KDP Royalty Calculator

It depends on the format. Kindle eBooks pay either 35% of the list price, or 70% of the list price minus delivery costs under the 70% option. Paperbacks and hardcovers sold on Amazon pay 60% of the list price at $9.99 or more (50% at $9.98 or less) minus the printing cost, while paperbacks sold through Expanded Distribution pay 40% minus printing. This calculator covers Amazon.com sales in US dollars.

Royalty = 70% x (list price - delivery costs). Delivery costs are $0.15 per MB of file size on Amazon.com, with a $0.01 minimum, so a 1 MB book priced at $4.99 earns 70% x ($4.99 - $0.15) = $3.39. The 70% option requires a list price of $2.99-$12.99 on Amazon.com — the band was widened from a $9.99 ceiling on July 7, 2026 — and it only pays 70% on sales to buyers in the eligible territories; sales to buyers in other territories are paid at 35%.

Two reasons. First, the 60% rate only applies at a list price of $9.99 or more — at $9.98 or less the Amazon rate is 50%. Second, the rate is applied first and the printing cost is then subtracted: royalty = (rate x list price) - printing cost. A 300-page black-ink paperback at $14.99 therefore earns 60% x $14.99 - $4.60 printing = $4.39, not $8.99.

Minimum list price = printing cost / royalty rate. KDP will not accept a list price below the price at which the royalty would be zero, because the printing cost alone must be covered. A book with a $4.60 printing cost at the 60% rate needs a list price of at least $4.60 / 60% = $7.67. eBooks have no printing cost, so this minimum only applies to paperback and hardcover books.