Publishing on Amazon through KDP costs nothing. Every other cost is either taken out of your sales — printing — or a choice you make: editing, a cover, proof copies and advertising. Here is what each one is, and which ones actually decide whether a book sells.
What is free
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Creating a KDP account and publishing | Free |
| ISBN for a paperback or hardcover | Free from KDP (or buy your own) |
| ISBN for a Kindle eBook | Not needed |
| Kindle Create (formatting) and Cover Creator | Free |
| KDP Select enrolment | Free |
Printing: paid from each sale
Amazon prints paperbacks and hardcovers on demand, and deducts the printing cost from each sale instead of charging you up front. A 300-page black-ink paperback costs $4.60 to print in the US; a 100-page 8.5 × 11 in coloring book costs $2.84. Your printing cost and royalty.
Proof and author copies
Copies for yourself cost the printing cost per copy, plus shipping at checkout. A proof copy — marked “Not for Resale” — is worth ordering before launch. How they work.
Optional costs that matter
- Editing. The single biggest influence on reviews after the story itself.
- A cover. What shoppers judge in a thumbnail — and what every ad shows.
- Formatting. Free tools handle most novels; complex layouts may need help.
- Advertising. Entirely under your control: Amazon ads have no fee, charge only per click, and the daily budget can be as low as $1 (Amazon recommends at least $10 a day per campaign).
Prices for editors and designers vary too widely to quote honestly; get two or three quotes. What you can calculate is how many sales each dollar has to earn back.
cost ÷ royalty per sale
$600 of editing and a cover at $3.34 per eBook sale takes about 180 sales.
What to spend first
Spend where it changes whether a shopper buys: a cover that works at thumbnail size and clean editing. Ads come after, because they amplify a page that already converts and waste money on one that does not. Start small and let the numbers decide. A first campaign.
Common questions
How much does it cost to self-publish on Amazon?
Nothing to publish. KDP charges no fees; printing costs for paperbacks and hardcovers are deducted from each sale. Your real costs are optional: editing, a cover, proof copies and advertising.
Is publishing a book on Amazon free?
Yes. Creating an account, publishing, a KDP ISBN for print books, Kindle Create, Cover Creator and KDP Select are all free.
How much does KDP charge to print a book?
In the US, a black-ink paperback costs $2.30 up to 108 pages on a regular trim, then $1.00 plus $0.012 a page — $4.60 for 300 pages. The cost is taken from each sale.
How much do author copies cost on KDP?
The printing cost per copy, plus shipping at checkout. Author copies do not earn royalties.
How much should I spend on Amazon ads?
Start small: a daily budget you would be comfortable losing over three weeks of testing, often $5–$10 a day. Keep spending only on what stays under your break-even ACOS.
- KDP charges nothing to publish; print ISBNs, formatting and cover tools are free.
- Printing is deducted from each sale, not paid up front.
- Editing and the cover are the optional costs most likely to change sales.
- Amazon ads have no fee: you pay per click, from a daily budget as low as $1.
- Sales to earn back a cost = cost ÷ royalty per sale.