KDP royalty calculator
Work out your KDP print and ebook royalty from list price, page count, paper, and ink — the printing cost, the 60% print royalty, the lowest price that still earns, and the 70/35 ebook royalty.
Use the KDP royalty calculator
KDP pays 60% of the print list price minus the printing cost, and 70% or 35% of the ebook list (70% only from $2.99 to $9.99, minus a small delivery fee). Rates verified against KDP's published tables on 2026-07-19; confirm the live figures before you set a price.
Sources: Amazon KDP paperback printing cost · Amazon KDP royalty and pricing. Reviewed ; recheck the official page before production.
Quick answerA KDP royalty calculator turns your list price, page count, paper, and ink into what you actually keep. For print, KDP pays 60% of the list price minus a fixed printing cost that grows with page count and ink; for ebooks, it pays 70% between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus a small per-megabyte delivery fee) or 35% outside that band. The printing cost, not the royalty percentage, is what most first-time authors underestimate.
How is a KDP paperback royalty calculated?
Royalty is 0.60 × list price − printing cost. The printing cost for a black-ink paperback is a flat $2.30 up to 108 pages, then $1.00 plus $0.012 per page above that; standard color is $1.00 plus $0.0255 per page, and premium color $1.00 plus $0.065 per page. A 300-page black-ink paperback listed at $16.99 therefore earns 0.60 × 16.99 − 4.60 = $5.59 per copy. Because the printing cost rises with page count, a longer book at the same price earns less.
What is the lowest price a book can sell for?
KDP will not let the royalty go negative, so the list price must be at least the printing cost divided by the royalty rate. For that 300-page black-ink paperback the floor is 4.60 ÷ 0.60 = $7.67. Pricing at the floor earns almost nothing, so the calculator shows the floor as a warning line, not a target — price for the reader and the shelf, then confirm the royalty is comfortable.
How does the ebook royalty differ?
The 70% ebook rate applies only when the list price is between $2.99 and $9.99, and it is charged a delivery fee of about $0.15 per megabyte of file size — so a heavy fixed-layout or image ebook keeps less than a light reflowable one. Outside that band the rate drops to 35% with no delivery fee. At $4.99 a typical 1 MB ebook earns (4.99 − 0.15) × 0.70 = $3.39. The calculator picks the better of the two plans for the price you enter.
Frequently asked questions
How much royalty does KDP pay?
For print, 60% of the list price minus the printing cost. For ebooks, 70% between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus a small delivery fee) or 35% outside that band. The printing cost, which grows with page count and ink, is the number most authors miss.
Why does a longer book earn less at the same price?
The KDP printing cost includes a per-page charge — $0.012 a page for black ink above 108 pages — so a 500-page book costs more to print than a 200-page one and, at the same list price, returns a smaller royalty. The calculator shows the exact printing cost so you can price accordingly.
What is the lowest price I can set?
KDP will not let the royalty go negative, so the minimum is the printing cost divided by the royalty rate. The calculator shows this floor as a warning; price above it for a real return.
Do I need my exact page count?
Yes, because the printing cost depends on it. If you have not formatted the interior yet, the free book formatter typesets your manuscript and gives the real page count, which drops straight into this calculator.