Royalty Calculator

How KDP Royalties Actually Work

Your royalty is the amount you actually earn from each sale, after Amazon takes its share and, for print books, after the printing cost is deducted. Royalties work differently for eBooks versus paperback and hardcover print books, and understanding both structures is essential before you set your pricing — a price that looks profitable at first glance can sometimes leave you with a surprisingly thin margin once printing costs are factored in.

Paperback and Hardcover Royalties

For print books, KDP typically pays a 60% royalty rate on the list price, but — critically — the printing cost is subtracted from that royalty, not from the list price before the percentage is calculated. In simple terms:

Royalty = (List Price × 60%) − Printing Cost

This means two books priced identically can earn very different royalties if one has a higher page count, uses color printing, or is a hardcover — all of which increase the printing cost being subtracted from your 60% share.

eBook Royalties

eBooks work differently and don't have a physical printing cost, but they do have a small delivery fee based on file size, and the royalty percentage itself depends on your price point:

• 70% royalty rate applies to eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (in eligible marketplaces), minus a small delivery fee calculated from your file size.
• 35% royalty rate applies to eBooks priced outside that range — either below $2.99 or above $9.99 — with no delivery fee deducted.

This pricing structure is why so many eBooks cluster around the $2.99–$9.99 range: pricing even slightly outside that band roughly halves your royalty percentage, which can significantly reduce your earnings per sale even if the higher list price seems appealing at first.

Why Royalty Calculations Matter Before You Publish

It's tempting to price a book based purely on what similar titles in your genre are charging, but without checking your actual royalty, you might unknowingly set a price that barely covers your printing cost on paperback, or accidentally fall into the lower 35% eBook royalty bracket. Running the numbers before you publish means you can adjust your price, trim your page count, or switch paper/interior types with full knowledge of how each choice affects your bottom line.

Tips for Maximizing Your Royalty

• For paperbacks, keep an eye on how page count affects printing cost — sometimes tightening your formatting (margins, font size, line spacing) to shave off a signature of pages can meaningfully improve your margin.
• For eBooks, staying within the $2.99–$9.99 range is almost always more profitable per copy than pricing just outside it, even if the higher price seems like it should earn more.
• Compare your royalty across paperback, hardcover and eBook formats side by side — many authors are surprised to find their eBook edition is actually their highest-margin format.
• Revisit your royalty calculation whenever you change your price, page count, or interior color type, since all three affect the final number.

Building a Realistic Pricing Strategy Around Your Royalty

A common mistake among new self-published authors is choosing a price point purely by looking at what similar books charge, without ever checking what that price actually leaves them after printing costs and Amazon's share. Two authors could charge the exact same list price for similar books, yet one earns a healthy royalty while the other barely breaks even, simply because of differences in page count, interior color, or format.

Before you finalize your price, it's worth testing a few different price points through this calculator to see how your royalty shifts. Sometimes a relatively small price increase — even $1 or $2 — can meaningfully improve your margin without pricing your book out of reach compared to genre competitors, especially once you see the numbers laid out clearly rather than estimated in your head.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my royalty change by marketplace? Yes, currency, local pricing, and sometimes tax treatment can cause your actual royalty to vary slightly between Amazon marketplaces (US, UK, Germany, etc.).

Is hardcover royalty calculated the same way as paperback? Yes, the same 60% rate minus printing cost formula applies, but hardcover printing costs are higher, so the resulting royalty per copy is typically lower than an equivalent paperback unless priced accordingly.

Why is my calculated royalty different from what shows in my KDP dashboard? This tool provides a close estimate based on KDP's generally published rates. Your actual dashboard figure may reflect marketplace-specific rates, promotional pricing, or minor rate updates — always treat this as a planning estimate and confirm final numbers in your KDP account.