Author copies are copies of your own book that you buy from the printer at cost, to hand out or sell yourself. They earn no royalty, because no store sold them. What you pay is the print cost of each copy, plus shipping and any tax. This calculator works out the print cost on the two print-on-demand services most self-published authors use, since the same book can cost a different amount on each.
How KDP prices author copies
KDP says the author price is the print cost for your book multiplied by the number of copies ordered. It adds that this is the lowest price it can offer and that it cannot give further discounts, so 10 copies and 1,000 copies cost the same per copy. Print cost is a fixed cost per book plus a cost per page, and it depends on the format, the ink and whether the trim is regular or large. KDP counts a trim as large when it is more than 6.12 inches wide or more than 9 inches tall, so a 6.14 by 9.21 inch book is large on KDP.
| KDP, Amazon.com | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback, black ink, 24 to 110 pages | $2.30 flat | $2.84 flat |
| Paperback, black ink, 110 to 828 pages | $1.00 + $0.012 a page | $1.00 + $0.017 a page |
| Paperback, standard color, 72 to 600 pages | $1.00 + $0.0255 a page | $1.00 + $0.0402 a page |
| Paperback, premium color, 24 to 40 pages | $3.60 flat | $4.20 flat |
| Paperback, premium color, 42 to 828 pages | $1.00 + $0.065 a page | $1.00 + $0.08 a page |
| Hardcover, black ink, 75 to 108 pages | $6.80 flat | $7.49 flat |
| Hardcover, black ink, 110 to 550 pages | $5.65 + $0.012 a page | $5.65 + $0.017 a page |
| Hardcover, premium color, 75 to 550 pages | $5.65 + $0.065 a page | $5.65 + $0.080 a page |
KDP does not offer standard color hardcovers, and its hardcover trims are 5.5 by 8.5, 6 by 9, 6.14 by 9.21, 7 by 10 and 8.25 by 11 inches, so the calculator says so when you pick a combination KDP does not print. The paperback rates above are for white or cream paper; KDP also lists cheaper groundwood paper for black-ink paperbacks, which this calculator leaves out. These are the same rates the KDP royalty calculator uses to work out what a sold copy earns.
Sources: KDP, How much do proof or author copies cost?, Paperback Printing Cost, Hardcover Printing Cost and Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins, all checked October 27, 2026.
How IngramSpark prices copies you order
IngramSpark calls an order for your own copies a publisher direct order. Its 2026 rate card gives the formula in one line: "cost per page x number of pages + cost per unit = cost per book." The rates depend on trim class, binding, ink and paper. IngramSpark's trim classes differ from KDP's: a book under 6.15 inches wide is small, so 6.14 by 9.21 inches is small on IngramSpark and large on KDP.
| IngramSpark, US dollars | Small trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback, black and white, 50lb white paper | $1.33 + $0.0146 a page | $1.39 + $0.0212 a page |
| Paperback, standard color, 50lb white | $1.16 + $0.0249 a page | $1.23 + $0.0392 a page |
| Paperback, premium color, 70lb white | $1.35 + $0.0721 a page | $1.41 + $0.0946 a page |
| Hardcover, black and white, 50lb white | $5.31 + $0.0132 a page | $5.26 + $0.0185 a page |
| Hardcover, standard color, 50lb white | $6.38 + $0.0276 a page | $6.55 + $0.0427 a page |
| Hardcover, premium color, 70lb white | $6.51 + $0.0752 a page | $6.69 + $0.1003 a page |
The hardcover rows are IngramSpark's case laminate hardcover, where the cover art is printed on the case; a hardcover with a dust jacket costs more per unit. Small-trim black-and-white books on 50lb crème paper cost the same as on white. The rate card lists other papers too; the calculator uses the rows above.
The same rate card lists a quantity discount on publisher direct orders:
| Copies in the order | Discount | Copies in the order | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 99 | 0% | 1,000 to 1,499 | 15% |
| 100 to 299 | 2% | 1,500 to 2,499 | 20% |
| 300 to 399 | 5% | 2,500 to 4,999 | 25% |
| 400 to 499 | 7.5% | 5,000 to 9,999 | 30% |
| 500 to 999 | 10% | 10,000 and more | 35% |
IngramSpark calls these figures list rates and says final rates are calculated from the print service level and quantity at the time of order, so treat the calculator's IngramSpark figure as the published list rate less the published discount. The calculator applies the discount to the per-copy print cost and rounds to the cent.
Sources: IngramSpark rate card, effective February 1, 2026 and IngramSpark User Guide, version 3.3 (August 24, 2026), both checked October 27, 2026.
A worked example: 100 copies of a 240-page paperback
Say your business book is a 240-page black-and-white paperback, 6 by 9 inches, and you want 100 copies to mail to prospects.
KDP. 6 by 9 is a regular trim. 240 × $0.012 = $2.88, plus the $1.00 fixed cost, is $3.88 a copy. 100 × $3.88 = $388.00 for the order.
IngramSpark. 6 by 9 is a small trim. 240 × $0.0146 = $3.504, plus the $1.33 cost per unit, is $4.834, or $4.83 a copy. At 100 copies the discount is 2%: $4.83 × 98% = $4.73 a copy. 100 × $4.73 = $473.00 for the order.
At larger orders, KDP stays at $3.88 a copy while IngramSpark's discount grows: $4.35 a copy at 500 (10% off), $4.11 at 1,000 (15% off) and $3.62 at 2,500 (25% off). Shipping and any tax come on top of every one of these.
Enter the same numbers above to check them, then put in your own book. If you want the copies to reach the Amazon reader with a royalty instead, the per-copy earnings are on the KDP royalty calculator and the IngramSpark royalty calculator.
What the print cost leaves out
- Shipping. KDP says it cannot give a formula for shipping because it depends on the number of items, the shipping speed, the destination and the weight and size of the order. The total appears on the last checkout page before you click "Place your order," and author copies do not qualify for free or Prime shipping. IngramSpark calculates shipping from quoted rates at the time of order, and the rate can vary with which print facility makes the books.
- Tax. IngramSpark's user guide says publishers are billed for printing, shipping, handling fees and taxes where applicable. KDP's author copy help pages do not describe tax, so read the order total at checkout before you place the order.
- Handling and speed. IngramSpark adds an order handling fee on publisher direct orders, calculated at the time of order, and a 30% print surcharge for rush service. Its rate card says paperbacks on economy service usually print in 3 to 5 business days.
- Packaging and postage to each reader. If you mail copies one at a time, the envelope, note and postage to each person are yours to add.
Sources: KDP, What is the cost to ship my proof or author copy?, the IngramSpark 2026 rate card and the IngramSpark User Guide, checked October 27, 2026.
Authors who give their book away on purpose
For an author who runs a business, the print cost is often the cheapest part of a sale. A copy in the hands of the right person explains how you think before the first call. Two Scribe authors show what that looks like as a habit. These are strong results, not typical ones, and nobody can promise them.
Michael Erath's coaching firm mails 75 to 100 copies of his books a month to targeted prospects and hands them out at events it sponsors. Each book goes by FedEx ground in a branded package, and his all-in cost is about $16 a book. He treats it as the cost of winning a client: if one book in fifty turns into a client, it pays. At 100 books a month that is 100 × $16 = $1,600 a month. The print cost from the calculator is only the first line of a figure like his; the package and delivery make up the rest (read his story).
Mario Simonyan's law firm has handed out close to ten thousand copies of On the Corner of IP and Amazon in three and a half years without running a single Amazon ad for it. It puts the book in the envelope on cold mail campaigns, and the team uses it inside consultations (read his story).
To see whether giving books away pays for you, weigh the cost of the copies against what one client or one booked talk is worth. How to value a book walks through that math step by step.