Free tool
KDP royalty calculator
On Amazon.com a KDP paperback pays 60% of the list price when the price is 9.99 dollars or more, and 50% below that, minus the printing cost. The printing cost depends on page count, ink and trim size. Enter your price, pages and ink below to see the royalty per copy.
Updated rates checked 24 October 2026
Work out your royalty
How KDP royalty works
Royalty = royalty rate x list price - printing cost. On Amazon.com the rate is 60% for list prices of 9.99 dollars or more and 50% for 9.98 or less. For books sold through Expanded Distribution the rate is 40%. Printing cost = fixed cost + page count x cost per page. Trim size counts only as regular or large; bleed and cover finish do not change the cost.
| Amazon.com printing cost | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| Black ink, 24 to 110 pages | 2.30 per book | 2.84 per book |
| Black ink, 111 to 828 pages | 1.00 + 0.012 per page | 1.00 + 0.017 per page |
| Premium colour, 24 to 40 pages | 3.60 per book | 4.20 per book |
| Premium colour, 42 to 828 pages | 1.00 + 0.065 per page | 1.00 + 0.08 per page |
| Standard colour, 72 to 600 pages | 1.00 + 0.0255 per page | 1.00 + 0.0402 per page |
Source: Amazon KDP Help, Paperback Royalty and Paperback Printing Cost, read on 24 October 2026. The calculator covers the Amazon.com marketplace in US dollars and paperbacks only. It leaves out groundwood paper and the other Amazon stores. Amazon's own Printing Cost and Royalty Calculator on KDP is the reference, and your Rights and Pricing page shows the final figure.
The highest list price on Amazon.com is 250 dollars. To size your cover first, use the KDP cover calculator. The record behind it is on the publishing page, and Taimoor sets pricing for first-time authors in the KDP publishing training.
Questions people ask
How is KDP paperback royalty calculated?
Royalty rate times list price, minus printing cost. On Amazon.com the rate is 60% at 9.99 dollars and above, and 50% at 9.98 and below. With Expanded Distribution the rate is 40%.
How is the printing cost worked out?
A fixed cost plus a cost per page, which depends on the ink, the trim size and the page count. The table below shows the Amazon.com rates.
Why can the royalty drop when I raise the price?
It cannot go down, but it can jump. At 9.99 dollars the rate rises from 50% to 60%, so a 10 cent rise can add more than 10 cents.
Does this cover other Amazon stores?
No. It covers Amazon.com in US dollars only. Other stores have their own rates on KDP Help.
Is the calculator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, needs no sign-up and stores nothing.
Pricing a book for launch? Ask Taimoor.