🎨 Designing your own book cover?

The font you choose can make or break your design (and sometimes even your sales).

After years of testing, tweaking, and staring at endless typefaces, I’ve narrowed down the 6 best fonts for book covers by genre. They’re free and easy to access in Canva for book cover designers and self-published authors. These fonts will instantly give your DIY cover a professional edge.

This fast guide helps you identify:

✨ Romance Fonts — swooping calligraphy styles that add elegance and emotion (plus tips to keep them legible)

👻 Horror & Thriller Fonts — clean, sharp designs that stand out and build tension without overpowering cover art

📜 Historical Fonts — timeless serif and script choices that echo tradition, elegance, and familiarity

🚀 Sci-Fi Fonts — futuristic, geometric, and robotic designs that scream “space adventure”

🧙 Fantasy Fonts — whimsical, quirky styles that look like they were lifted from ancient scrolls or cozy taverns

📖 Pro Tips — how to match fonts to your genre, stay consistent across series, and know when to use premium options

This guide is practical, quick, and designed for indie authors who want their covers to look like they belong on a bestseller shelf, without wasting hours scrolling through endless font menus.

Disclaimer: This guide is for inspiration and reference only. It highlights fonts available in Canva but does not provide direct font files or downloads. Availability may differ depending on whether you use Canva Free or Canva Pro. Always confirm your font choices within Canva before finalizing your book cover design.