KDP royalty and printing cost calculator
Free, no sign-up. Runs in your browser and sends nothing to us. Not affiliated with Amazon.
Enter a format, list price and page count to see what KDP pays per sale on Amazon.com. Paperbacks and hardcovers earn 60% of list price minus printing cost from $9.99, and 50% below it; Kindle ebooks earn 70% minus delivery between $2.99 and $12.99, otherwise 35%.
- Royalty per sale
- -
- Royalty rate
- -
- Printing cost
- -
- Minimum list price
- -
- Expanded Distribution
- -
- Delivery fee
- -
Rates and printing costs as published by KDP, checked 2026-10-29. This is the same royalty model KDPTop uses in its calculator.
How it is calculated
- Paperback and hardcover: royalty = rate x list price - printing cost. The rate is 60% at $9.99 and above and 50% below. Expanded Distribution (paperback only) pays 40% of list price minus printing cost.
- Printing cost: a fixed charge plus a per-page charge that depends on binding, ink and whether the trim is regular or large. Black-ink paperbacks of 24 to 110 pages pay a flat $2.30 (regular) or $2.84 (large).
- Kindle ebook: 70% of (list price - $0.15 per MB) when the price is $2.99 to $12.99 and the book qualifies; otherwise 35% of list price.
Figures are for Amazon.com in USD before tax withholding. Other marketplaces use their own rates, printing costs and currencies, so check the KDP pages for those.
Questions
- How much does KDP pay per paperback sale?
- On Amazon.com you earn 60% of the list price minus the printing cost at $9.99 and above, or 50% minus printing cost below $9.99. A 300-page black-ink 6 x 9 in paperback costs $4.60 to print, so at $12.99 the royalty is $3.19.
- Why does my royalty go down when I raise the price to $9.98?
- Paperbacks and hardcovers under $9.99 earn 50% instead of 60%. Pricing at $9.99 or above is often worth more than a price a few cents lower; the calculator flags this as the $9.99 cliff.
- What is the minimum list price for a KDP paperback?
- The list price must cover the printing cost at the royalty rate: printing cost divided by 0.5, or divided by 0.6 if that result is $9.99 or more. Below that KDP will not let you publish the price.
- How is the Kindle ebook royalty calculated?
- On the 70% option you earn 70% of the list price minus a delivery fee of $0.15 per MB, and the price must be $2.99 to $12.99. Outside that band, or on the 35% option, you earn 35% of the list price with no delivery fee.
The rules behind it
- KDP ebook royalties: the 35% and 70% options
- KDP hardcover royalties: 60% or 50% minus printing cost
- KDP paperback royalties: 60% or 50% minus printing cost
- How KDP calculates paperback and hardcover printing costs
- KDP Expanded Distribution: eligibility, royalty and restrictions
Sources
- https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834330
- https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834340
- https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/GHT976ZKSKUXBB6H
- https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/GPGVYM9KWTYLD2GD
- https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200634500
- https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200634560