For print media, serif fonts are generally held to be easier to read. On-screen, sans-serif fonts are usually preferred (because serifs can look a bit fiddly and pixelly), but it depends on the medium, because an ebook reader renders serif fonts much more attractively than an iPhone, for example. Of course, offering both means you don’t have to worry about it, so that seems like a good idea.
In any case, this may all be moot, as my understanding is that you can’t embed fonts unless you make your ebook a PDF; ebook formats are font-free so that they can be rendered and resized as the consumer sees fit.
My favourite web-safe sans-serif font is Trebuchet (http://www.identifont.com/similar?WY); I just can’t get enough of those pointy As. Bookman Old Style is a solid, legible serif choice, although my heart lies with Georgia (http://www.identifont.com/show?M8), because of the lovely numbers. But if you are going to embed your font, you may as well go for something genuinely sexy rather than a system font, such as Gill Sans (http://www.identifont.com/find?font=gill+sans&q=Go) or Adobe Caslon Pro (http://www.identifont.com/list?2+caslon%20pro+1+2DY+130+E8+0).
no subject
For print media, serif fonts are generally held to be easier to read. On-screen, sans-serif fonts are usually preferred (because serifs can look a bit fiddly and pixelly), but it depends on the medium, because an ebook reader renders serif fonts much more attractively than an iPhone, for example. Of course, offering both means you don’t have to worry about it, so that seems like a good idea.
In any case, this may all be moot, as my understanding is that you can’t embed fonts unless you make your ebook a PDF; ebook formats are font-free so that they can be rendered and resized as the consumer sees fit.
My favourite web-safe sans-serif font is Trebuchet (http://www.identifont.com/similar?WY); I just can’t get enough of those pointy As. Bookman Old Style is a solid, legible serif choice, although my heart lies with Georgia (http://www.identifont.com/show?M8), because of the lovely numbers. But if you are going to embed your font, you may as well go for something genuinely sexy rather than a system font, such as Gill Sans (http://www.identifont.com/find?font=gill+sans&q=Go) or Adobe Caslon Pro (http://www.identifont.com/list?2+caslon%20pro+1+2DY+130+E8+0).