Amazon KDP Royalty Calculator for Ebooks and Paperbacks

An Amazon KDP royalty calculator estimates what you may earn from each sale after KDP applies the royalty rate and deducts delivery or printing costs. For Amazon.com, ebooks use a 35% or 70% formula, while paperbacks use 50% or 60% on Amazon and 40% through Expanded Distribution.

Use the calculator above for an Amazon.com US estimate. Then use this guide to understand each value and check whether your price and format make commercial sense.

The KDP Royalty Formulas at a Glance

KDP does not apply one percentage to every book. The formula depends on the format and sales channel.

The official KDP Digital Book Pricing page and Paperback Royalty page describe these formulas. The estimator excludes taxes, refunds, price matching, ads, and Kindle Unlimited earnings, so treat its result as a planning figure rather than a payment promise.

How the Ebook Estimate Works

KDP offers 35% and 70% royalty options for ebooks. The higher number is not automatically the better choice because eligibility and delivery charges matter.

The 35% ebook option

For an Amazon.com sale with no tax adjustment or price matching, the simple estimate is:

List price × 0.35 = estimated royalty

KDP does not subtract an ebook delivery charge from the 35% calculation. This option also covers prices that fall outside the US price range for the 70% option.

Example: a $0.99 ebook produces an estimated royalty of $0.35 per sale after KDP rounds to cents.

The 70% ebook option

For an eligible Amazon.com sale, the estimate is:

(List price − delivery cost) × 0.70 = estimated royalty

Amazon.com currently charges $0.15 per megabyte for delivery under the 70% option, with a minimum delivery cost of $0.01. KDP calculates the charge from the converted file, not necessarily the source document you uploaded.

Example: a $4.99 ebook with a converted file size of 1 MB has an estimated delivery cost of $0.15. The estimated royalty is 70% of $4.84, or $3.39.

The calculator validates the current $2.99–$12.99 Amazon.com price band. KDP expanded the upper limit from $9.99 on July 7, 2026. Price is only one eligibility condition: territorial rights, public-domain status, physical-edition pricing, and marketplace rules can also affect the rate. Confirm the final option in your KDP dashboard and review KDP's ebook list-price requirements.

When file size changes the decision

Large image-heavy files can make the 70% option less attractive. Compare both formulas before publishing a cookbook, comic, photography book, or illustrated children's ebook.

For example, a 20 MB file creates a $3.00 delivery charge at the current Amazon.com rate. A smaller, well-compressed file may preserve image quality while reducing that deduction. Check the converted file in Kindle Previewer instead of compressing images blindly.

How the Paperback Estimate Works

For paperback sales on Amazon.com, KDP applies a rate based on list price and then subtracts the cost to print one copy.

As of the source review date:

• Amazon.com list prices of $9.98 or less use a 50% rate.
• Amazon.com list prices of $9.99 or more use a 60% rate.
• Expanded Distribution uses a 40% rate.

This is why crossing the $9.99 boundary can create a larger change than a one-cent price increase suggests. It changes the applied rate as well as the selling price.

What determines printing cost

KDP's current US paperback table uses four inputs:

• Page count.
• Black, standard color, or premium color ink.
• Regular or large trim class.
• The marketplace where the copy is ordered.

For Amazon.com, a trim is in the large class when it is wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches. Cover finish and bleed do not change the printing-cost formula.

The estimator uses the current KDP Paperback Printing Cost table. It includes the fixed-cost bands for short black-ink and premium-color books, plus the fixed and per-page rates for longer books and standard color.

Paperback example

Consider a 300-page, regular-trim paperback with black ink and a $15 list price:

1. Printing cost: $1.00 + (300 × $0.012) = $4.60.
2. Applied Amazon.com rate: 60% because the price is at least $9.99.
3. Royalty: ($15 × 0.60) − $4.60 = $4.40 per sale.

The same book through Expanded Distribution uses 40%:

($15 × 0.40) − $4.60 = $1.40 per sale.

KDP sets a minimum list price so the royalty can cover printing. If the estimator says your price is below that minimum, either raise the price or reconsider costly production choices such as large trim or color ink.

Use Royalty Estimates in a Publishing Budget

A royalty is not profit until you recover the money spent preparing and promoting the book. Add your editing, cover, formatting, identifier, proof-copy, and marketing costs, then calculate a break-even point.

Total publishing cost ÷ royalty per sale = approximate break-even units

If production costs total $1,500 and the estimated royalty is $3 per sale, the simple break-even point is 500 sales. That does not account for taxes, returns, discounted copies, or ad spend that changes over time, but it gives you a useful target.

Use our cost to publish a book guide to build the full budget. If you are still choosing formats, compare the process in our KDP self-publishing guide.

A Practical KDP Pricing Checklist

Before you lock the price:

1. Check comparable books in the same subgenre, format, and approximate length.
2. Calculate royalties at two or three realistic prices.
3. Check whether an ebook file's delivery charge changes the best royalty option.
4. Compare regular and large trim printing costs before finalizing the interior.
5. Decide whether the lower Expanded Distribution margin supports your goals.
6. Calculate the number of sales needed to recover production and launch costs.
7. Recheck the final estimate in KDP's Rights & Pricing screen before publishing.

Do not set price from royalty alone. A price also communicates genre position and value. The best choice is one readers accept and that leaves enough margin for your publishing plan.

What This Calculator Does Not Estimate

The result deliberately excludes:

• VAT, sales tax, and tax withholding.
• Refunds and returned copies.
• Amazon price matching.
• Advertising costs and promotional fees.
• Kindle Unlimited or KENP earnings.
• Hardcover royalties and printing costs.
• Sales outside Amazon.com in US dollars.

Your KDP reports remain the source of truth after publication. Use this calculator before launch and when testing a new price, then compare the estimate with actual net royalties.

KDP source rules reviewed August 17, 2026. Amazon may change rates, eligibility, and printing costs. Recheck the three official source pages linked above before making a final pricing decision.