Sales projection (optional)
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Your earnings per sale
- Paperback royalty
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- Printing cost ()
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- Royalty rate at this price
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- 60% rate starts at
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- Lowest price KDP will accept
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- With Expanded Distribution
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- Lowest price for Expanded Distribution
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Royalty at other prices
| List price | Rate | You earn |
|---|
Kindle eBook (Amazon.com)
- 70% royalty option
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- 35% royalty option
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- Delivery fee (70% option)
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- Kindle Unlimited reads
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Projected earnings
- Per month
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- Per year
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Before any tax withholding. Figures from KDP’s published rates; your KDP bookshelf shows the final numbers.
How KDP paperback royalties work
For a paperback sold on Amazon.com, KDP pays a royalty rate on your list price, then subtracts the cost of printing the book:
Royalty = (royalty rate × list price) − printing cost
| List price on Amazon.com | Royalty rate |
|---|---|
| $9.98 or less | 50% |
| $9.99 or more | 60% |
| Expanded Distribution (bookstores, libraries) | 40% |
For example, a 333-page, 6" x 9" paperback in black ink costs $5.00 to print. At $15.00, it earns (0.60 × $15.00) − $5.00 = $4.00 per sale.
What KDP charges to print a paperback
Printing cost depends on page count, ink and trim size. Trim sizes wider than 6.12" or taller than 9" count as large.
| Ink and pages | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| Black ink, 24–110 pages | $2.30 | $2.84 |
| Black ink, 110–828 pages | $1.00 + $0.012 per page | $1.00 + $0.017 per page |
| Standard color, 72–600 pages | $1.00 + $0.0255 per page | $1.00 + $0.0402 per page |
| Premium color, 24–40 pages | $3.60 | $4.20 |
| Premium color, 42–828 pages | $1.00 + $0.065 per page | $1.00 + $0.08 per page |
KDP won’t accept a list price below your printing cost divided by your royalty rate, so the calculator also shows the lowest price you can set.
Printing costs on other Amazon marketplaces
KDP charges a different fixed and per-page cost in each marketplace, and the price where the 60% rate begins also differs: £7.99 on Amazon.co.uk, €9.99 on the European stores, and C$13.99 and A$13.99 in Canada and Australia. Choose a marketplace in the calculator to see its figures. Expanded Distribution is calculated for Amazon.com only.
Kindle eBook royalties: 70% or 35%
On Amazon.com, the 70% royalty option is available for list prices from $2.99 to $12.99 (the top of this range was raised from $9.99 in 2026). With 70%, KDP subtracts a delivery fee of $0.15 per megabyte. Outside that price range, or if you choose it, you get 35% with no delivery fee.
For most text-only books, 70% pays far more. For very large, image-heavy files, the delivery fee can make 35% the better choice, and the calculator shows you which.
How to price your book
- Start with your genre. Look at the prices of successful books like yours, in the same format and length.
- Check the 60% line. For paperbacks, pricing at $9.99 or more lifts your rate from 50% to 60%.
- Keep page count in mind. Every page adds to printing cost, so trimming a long book can raise your royalty.
- Your royalties are yours. When you self-publish in your own KDP account, Amazon pays you directly. Be wary of any service that takes a share.
Sources: Paperback Printing Cost; Paperback Royalty; eBook Royalties; eBook List Price Requirements. Figures for Amazon.com, checked October 2026. Amazon can change them at any time, so confirm on your KDP bookshelf before you publish.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Amazon KDP pay per paperback?
On Amazon.com you earn 60% of the list price for books priced at $9.99 or more, or 50% at $9.98 or less, minus the printing cost. A $15 paperback that costs $5 to print earns $4.00 per sale.
How much does KDP charge to print a book?
A black-ink paperback with 110 to 828 pages costs $1.00 plus $0.012 per page on a regular trim size, so a 300-page book costs $4.60. Books with 24 to 110 pages cost a flat $2.30. Color and large trim sizes cost more.
What is the price range for the 70% eBook royalty?
On Amazon.com, the 70% option is available for eBooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99. Outside that range, the royalty is 35%.
What is the KDP delivery fee?
With the 70% option, KDP subtracts a delivery fee based on your file size: $0.15 per megabyte on Amazon.com. There is no delivery fee with the 35% option.
What is Expanded Distribution?
It makes your paperback available to bookstores, libraries and online retailers outside Amazon. The royalty is 40% of the list price minus printing, so it usually needs a higher list price to pay anything.
When does KDP pay royalties?
KDP pays royalties about 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale happened, once you reach the payment threshold for your payment method.