Drag the slider to scrub through different list prices.
Your Royalty
60% rateIf your Amazon Ads ACOS stays under this, every sale is profitable.
- Your royalty4.63
- Amazon's fee6.00
- Printing cost4.36
How KDP print royalties work
Amazon KDP pays paperback and hardcover authors a percentage of the list price minus printing cost on every book sold through the Amazon marketplace (Distribution). The rate is tiered: books at or above the 60% threshold for the marketplace ($9.99 on amazon.com, £6.99 on co.uk, €9.99 on EU, etc.) earn 60%; books below earn 50%. For sales through Expanded Distribution — third-party bookstores, libraries, and online retailers — the rate is 40% minus printing cost, and it's only offered on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. Printing cost depends on three things: the format (paperback or hardcover), the interior type (black & white standard, black & white premium, or color), and the page count.
KDP also enforces a minimum list price — you can't price a book below printing cost ÷ 60%, because Amazon would lose money on the sale. The calculator computes that floor for you, so you can see how low you can go before KDP rejects your pricing.
Common print royalty mistakes
- 1Pricing too low for color interiors. Color printing costs $0.07/page or more on standard paper. A 200-page color book costs ~$14 to print — you can't price it under $24 and break even.
- 2Ignoring Expanded Distribution math. If a library orders 50 copies, you earn 40% of list minus printing — not 60%. Set your list price so the 40% calc still pays you.
- 3Mismatching trim and content. A 6×9 paperback with 50 pages looks like a pamphlet; a 5×8 with 600 pages won't lay flat. KDP enforces minimum & maximum page counts per trim — pick the right size before computing royalty.
- 4Forgetting break-even ACOS. If you run Amazon Ads, your royalty is the absolute ceiling on ad spend per sale. The calculator surfaces this — use it to set your ad campaign target CPC.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does KDP calculate royalties on paperbacks?
KDP pays you a percentage of your list price minus the printing cost. The rate depends on your list price: books priced at or above the 60%-tier threshold for your marketplace (e.g. $9.99 on amazon.com, £6.99 on amazon.co.uk, €9.99 on EU marketplaces) earn 60% royalty; books priced below the threshold earn 50%. Subtract printing cost from the applicable percentage of list price and that's your royalty per book sold.
Why is my royalty rate 50% instead of 60%?
KDP uses a two-tier royalty structure on paperbacks: 60% applies only at or above a marketplace-specific list-price threshold (US $9.99, UK £6.99, EU €9.99, Poland PLN 40, Sweden SEK 110). Below that threshold you only earn 50%. For most authors it pays to price at the 60% threshold rather than just below — a $9.98 book at 50% earns less than a $9.99 book at 60% on the exact same printing cost.
What is "Expanded Distribution"?
Expanded Distribution lets bookstores, libraries, and online retailers outside Amazon order your book. KDP pays 40% of list price minus printing cost on those sales (vs 60% on amazon.com). That's why the calculator shows both numbers — you make less per book but reach more buyers.
What's "Break-Even ACOS" and why should I care?
Break-Even ACOS is your royalty divided by your list price, shown as a percentage. If you run Amazon Ads, this is the maximum ACOS you can pay before each sale becomes unprofitable. If your break-even ACOS is 28%, you want your actual ACOS to stay below 28% to make money on every ad-driven sale.
Why does the printing cost change with marketplace?
KDP has separate printing facilities for the US, UK, EU, and Japan, each with their own paper and labor costs. The royalty is paid in the marketplace's currency at that marketplace's printing cost. If you sell mostly in the UK but priced your book for the US, your UK royalty might be lower than expected.
Does this calculator include shipping or returns?
No — KDP's royalty math is calculated before shipping (which is charged to the buyer separately) and before returns. For most KDP authors, returns are a tiny fraction of total sales and don't meaningfully change earnings projections.
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