7 Typography Sins In Books
Recently, I read a novelty book series. I'm not going to name it because it's not a story I would recommend to other people, but it was the only book I could find at that time. Even though I'm not naming, I'm still counting this as a Lessons From The Media post.
One thing that stood out from this series was the typography. It was...interesting to say the least. (Read: it was way too distracting and hard to read.)
From this book, I've come up with a list of seven typography sins you must never commit.
Having caps lock on for any part of text is bound to get attention. That's the point of capital letters. (Apart from the start of sentences and Proper Nouns.) It's also why some authors think they should use caps for EMPHASIS and for shouting matches.
No. It can make your book look amateurish and like you're trying too hard. It's not a good impression to make. Worst of all, it's hard to read. Look below.
ONCE UPON A TIME, A DOG CRAWLED TO THEIR KENNEL, TAIL SWEEPING THE GRASS. IT WHIMPERED, FAVOURING ITS HIND LEG. FINALLY. IT MADE IT TO ITS KENNEL. IT FLOPPED ON THE WOODEN FLOOR.
Isn't that gross?
The story switches perspective to a character who thinks in uppercase so there were pages of caps lock. I got headaches trying to read it. Don't do it, okay?
This is similar to the overpopulation of caps but on the other side of the spectrum and slightly less annoying. But only just.
It's acceptable for select words to be italicised as long as it's not overdone. Too many italicised words is going too far, making it cringy and difficult to read.
Once upon a time, a cat crawled to their basket, tail sweeping the carpet. It purred, favouring its foreleg. Finally. It made it to its basket. It flopped on the cushion.
While it's not as overpowering as uppercase, it still makes your eyes swim. Avoid this one too.
Small handwriting. Small text. It's a problem everywhere. Glasses, contact lenses and bionic eyes can only do so much.
If the text in your book is too small, your reader won't be able to read it and you might as well have never written a story.
Do I need to explain this further? I think not.
Open the book closest to you. The dip in the middle between the two pages is the bridge of your book. If you didn't know that, I would lovingly insult you, but I didn't know that until I realised I need a professional sounding word for The Gap Between The Pages, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Pages have a thing called margins for a reason. The smaller the margin, the more likely it is for your text to be near or in the bridge, making it as good as nonexistent since readers won't be able to read it.
This book had text in the bridge and I had to pull the pages further than it should be to read it. It hurt me to treat the book like that because I didn't want to decrease its lifespan.
Whether your text is in the bridge or not depends on a variety of factors so there's no set fix. Check your novel before it gets sent to the public and make sure it's not in the bridge. It'll save lots of embarrassment.
If you enjoy design, you'll probably be tempted to change the font. I totally get that. But the thing is, this isn't design class. It's writing. Changing fonts can bring the reader's attention away from the story.
The book switched its font face every time the perspective changed. Some changes were so big it went from a sans serif fonts to a display font. Every time it changed, I spent solid amounts of time thinking about the new font.
This isn't a good plan because as authors, our focus is on the story, not the design. Of course, the design of the book should be visually appealing, but not to the point it becomes distracting.
Bolded words, much like caps, are to attract attention. Like caps, bolded words are a big no-no.
Once upon a time, a bird crawled to their branch, tail sweeping the carpet. It squeaked, favouring its wing. Finally. It made it to its branch. It flopped on the wood.
In a normal book, the text starts on the top left of the page and ends at the bottom right. If you want to shake it up a bit, that's fine. But don't make it super complicated with sentences snaking around the page, in the bridge, turned sideways.
Yes, this book had words sideways.
Some people enjoy it, but a lot of readers don't, especially for the readers who want story, not artwork. It gets annoying and will make them want to trash your book.
Difficult layouts can also make it hard to read which will dramatically decrease reader enjoyment. I'm a speed reader and that's my comfortable reading style. Weird layouts, especially when I have to turn the book to just read the text, slows my momentum and makes me mad.
Like italicised words, this has more freedom than other typography sins on the list. It's okay to be creative with your design. But again, your story matters more than your design.
One thing that stood out from this series was the typography. It was...interesting to say the least. (Read: it was way too distracting and hard to read.)
From this book, I've come up with a list of seven typography sins you must never commit.
1. Overpopulation of caps.
 |
| Source: Imgur |
Having caps lock on for any part of text is bound to get attention. That's the point of capital letters. (Apart from the start of sentences and Proper Nouns.) It's also why some authors think they should use caps for EMPHASIS and for shouting matches.
No. It can make your book look amateurish and like you're trying too hard. It's not a good impression to make. Worst of all, it's hard to read. Look below.
ONCE UPON A TIME, A DOG CRAWLED TO THEIR KENNEL, TAIL SWEEPING THE GRASS. IT WHIMPERED, FAVOURING ITS HIND LEG. FINALLY. IT MADE IT TO ITS KENNEL. IT FLOPPED ON THE WOODEN FLOOR.
Isn't that gross?
The story switches perspective to a character who thinks in uppercase so there were pages of caps lock. I got headaches trying to read it. Don't do it, okay?
2. Overpopulation of italics.
 |
| Source: Giphy |
This is similar to the overpopulation of caps but on the other side of the spectrum and slightly less annoying. But only just.
It's acceptable for select words to be italicised as long as it's not overdone. Too many italicised words is going too far, making it cringy and difficult to read.
Once upon a time, a cat crawled to their basket, tail sweeping the carpet. It purred, favouring its foreleg. Finally. It made it to its basket. It flopped on the cushion.
While it's not as overpowering as uppercase, it still makes your eyes swim. Avoid this one too.
3. Minuscule text.
 |
| Source: Gfycat |
Small handwriting. Small text. It's a problem everywhere. Glasses, contact lenses and bionic eyes can only do so much.
If the text in your book is too small, your reader won't be able to read it and you might as well have never written a story.
Do I need to explain this further? I think not.
4. Words in the bridge.
 |
| Source: Giphy |
Open the book closest to you. The dip in the middle between the two pages is the bridge of your book. If you didn't know that, I would lovingly insult you, but I didn't know that until I realised I need a professional sounding word for The Gap Between The Pages, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Pages have a thing called margins for a reason. The smaller the margin, the more likely it is for your text to be near or in the bridge, making it as good as nonexistent since readers won't be able to read it.
This book had text in the bridge and I had to pull the pages further than it should be to read it. It hurt me to treat the book like that because I didn't want to decrease its lifespan.
Whether your text is in the bridge or not depends on a variety of factors so there's no set fix. Check your novel before it gets sent to the public and make sure it's not in the bridge. It'll save lots of embarrassment.
5. Switching fonts.
 |
| Source: Giphy |
If you enjoy design, you'll probably be tempted to change the font. I totally get that. But the thing is, this isn't design class. It's writing. Changing fonts can bring the reader's attention away from the story.
The book switched its font face every time the perspective changed. Some changes were so big it went from a sans serif fonts to a display font. Every time it changed, I spent solid amounts of time thinking about the new font.
This isn't a good plan because as authors, our focus is on the story, not the design. Of course, the design of the book should be visually appealing, but not to the point it becomes distracting.
6. Bolded words.
 |
| Source: Giphy |
Bolded words, much like caps, are to attract attention. Like caps, bolded words are a big no-no.
Once upon a time, a bird crawled to their branch, tail sweeping the carpet. It squeaked, favouring its wing. Finally. It made it to its branch. It flopped on the wood.
This is glaring and hurts the reader's eye. Even if it's just one word or one phrase, it still makes you look like a beginner. Do yourself a favour and forget about control plus b.
7. Difficult text layouts.
 |
| Source: Giphy |
In a normal book, the text starts on the top left of the page and ends at the bottom right. If you want to shake it up a bit, that's fine. But don't make it super complicated with sentences snaking around the page, in the bridge, turned sideways.
Yes, this book had words sideways.
Some people enjoy it, but a lot of readers don't, especially for the readers who want story, not artwork. It gets annoying and will make them want to trash your book.
Difficult layouts can also make it hard to read which will dramatically decrease reader enjoyment. I'm a speed reader and that's my comfortable reading style. Weird layouts, especially when I have to turn the book to just read the text, slows my momentum and makes me mad.
Like italicised words, this has more freedom than other typography sins on the list. It's okay to be creative with your design. But again, your story matters more than your design.
The Only Exception
The only time you would do any of these things is if it is inherent or enhances the story itself. If there is tiny text the main character is also struggling to understand, readers are less likely to complain. If bolded words enhance the story because it is diegetic, don't be guilty adding it.
I have seen authors use one or two of these typography sins in their book and made the experience more enjoyable. Don't be scared of trying them.
But before adding any of these different text types or changing the layout, thoroughly think through whether or not this will really make your book better for it. If you're not sure, don't add it, just to be on the safe side.
I have seen authors use one or two of these typography sins in their book and made the experience more enjoyable. Don't be scared of trying them.
But before adding any of these different text types or changing the layout, thoroughly think through whether or not this will really make your book better for it. If you're not sure, don't add it, just to be on the safe side.
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