KDP Royalties in 2026: Paperback, Ebook and Print Costs, Worked Out

On Amazon KDP, a paperback sold on Amazon.com earns a 50% royalty at a list price of $9.98 or less and 60% at $9.99 or more, minus the printing cost. An ebook earns 70% of its list price, minus a delivery cost, if it's priced from $2.99 to $12.99, and 35% outside that band. The $12.99 ceiling is new: KDP raised it from $9.99 on July 7, 2026, the first change to that maximum since 2007.

Those two thresholds, $9.99 for paperbacks and $12.99 for ebooks, are where small pricing decisions make large differences. This guide sets out KDP's formulas, its printing costs, and worked examples, so you can see what a copy of your book actually earns.

As of November 2026: every rate, threshold and formula here is quoted from KDP's own help pages, which we read on November 3, 2026. The worked examples are our arithmetic, using KDP's published formulas. KDP changes its pages, so check the linked page before you set a price.

Paperback royalties: the 50% and 60% rates

KDP's paperback royalty page puts it in one line: "KDP now offers both a 50% or 60% royalty rate on paperbacks sold on Amazon marketplaces," and "the royalty rate for your title depends on the list price."

On Amazon.com, the split is at $9.99:

The formula is the same at either rate:

(Royalty rate x list price) – printing costs = royalty

KDP's own example is a 333-page, regular-trim, black-ink paperback sold on the US marketplace: "(0.60 x $15) - $5.00 = $4.00."

Source: KDP Help: Paperback Royalty, as of November 2026.

The one-cent cliff at $9.99

Because the rate changes at a threshold, a cent can matter more than a dollar. Take a 200-page, black-ink paperback in a regular trim size (6 by 9 inches counts as regular). Its printing cost on Amazon.com is $1.00 + (200 × $0.012) = $3.40.

• At $9.98, the rate is 50%: (0.50 × $9.98) − $3.40 = $1.59 a copy.
• At $9.99, the rate is 60%: (0.60 × $9.99) − $3.40 = $2.59 a copy.

One cent on the price adds a dollar to the royalty, about 63% more per copy.

If your paperback is priced a little under $10 for psychological reasons, check which side of the line it falls on. Anything from $8 to $9.98 earns at 50%.

Expanded Distribution pays 40%

Expanded Distribution makes your paperback available to bookstores and other sellers outside Amazon. Its royalty is lower: "the royalty is 40% of the book's list price effective in the distribution channel at the time of purchase," with the same printing cost taken off. KDP's example: "(0.40 x $15) - $5.00 = $1.00." KDP also notes that these royalties show "approximately 30 days after the end of the month in which the sales occurred."

For the 200-page book above at $14.99, that's (0.40 × $14.99) − $3.40 = about $2.60 a copy through Expanded Distribution, against (0.60 × $14.99) − $3.40 = about $5.59 on Amazon.com.

Printing costs: what KDP takes off first

The printing cost is the other half of every paperback royalty, and it's set by KDP's formula:

Fixed cost + (page count * per page cost) = printing cost

For Amazon.com, KDP lists these costs:

KDP says black-ink paperbacks with 24 to 110 pages "only incur the fixed cost," and defines large trim sizes as "more than 6.12 inches (155.5 mm) in width or more than 9 inches (228.6 mm) in height." Its worked example: "1.00 USD fixed cost + (300 page count * 0.012 USD per page cost) = 4.60 USD (printing cost)."

Source: KDP Help: Paperback Printing Cost, as of November 2026.

Three things follow from the table:

• Every page costs money. At $0.012 a page in black ink, 50 extra pages add $0.60 to every copy's printing cost. Tight formatting is a royalty decision as much as a design one.
• Color is expensive. Premium color at $0.065 a page costs more than five times black ink per page. A 200-page premium-color book costs $1.00 + $13.00 = $14.00 to print before any royalty.
• Large trim costs more per page. Going just past 6.12 inches wide or 9 inches tall moves black ink from $0.012 to $0.017 a page.

The lowest price KDP will let you set

KDP won't let a paperback earn less than nothing. Its print pricing page says: "The minimum List Price for your Print Book must be equal to its Printing Cost / 50% or 60% depending on list price." The 200-page book above, at $3.40 to print, can't be listed below $3.40 / 0.50 = $6.80. At the top end, "the maximum List Price for your Print Book is 250 USD (Amazon.com)." Source: KDP Help: Print Book Pricing Page.

Ebook royalties: 35% or 70%

Ebooks have two royalty options, and you choose one when you set the price.

The 70% option pays "70% of your list price without VAT, less delivery costs." KDP's formula:

Royalty Rate x (List Price – applicable VAT - Delivery Costs) = Royalty

The 35% option pays 35% of the list price without VAT, with no delivery cost. KDP's own US example: a $0.99 ebook earns "0.35 x ($0.99 - $0.00) = $0.35."

Source: KDP Help: eBook Royalties, as of November 2026.

The 70% band is now $2.99 to $12.99

This is the biggest royalty change of 2026. KDP's list price page states: "Effective July 7, 2026, the 70% royalty option price band is $2.99-$12.99 on Amazon.com, expanding from the previous range of $2.99-$9.99, with equivalent changes in other KDP marketplaces." The same page notes that "the previous $9.99 maximum list price for the 70% royalty option has been in place since 2007."

For the 35% option on Amazon.com, the minimum price depends on file size: $0.99 for files under 3 MB, $1.99 from 3 MB to under 10 MB, and $2.99 for 10 MB or more, with a maximum of $200 in each case.

Source: KDP Help: eBook List Price Requirements, as of November 2026.

If your ebook sits between $10 and $12.99 on the 35% option, it now qualifies for 70%. KDP says that if your ebook "is currently on the 35% royalty option, is priced between $2.99 and $12.99," you can move it, and if it's "already on the 70% royalty option, you can update your list price at any time."

Delivery costs, and the $12.99 cliff

On Amazon.com, the delivery cost for the 70% option is "US $0.15/MB," based on the size of your ebook file. KDP says average delivery costs are $0.06 per unit sold, and that they vary by file size. Source: KDP Help: Digital Book Pricing Page.

Here's how that works on a 2 MB ebook, so a delivery cost of 2 × $0.15 = $0.30 (Amazon.com, where KDP's example applies no VAT):

• At $4.99 on 70%: 0.70 × ($4.99 − $0.30) = about $3.28 a copy.
• At $12.99 on 70%: 0.70 × ($12.99 − $0.30) = about $8.88 a copy.
• At $13.99, outside the band, so 35%: 0.35 × $13.99 = about $4.90 a copy.

Pricing a dollar over the band almost halves the royalty. Heavy files make the delivery cost matter too: a 10 MB ebook full of images pays $1.50 a copy in delivery on the 70% option.

The conditions on 70%

The 70% rate isn't automatic inside the price band. KDP's pricing pages set conditions:

• Territories. "The 70% royalty option only applies to books sold to customers in the countries listed on the Pricing Page." Sales to customers elsewhere earn 35%. For Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India, the ebook must also be enrolled in KDP Select.
• Physical editions. If you choose 70%, KDP requires your ebook's list price to be "at least 20% below the list price on Amazon" for any physical edition of the book.
• Public domain. "The 70% royalty option is for in-copyright works only." Books made up mainly of public domain content qualify only for 35%.

KDP also notes that if a book stops meeting the requirements, the 35% option applies, and KDP may adjust royalties already reported or paid.

KDP Select

Ebooks enrolled in KDP Select earn on sales as above, and also earn when subscribers read them. KDP's page on its subscription program, Kindle+, says "you earn from the KDP Select Global Fund based on your share of total pages read or listened to by Kindle+ subscribers." The fund's size isn't fixed in advance, so there's no per-page figure to plan around. Source: KDP Help: Kindle+. (If you have an audiobook too, our guide to Audible's new royalty model covers how ACX titles join Kindle+.)

Setting the paperback and ebook prices together

Because of the 20% rule, the two prices aren't independent. Set the paperback first, then work the ebook back from it.

Take the 200-page paperback from earlier at $14.99. It earns about $5.59 a copy on Amazon.com. For the ebook to qualify for 70%, its list price has to be at least 20% below $14.99, which means $11.99 or less (80% of $14.99 is $11.992). At $11.99, a 2 MB ebook earns 0.70 × ($11.99 − $0.30), or about $8.18 a copy.

Two things are worth noticing in that pair. The ebook earns more per copy than the paperback, even at a lower price, because there's no printing cost. And the paperback price is now doing two jobs: it sets its own royalty, and it caps the ebook's. If you drop the paperback to $12.99, the ebook ceiling for 70% falls to $10.39.

So decide the paperback price on its own merits (page count, genre, the $9.99 line), then set the ebook inside both limits: the $2.99 to $12.99 band, and 20% below the paperback.

Pricing checks before you publish

Royalties are the outcome of a few settings. Run through these before you hit publish:

1. Paperback: which side of $9.99? Anything from $9.98 down earns at 50% on Amazon.com.
2. Paperback: does the page count earn its cost? Every page adds $0.012 in black ink. Trim the front and back matter you don't need.
3. Ebook: inside $2.99 to $12.99? Outside it, the rate drops to 35%.
4. Ebook: at least 20% below the paperback? If not, the 70% option's condition isn't met.
5. Ebook: how big is the file? Each megabyte costs $0.15 a copy on the 70% option.
6. Check KDP's own calculator. KDP links a Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator from its pricing pages. Use it on your actual page count and trim.

Royalties are what you keep from each copy. Our guide to how much self-published authors make covers the other half, which is how many copies you sell, and our step-by-step guide to publishing a book on Amazon covers the rest of setup.

Know your costs before you set a price

A royalty only means something next to what the book cost to make. The publishing cost estimator gives you an itemized estimate of what publishing your book will cost, from four questions about the manuscript, the type of book, the length and what else you need. Put it beside your royalty per copy and you'll see how many copies it takes to break even.

Estimate my publishing cost →

If you'd rather have someone set up your KDP pricing, categories and editions with you, book a free 15-minute call, or see our self-publishing services. You keep 100% of your rights and royalties.