Before you set a single bid, you need one number: what KDP actually pays you per sale. Enter your format, price and page count, and the calculator applies KDP’s current US royalty rules and printing costs. It also turns the result into the two limits every ad depends on: the break-even ACOS and the break-even bid.
eBook royalties
| Plan | List price on Amazon.com | You earn |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | $2.99 – $12.99 | 70% of the price, minus a delivery fee of $0.15 per MB |
| 35% | $0.99 – $200 (minimum rises with file size) | 35% of the price, no delivery fee |
Since 7 July 2026 the 70% band on Amazon.com runs to $12.99; before that it stopped at $9.99, so older calculators still get this wrong. Priced outside the band, or sold outside the 70% territories, an eBook earns 35%. The delivery fee is small for a text-only novel, typically a few cents, but it adds up for books with many images.
Paperback royalties
rate × list price − printing cost
Rate = 60% at $9.99 or more, 50% below $9.99 (Amazon.com). Expanded Distribution pays 40%.
The printing cost depends on page count, ink and trim size. KDP’s current US costs:
| Interior | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| Black ink, up to 108 pages | $2.30 | $2.84 |
| Black ink, 110 pages or more | $1.00 + $0.012 a page | $1.00 + $0.017 a page |
| Standard colour (72–600 pages) | $1.00 + $0.0255 a page | $1.00 + $0.0402 a page |
| Premium colour, up to 40 pages | $3.60 | $4.20 |
| Premium colour, 42 pages or more | $1.00 + $0.065 a page | $1.00 + $0.08 a page |
A large trim is anything wider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in, such as 8.5 × 11 in. Worked example: a $12.99 paperback of 300 black-ink pages at 6 × 9 in costs $1.00 + 300 × $0.012 = $4.60 to print, and earns 60% × $12.99 − $4.60 = $3.19 a sale.
The $9.99 line for print books
Because the rate jumps from 50% to 60% at $9.99, a paperback priced at $9.98 can earn about a dollar less per sale than the same book at $9.99. For low-priced books that is often the difference between ads that can pay and ads that cannot. The effect on coloring and puzzle books.
Hardcover royalties
Hardcovers use the same rates — 60% at $9.99 or more, 50% below — with higher printing costs: $6.80 for 75–108 black-ink pages, or $5.65 plus $0.012 a page from 110 pages; premium colour is $5.65 plus $0.065 a page. A 300-page black-ink hardcover costs $9.25 to print.
From royalty to ad limits
royalty per sale ÷ list price × 100
royalty per sale × conversion rate
What one click is worth at break-even. Start bids at about two-thirds of it.
Spend more than the break-even ACOS on a book and every ad sale loses money, unless something else pays it back, such as Kindle Unlimited page reads or readers going on to buy the rest of a series. How page reads change the maths.
Common questions
How are KDP royalties calculated?
eBooks earn 70% of the list price minus a delivery fee (priced $2.99–$12.99 on Amazon.com) or 35% with no fee. Paperbacks and hardcovers earn 60% of the list price at $9.99 or more, or 50% below $9.99, minus the printing cost.
What is the KDP royalty for a paperback?
On Amazon.com, 60% of the list price minus printing if the book is priced at $9.99 or more, and 50% minus printing below $9.99. A 300-page black-ink 6 × 9 in paperback at $12.99 earns about $3.19 a sale.
How much does KDP pay for an eBook?
On the 70% plan, 70% of the list price minus $0.15 per MB for delivery, for prices from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com. On the 35% plan, 35% of the list price with no delivery fee.
How much does KDP charge to print a book?
In the US, a black-ink paperback costs $2.30 to print up to 108 pages on a regular trim, then $1.00 plus $0.012 a page. Large trims, colour interiors and hardcovers cost more; the table above has every rate.
When does KDP pay royalties?
About 60 days after the end of the month in which the sales happened, or about 90 days for Expanded Distribution sales. Kindle Unlimited page-read earnings are finalised around the 15th of the following month.
Is this calculator for other marketplaces?
It uses Amazon.com (US) rules and print costs. Other marketplaces use their own prices, printing costs and $9.99-style thresholds, so check KDP’s pricing page for each one.
- eBooks: 70% minus $0.15/MB delivery between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com (since 7 July 2026), otherwise 35%.
- Paperbacks and hardcovers: 60% at $9.99 or more, 50% below it, minus printing.
- Black-ink paperback printing: $2.30 up to 108 pages (regular trim), then $1.00 + $0.012 a page.
- Break-even ACOS = royalty ÷ price; break-even bid = royalty × conversion rate.
- Pricing at $9.99 instead of $9.98 can add about a dollar to every print sale.