KDP royalty calculator, for Amazon.com.
What one copy of your ebook or paperback earns on Amazon.com, worked out with the rates, delivery fees and printing costs Amazon publishes. Every step of the math is shown.
Royalty per copy
Enter a list price and the details on the left.
Rates, delivery fees and printing costs from Amazon's KDP help pages, checked October 21, 2026: eBook Royalties, eBook List Price Requirements, Digital Book Pricing Page, Paperback Royalty and Paperback Printing Cost. Amazon can change these; your KDP dashboard is the final word. This page is not affiliated with Amazon.
How Amazon.com pays a KDP author
Paperback
Royalty = rate × list price − printing cost. The rate is 60% at $9.99 and above, 50% at $9.98 and below, and 40% through Expanded Distribution (bookstores and other retailers that order through KDP).
| Interior, regular trim | Printing cost on Amazon.com |
|---|---|
| Black ink, 24 to 110 pages | $2.30 |
| Black ink, 110 to 828 pages | $1.00 + $0.012 a page |
| Standard color, 72 to 600 pages | $1.00 + $0.0255 a page |
| Premium color, 24 to 40 pages | $3.60 |
| Premium color, 42 to 828 pages | $1.00 + $0.065 a page |
Large trims cost more: black ink $2.84 up to 110 pages, then $1.00 + $0.017 a page; standard color $1.00 + $0.0402; premium color $4.20 up to 40 pages, then $1.00 + $0.08.
Ebook
On the 70% option, royalty = 70% × (list price − delivery cost), with delivery at $0.15 per megabyte on Amazon.com and at least $0.01. The 70% option needs a list price from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, a band that took effect July 7, 2026. Outside that band, or if you choose it, the 35% option pays 35% of the list price with no delivery cost.
The 35% option's minimum price depends on file size: $0.99 under 3 MB, $1.99 from 3 to 10 MB, $2.99 at 10 MB and above.
Royalties are usually the smallest line
For most nonfiction authors the book earns more through clients, fees and talks than through copies. Royalties explained puts the numbers in context, and the book value calculator adds the rest.
Common questions
How are KDP ebook royalties calculated?
On the 70% option, the royalty is 70% of the list price minus a delivery cost based on file size ($0.15 per megabyte on Amazon.com, at least $0.01). The 70% option needs a list price from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com. On the 35% option, the royalty is 35% of the list price with no delivery cost. Source: KDP eBook Royalties.
How are KDP paperback royalties calculated?
The royalty rate times the list price, minus the printing cost. On Amazon.com the rate is 60% at a list price of $9.99 or more and 50% at $9.98 or less. Expanded Distribution pays 40%. Printing cost depends on page count, ink and trim size. Source: KDP Paperback Royalty.
What is the 70% price range on Amazon.com now?
$2.99 to $12.99. KDP's list price page says this band took effect on July 7, 2026, up from a previous maximum of $9.99. See eBook List Price Requirements.
Why is my royalty per paperback so low?
Printing comes out of every copy. A 300-page black-and-white paperback in a regular trim costs $4.60 to print on Amazon.com, so at $15.99 the royalty is 60% of $15.99, which is $9.59, minus $4.60, or $4.99. Longer books, color interiors and large trims cost more to print.
Does this include other countries or hardcovers?
No. It covers Amazon.com sales in US dollars for ebooks and paperbacks only. Other marketplaces have their own prices, taxes and printing costs, and hardcovers have their own printing cost table. Check the KDP help pages for those.