Learn Spanish (Latin America): Conozco la novela, pero no sé la respuesta. - I know the novel, but I do not know the answer.

This sentence perfectly shows the difference between conocer and saber. We use conocer (here as conozco) to say we are familiar with a person, place, or thing, like a novel. We use saber (here as sé) for knowing facts or pieces of information, like an answer.

Why isn't there an "a" after conozco here?

You might be thinking of the "personal a" rule. We only put an a after conocer when we are talking about knowing a person or a pet (like Conozco a Juan). Because a novel is an inanimate thing, we just say Conozco la novela.

Why is it conozco instead of "conoco"?

Conocer is a bit irregular in the "I" form (yo). To keep the pronunciation smooth, Spanish adds a z, making it conozco. The other present tense forms are regular (like conoces or conoce).

Why does sé have an accent mark?

The accent mark distinguishes the verb sé (I know) from the pronoun se, which you have seen in reflexive verbs (like él se llama). Both words sound identical when spoken, so the accent mark tells them apart in writing.