KDP CalculatorsHow KDP royalties work in 2026
Paperback
On Amazon.com you earn 60% of the list price if the book is listed at $9.99 or more, and 50% if it's listed below $9.99. Amazon then subtracts the printing cost:
royalty = list price × rate − printing cost
Printing cost depends on page count, ink and trim size. Large trim means wider than 6.12 in (155.5 mm) or taller than 9 in (228.6 mm).
| Ink | Pages | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 24–108 | $2.30 | $2.84 |
| Black | 110–828 | $1.00 + $0.012/page | $1.00 + $0.017/page |
| Standard color | 72–600 | $1.00 + $0.0255/page | $1.00 + $0.0402/page |
| Premium color | 24–40 | $3.60 | $4.20 |
| Premium color | 42–828 | $1.00 + $0.065/page | $1.00 + $0.080/page |
Example: a 120-page black-ink 6 × 9 paperback costs $1.00 + 120 × $0.012 = $2.44 to print. At $9.99 it earns $9.99 × 60% − $2.44 = $3.55 per sale. At $8.99 it earns only $8.99 × 50% − $2.44 = $2.06, so that dollar off the price costs you $1.49 a copy.
Hardcover
Hardcovers earn 60% of the list price minus printing. Black-ink hardcovers cost $6.80 to print up to 108 pages (large trim $7.49), and $5.65 plus $0.012 per page from 110 to 550 pages (large trim $0.017 per page). A 300-page regular-trim hardcover costs $9.25 to print, so at $24.99 it earns $5.74.
Kindle eBook
Kindle books choose between two royalty options:
- 70% for list prices from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, after a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB. The top of this band was $9.99 until July 7, 2026, so older calculators still get $10–$12.99 books wrong.
- 35% of the list price for anything outside that range, with no delivery cost.
70% royalty = (list price − $0.15 × MB) × 0.70
A 1 MB eBook at $12.99 earns $8.99 per sale, but the same book at $13.00 earns only $4.55. Mind the cliff. To qualify for 70%, the eBook also has to be priced at least 20% below the list price of your print edition. In Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India it also has to be enrolled in KDP Select.