Royalty & printing cost
Your royalty is what KDP pays you for each copy sold, after the cost of printing it. Enter your page count, ink and price to see what KDP charges to print one copy, what you earn on each sale and the lowest price KDP lets you set.
| Printing cost | $4.60 |
| Royalty rate | 60% |
| Royalty per copy | $4.39 |
| Lowest list price | $9.20 |
| Royalty with Expanded Distribution | $1.40 |
| Lowest list price with Expanded Distribution | $11.50 |
Your royalty is the rate times your list price, minus the printing cost. KDP pays 60% on a list price of $9.99 or more, and 50% below that.
What your numbers mean
- Printing cost is what KDP charges to print one copy. It comes out of your royalty; you don't pay it separately.
- Royalty rate is the share of your list price KDP pays: 60% or 50%, depending on the price.
- Royalty per copy is what you actually earn when one copy sells on Amazon.
- Lowest list price is the lowest price KDP lets you set. Below it, your royalty wouldn't cover the printing cost.
- Expanded Distribution is KDP's option to offer your paperback to other bookstores and libraries. It pays 40%, so you earn less on each copy sold that way, and the lowest price is higher.
How we work it out
KDP's formula is short: royalty = rate × list price − printing cost. The printing cost has a fixed part for each book and a part for each page, and it depends on the ink, the trim size and the marketplace.
An example on Amazon.com: a black-ink paperback of more than 110 pages costs $1.00 plus $0.012 a page to print. So a 300-page novel costs $1.00 + 300 × $0.012 = $4.60 to print. At a list price of $14.99, the royalty is 60% × $14.99 − $4.60, which comes to $4.39 a copy.
Choosing your price
Look at what similar books in your genre sell for on Amazon, then enter that price here to see what you'd earn. Watch the line between the two rates: on Amazon.com, a book listed at $9.98 earns 50%, and the same book at $9.99 earns 60%.
Questions
Is the list price with or without VAT?
Without. Enter your price before tax. In some marketplaces Amazon adds the local VAT, GST or consumption tax on top of the price you set, and your royalty is worked out from your price, before that tax.
Why is the lowest price higher with Expanded Distribution?
Because Expanded Distribution pays 40% of the list price rather than 50% or 60%, and that 40% still has to cover the printing cost.
Does cream paper cost more than white?
No. White and cream paper cost the same to print. Cream only makes the spine a little wider.
Does it work for ebooks?
No, it's for paperbacks. KDP pays for Kindle ebooks differently: 35% or 70% of the list price, with a delivery cost on the 70% option.