How is the KDP paperback royalty calculated?

Royalty = (royalty rate x list price) - printing cost. The rate is 60% when the list price is at or above the marketplace threshold ($9.99 on Amazon.com) and 50% below it. A $14.99 300-page black-and-white 6 x 9 book on Amazon.com costs $4.60 to print and earns $4.39 per sale.

How much does it cost to print a KDP paperback?

Printing cost = fixed cost + (page count x per-page cost). On Amazon.com a black-ink regular-trim book of 24 to 110 pages costs a flat $2.30; from 110 to 828 pages it is $1.00 plus $0.012 per page. Large trims, color ink and other marketplaces use their own rates, all listed in the tables on this page.

What is the minimum list price on KDP?

Printing cost divided by the royalty rate that applies at that price. KDP will not let you set a price below it, so your royalty can never be negative on Amazon. Expanded Distribution pays 40%, so a price that works on Amazon can still lose money there.

Is it better to price at $9.99 or $9.98?

$9.99, and it is not close. At $9.98 you earn 50%; at $9.99 you earn 60%. For a book that costs $4.60 to print, that is $0.39 versus $1.39 per sale. The same step exists on every marketplace at its own threshold.

Do these numbers apply to Kindle eBooks or hardcovers?

No. Kindle eBooks use 35% or 70% royalty options with a delivery fee and no printing cost. Hardcovers use their own printing cost schedule. This calculator is for KDP paperbacks only.

KDP royalty calculator

KDP Royalty Calculator: printing cost and royalty per sale

KDP pays 60% of the list price minus the printing cost on paperbacks priced at or above the marketplace threshold ($9.99 on Amazon.com), and 50% minus printing cost below it. Printing cost is a fixed amount plus a per-page rate. A 300-page black-and-white 6" x 9" book at $14.99 costs $4.60 to print and earns $4.39 per Amazon.com sale.

Printing cost

$4.60

regular trim rate

Royalty rate

60%

60% from $9.99 on Amazon.com

Royalty per sale, Amazon

$4.39

Expanded Distribution (40%)

$1.40

printing cost = $1.00 fixed + 300 pages x 0.012 USD = $4.60

royalty = 60% x $14.99 - $4.60 = $4.39

Minimum list price

$9.20

lowest price KDP accepts on Amazon

At $9.98 (50%)

$0.39

one step under the 60% tier

At $9.99 (60%)

$1.39

first price in the 60% tier

The formulas KDP uses

From KDP's paperback royalty and printing cost pages. A large trim is anything more than 6.12" (155.5 mm) wide or more than 9" (228.6 mm) tall.

printing cost = fixed cost + (page count x per-page cost)

royalty = (royalty rate x list price) - printing cost

minimum list price = printing cost / royalty rate

Royalty tiers and price limits by marketplace

The 60% rate starts at the threshold price. One step below it the rate drops to 50%.

Marketplace	Currency	50% up to	60% from	Maximum list price
Amazon.com	USD	$9.98	$9.99	$250.00
Amazon.ca	CAD	$13.98	$13.99	$350.00
Amazon.co.uk	GBP	£7.98	£7.99	£250.00
Amazon.de / .fr / .it / .es / .nl / .ie / .com.be	EUR	9,98 €	9,99 €	250,00 €
Amazon.com.au	AUD	$13.98	$13.99	$350.00
Amazon.co.jp	JPY	￥999	￥1,000	￥30,000
Amazon.pl	PLN	39,99 zł	40,00 zł	1200,00 zł
Amazon.se	SEK	109,99 kr	110,00 kr	2 500,00 kr

Printing cost tables

Every schedule KDP publishes, in the marketplace currency. "Fixed" is charged once per book, "per page" is multiplied by the page count. A flat rate means the fixed cost covers the whole page range.

Black ink, white or cream paperAmazon.com.au's fixed-cost range ends at 108 pages; every other marketplace at 110.
Marketplace	Pages	Regular fixed	Regular per page	Large fixed	Large per page
Amazon.com	24-110	$2.30	flat	$2.84	flat
	112-828	$1.00	0.012 USD	$1.00	0.017 USD
Amazon.ca	24-110	$2.99	flat	$3.53	flat
	112-828	$1.26	0.016 CAD	$1.26	0.021 CAD
Amazon.co.uk	24-110	£1.93	flat	£2.15	flat
	112-828	£0.85	0.01 GBP	£0.85	0.012 GBP
Amazon.de / .fr / .it / .es / .nl / .ie / .com.be	24-110	2,05 €	flat	2,48 €	flat
	112-828	0,75 €	0.012 EUR	0,75 €	0.016 EUR
Amazon.com.au	24-108	$4.74	flat	$5.28	flat
	110-828	$2.42	0.022 AUD	$2.42	0.027 AUD
Amazon.co.jp	24-110	￥422	flat	￥530	flat
	112-828	￥206	2 JPY	￥206	3 JPY
Amazon.pl	24-110	9,58 zł	flat	11,61 zł	flat
	112-828	3,51 zł	0.056 PLN	3,51 zł	0.075 PLN
Amazon.se	24-110	22,84 kr	flat	27,67 kr	flat
	112-828	8,37 kr	0.134 SEK	8,37 kr	0.179 SEK

Black ink, groundwood paperAbout 5% cheaper per page than white or cream.
Marketplace	Pages	Regular fixed	Regular per page	Large fixed	Large per page
Amazon.com	24-112	$2.23	flat	$2.75	flat
	114-828	$1.00	0.0114 USD	$1.00	0.0162 USD
Amazon.ca	24-112	$2.90	flat	$3.42	flat
	114-828	$1.26	0.0152 CAD	$1.26	0.02 CAD
Amazon.co.uk	24-112	£1.88	flat	£2.08	flat
	114-828	£0.85	0.0095 GBP	£0.85	0.0114 GBP
Amazon.de / .fr / .it / .es / .nl / .ie / .com.be	24-112	1,98 €	flat	2,39 €	flat
	114-828	0,75 €	0.0114 EUR	0,75 €	0.0152 EUR
Amazon.com.au	24-112	$4.62	flat	$5.14	flat
	114-828	$2.42	0.0209 AUD	$2.42	0.0257 AUD
Amazon.co.jp	24-112	￥411	flat	￥514	flat
	114-828	￥206	1.9 JPY	￥206	2.85 JPY
Amazon.pl	24-112	9,26 zł	flat	11,21 zł	flat
	114-828	3,51 zł	0.0532 PLN	3,51 zł	0.0713 PLN
Amazon.se	24-112	22,12 kr	flat	26,74 kr	flat
	114-828	8,37 kr	0.1273 SEK	8,37 kr	0.1701 SEK

Premium color ink, white paper
Marketplace	Pages	Regular fixed	Regular per page	Large fixed	Large per page
Amazon.com	24-40	$3.60	flat	$4.20	flat
	42-828	$1.00	0.065 USD	$1.00	0.08 USD
Amazon.ca	24-40	$4.66	flat	$5.26	flat
	42-828	$1.26	0.085 CAD	$1.26	0.1 CAD
Amazon.co.uk	24-40	£2.59	flat	£3.24	flat
	42-828	£0.85	0.0435 GBP	£0.85	0.0598 GBP
Amazon.de / .fr / .it / .es / .nl / .ie / .com.be	24-40	2,85 €	flat	3,61 €	flat
	42-828	0,75 €	0.0525 EUR	0,75 €	0.0715 EUR
Amazon.com.au	24-40	$5.82	flat	$6.42	flat
	42-828	$2.42	0.085 AUD	$2.42	0.1 AUD
Amazon.co.jp	24-40	￥475	flat	￥475	flat
	42-828	￥206	4 JPY	￥206	5 JPY
Amazon.pl	24-40	12,86 zł	flat	15,32 zł	flat
	42-828	3,51 zł	0.267 PLN	3,51 zł	0.337 PLN
Amazon.se	24-40	30,65 kr	flat	36,51 kr	flat
	42-828	8,37 kr	0.636 SEK	8,37 kr	0.804 SEK

Standard color ink, white paper72 to 600 pages. KDP publishes no Amazon.com.au row and states it is unavailable on Amazon.co.jp.
Marketplace	Pages	Regular fixed	Regular per page	Large fixed	Large per page
Amazon.com	72-600	$1.00	0.0255 USD	$1.00	0.0402 USD
Amazon.ca	72-600	$1.26	0.037 CAD	$1.26	0.052 CAD
Amazon.co.uk	72-600	£0.85	0.02 GBP	£0.85	0.027 GBP
Amazon.de / .fr / .it / .es / .nl / .ie / .com.be	72-600	0,75 €	0.024 EUR	0,75 €	0.035 EUR
Amazon.com.au	not published by KDP
Amazon.co.jp	72-600	￥206	3.5 JPY	￥206	4.5 JPY
Amazon.pl	72-600	3,51 zł	0.112 PLN	3,51 zł	0.164 PLN
Amazon.se	72-600	8,37 kr	0.268 SEK	8,37 kr	0.3691 SEK

Black ink, cream paper uses the same schedule as white paper. KDP labels the black-ink ranges "24-110" and "110-828"; this calculator charges the flat rate at exactly 110 pages.

Frequently asked questions

How is the KDP paperback royalty calculated?: Royalty = (royalty rate x list price) - printing cost. The rate is 60% when the list price is at or above the marketplace threshold ($9.99 on Amazon.com) and 50% below it. A $14.99 300-page black-and-white 6 x 9 book on Amazon.com costs $4.60 to print and earns $4.39 per sale.
How much does it cost to print a KDP paperback?: Printing cost = fixed cost + (page count x per-page cost). On Amazon.com a black-ink regular-trim book of 24 to 110 pages costs a flat $2.30; from 110 to 828 pages it is $1.00 plus $0.012 per page. Large trims, color ink and other marketplaces use their own rates, all listed in the tables on this page.
What is the minimum list price on KDP?: Printing cost divided by the royalty rate that applies at that price. KDP will not let you set a price below it, so your royalty can never be negative on Amazon. Expanded Distribution pays 40%, so a price that works on Amazon can still lose money there.
Is it better to price at $9.99 or $9.98?: $9.99, and it is not close. At $9.98 you earn 50%; at $9.99 you earn 60%. For a book that costs $4.60 to print, that is $0.39 versus $1.39 per sale. The same step exists on every marketplace at its own threshold.
Do these numbers apply to Kindle eBooks or hardcovers?: No. Kindle eBooks use 35% or 70% royalty options with a delivery fee and no printing cost. Hardcovers use their own printing cost schedule. This calculator is for KDP paperbacks only.