pt, but that seems huge to me.

[j tanner]

For 6x9 I prefer the reading experience of hardbacks which tend toward shorter line lengths and larger line spacing. 50-60 characters per line or so. 12 pt Adobe Garamond is my go-to.

I dislike the reading experience of typical densely packed mass-market paperbacks but it's often a necessity for big publishers to keep the page count down. With POD there's no real option to keep the price low enough that it's not a "luxury" purchase so I prefer to give readers that luxury easy-reading experience.