Use your own reading fonts

This guide shows how to control the typeface used when The Weekly Edition generates reading books: pick a built-in option, or upload a font file you already have on your device.

It expands on the shorter blog note and matches the current Appearance settings in the app.

Third-party fonts

Names such as Bookerly, Kindle, and Amazon appear only to identify a font and product people already know. The Weekly Edition is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon. Obtain font files only from sources you are allowed to use, and respect each font’s licence.

What this guide helps you do

By the end you will be able to:

1. Open Font settings in The Weekly Edition.
2. Choose Serif, Sans Serif, or Uploaded Font.
3. Upload (or replace) a font file from your device.
4. Save the setting so new books use that typeface.
5. Optionally obtain Bookerly from Amazon’s public font bundle if that is the face you prefer.

How fonts fit into The Weekly Edition

Weekly Edition books are generated on the device. Appearance settings tell the generator which typeface to apply when it builds article HTML for a book:

Choice	What you get
Serif (default)	System serif — balanced letterforms for long-form reading
Sans Serif	System sans-serif — clean shapes that stay crisp on screens
Uploaded Font	A font file you pick on the device (for example Bookerly)

Only one custom file is active at a time. Replacing the file updates what future books use after you save.

Caution

Changing the font does not rewrite books you already generated. Open a newly generated book (or generate your next edition) to see the new typeface.

Before you begin

You will need:

• Access to The Weekly Edition on a phone or tablet (the Appearance screen is available on iOS and Android).
• For a custom face: a font file on the device (or in cloud storage the system file picker can reach), such as a .ttf or .otf you are allowed to use.
• Optional but convenient: a dedicated folder of favourite fonts (for example an iCloud Fonts folder) so the picker is easy to navigate.

The app’s document picker accepts any file type; common reading fonts are packaged as .ttf or .otf. There is no separate “font store” inside the app — you supply the file.

Open Font settings

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Appearance (“Customize reader fonts”).
3. You land on Font settings.

Choose a built-in font

1. On Font settings, select Serif or Sans Serif.
2. Each built-in option shows a short sample line (“The quick brown fox…”) in a platform-appropriate face so you can compare density and shape.
3. Tap Save when the button is enabled.

Upload your own font

Use this path when you want a face the app does not ship with — for example Bookerly for phone and e-ink reading.

1. On Font settings, select Uploaded Font
   (“Upload a Font File to personalize your reading experience.”).
2. If no file is stored yet, choosing that option opens the system file picker automatically. You can also tap Upload font.
3. Pick the font file you downloaded earlier.
4. Confirm the helper text shows Current file: plus the filename.
5. Tap Save.

Replace a font later

When a custom file is already stored:

1. Open Font settings again.
2. Under Uploaded Font, tap Replace font.
3. Pick the new file.
4. Tap Save.

You can still switch back to Serif or Sans Serif without deleting the uploaded file; the custom file remains available until you replace it.

Tip

Keep a small set of known-good font files in one folder (iCloud Drive, Files app, Downloads, or your usual cloud client). The Weekly Edition does not sync fonts for you — the file must be reachable on the device when you upload.

Example: using Bookerly

The product author’s favourite long-form face is Bookerly — clear on phone screens and e-ink. The Weekly Edition does not bundle Bookerly. You upload a copy you obtained yourself.

Where people get the file

Amazon publishes a public typography page and a downloadable Amazon Complete Font Set zip:

Amazon Alexa branding — Typography

That page mainly describes Amazon Ember for product branding. The Complete Font Set download is a broader bundle of Amazon typefaces; Bookerly is included in that zip even though the page copy focuses on Ember.

Searching for “Amazon Typography” usually surfaces the same developer branding page and bundle.

After you download

1. Unpack the zip on a computer or on the phone.
2. Locate the Bookerly font file(s) inside the bundle.
3. Copy the file you want into a place the phone’s file picker can open (for example iCloud Fonts or Downloads).
4. In The Weekly Edition, follow Upload your own font and save.

Note

Font licences and Amazon’s terms govern how you may use those files. The Weekly Edition only stores the file you choose and applies it when generating books on your device; it does not redistribute Amazon fonts.

Check that it worked

1. Confirm Font settings still shows your choice after leaving and re-opening Appearance.
2. For a custom file, confirm Current file: still lists the expected name.
3. Generate a new book (or ship a new weekly edition) after saving.
4. Open that new book in the app and check body text uses the expected face.

If an older book still looks the same, that is expected — regenerate rather than hunting for a per-book font control.

Common problems

Save stays disabled

• Nothing changed since the last save, or
• Uploaded Font is selected but no file has been uploaded yet.

Upload a file (or pick Serif / Sans Serif), then try Save again.

File picker cancelled / no custom font selected

Cancelling the picker leaves the previous selection. If you had no custom file yet, the app does not stay on Uploaded Font without a file.

Custom font does not appear in a book

• Confirm you tapped Save after uploading.
• Confirm you opened a book generated after that save.
• Re-open Appearance and check Current file: still matches what you expect.
• Try Replace font with a known-good .ttf or .otf, save, and generate again.

Wrong file type or corrupt font

The picker does not filter strictly to font extensions. If the file is not a usable font, body text may fall back or render poorly. Prefer a standard OpenType/TrueType file from a trusted source.

Cannot find Bookerly on Amazon’s typography page

The marketing copy on that page emphasises Ember. Use the Amazon Complete Font Set download on the same page and look inside the zip for Bookerly rather than expecting Bookerly to be named in the page text.

How this fits into a Weekly Edition week

A calm rhythm looks like this:

1. Once: decide Serif, Sans Serif, or upload a favourite face under Settings → Appearance.
2. When your taste changes: replace the file or switch built-in options and Save.
3. Each week: generate / ship editions as usual — new books pick up the saved appearance setting.
4. Reading: stay in the app’s reader for the typeface you configured; older books keep the face they were built with.

The product’s job is quiet control: your feed and edition workflow stay the same, while the page you read can look the way you already prefer on other devices.