About this tool
This KDP royalty calculator estimates how much Amazon pays you for each sale of a Kindle eBook or a paperback. Choose the format, enter your list price, and add either the eBook file size or the paperback's page count and ink type. The result shows Amazon's share, the delivery or printing cost, your royalty per sale, your profit after any per-copy cost, and the lowest list price that earns a royalty.
Amazon already offers an official printing cost and royalty calculator for paperbacks. This page adds the Kindle eBook side, the delivery cost on the 70% option, and a quick margin and effective fee view, all in one place and without logging in.
How to use it
- Pick Kindle eBook or Paperback.
- For an eBook, choose the 70% or 35% option and enter the file size in MB.
- For a paperback, enter the page count, choose the ink and paper, and choose Amazon.com or Expanded Distribution.
- Enter your list price and read the royalty per sale and the minimum list price.
How KDP royalties work
For Kindle eBooks, the 35% option is available in any territory, with no delivery cost. The 70% option applies only in eligible territories, needs a list price between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com, requires the list price to be at least 20% below the list price of any physical edition, and subtracts delivery cost: file size in MB times the marketplace rate, which is $0.15 per MB on Amazon.com. For paperbacks, the royalty is the rate times the list price minus the printing cost, and printing cost depends on page count and ink type. These are the Amazon.com printing costs for regular trim sizes.
| Ink and paper | Pages | Fixed cost | Per-page cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black ink, cream or white | 24 to 110 | $2.30 flat | None |
| Black ink, cream or white | 110 to 828 | $1.00 | $0.012 |
| Black ink, groundwood | 24 to 112 | $2.23 flat | None |
| Black ink, groundwood | 114 to 828 | $1.00 | $0.0114 |
| Premium color | 24 to 40 | $3.60 flat | None |
| Premium color | 42 to 828 | $1.00 | $0.065 |
| Standard color | 72 to 600 | $1.00 | $0.0255 |
Worked example
Two quick examples. A Kindle eBook listed at $4.99 with a 2 MB file on the 70% option has a delivery cost of $0.30 (2 MB x $0.15), so the royalty is 70% x ($4.99 - $0.30) = $3.28. A 200-page black-and-white paperback listed at $14.99 on Amazon.com has a printing cost of $1.00 + 200 x $0.012 = $3.40, so at the 60% rate the royalty is $14.99 x 60% - $3.40 = $5.59. The same book sold through Expanded Distribution at the flat 40% rate earns $2.60.
Pricing a book so it pays
Printing cost rises with every page, so a long book needs a higher list price just to break even. For eBooks, a large file full of images can make the delivery cost bite on the 70% option, so compress images before you upload. If your list price falls outside the 70% range, the 35% option is the only choice. Run both and compare: for a low-priced eBook with a large file, the 35% option can pay more than the 70% option.
Rates and what to verify
These rates were checked on October 11, 2026 against the platform's own fee page: official source. Marketplaces change fees often, and the numbers in this tool live in one place so they can be updated quickly. Treat every result as an estimate and compare it with your own payout before you price a big order.
- TO VERIFY: The 70% eBook price band is $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com (widened from $9.99 on July 7, 2026), per KDP's eBook List Price Requirements page. The 35% option minimum depends on file size: $0.99 under 3 MB, $1.99 for 3 to under 10 MB and $2.99 at 10 MB or more.
- TO VERIFY: Printing costs are for Amazon.com and regular trim sizes. Large trim sizes cost more and other marketplaces differ.
- TO VERIFY: At exactly 110 black-ink pages (112 for groundwood) the help page lists both a flat and a per-page cost; this tool uses the flat cost.
- TO VERIFY: Hardcover books and VAT in other countries are not included.
Things to watch out for
This tool covers Amazon.com and regular trim sizes only. Hardcovers, large trim, other marketplaces, taxes and VAT are not included. KDP can change printing costs and rates, so confirm the numbers on the official royalty page before you publish. Not sure where else a book could sell? See the reseller fee calculators.
Frequently asked questions
KDP offers a 35% royalty option in any territory and a 70% option in eligible territories. The 70% option subtracts a delivery cost based on file size, at $0.15 per MB on Amazon.com.
The formula on KDP's help page is (royalty rate x list price) - printing costs. The rate is 60% at or above $9.99 and 50% at or below $9.98 on Amazon.com. Expanded Distribution pays a flat 40%.
On Amazon.com a regular-trim black-ink paperback costs $1.00 plus $0.012 per page (cream or white paper) above 110 pages. Color costs more, and large trim sizes cost more.
Enter a paperback's page count and ink type. The calculator shows the lowest list price at which your royalty is above zero.