KDP Resources · Guide
KDP Royalty Calculator Guide
A step-by-step guide to using a KDP royalty calculator — printing costs, list price, 35% vs 60% royalty, and how to price books for real profit.
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Frequently asked questions
General background on this topic. Informational only — not financial, tax, or legal advice.
- How are KDP royalties calculated?
- Ebook royalties are 35% or 70% of list price (minus delivery cost on 70%) depending on price band and territory. Print royalties are list price × royalty rate − print cost.
- What's the difference between 35% and 70% ebook royalty?
- The 70% option requires the price to be within a set band (currently $2.99–$9.99 USD) and includes a per-MB delivery fee. The 35% option has no price band.
- Why are my paperback royalties so small?
- Print cost is deducted before royalty. Long page counts or color interiors push print cost up and royalty down. The guide shows the math.
- Are these rates the same worldwide?
- No. Royalty rates and price bands differ by Amazon marketplace. KDP's pricing page shows current rates per region.
Related Guides
Plain-English guides that pair with this resource.
How KDP Royalties Work
How Amazon KDP royalties are calculated for paperbacks, hardcovers, and Kindle eBooks.
Read guide →How To Price KDP Books For Maximum Profit
How royalties, printing costs, and pricing tiers actually work on KDP — and how to set a price that maximizes profit per copy.
Read guide →How To Publish Your First Book On Amazon KDP
A beginner walkthrough of Amazon KDP — account setup, formats, royalties, manuscript and cover upload, pricing, and going live.
Read guide →KDP Profit Calculation Guide
How KDP royalties really work — printing cost, 35% vs 70% Kindle, expanded distribution, and the math that tells you what you actually earn per book.
Read guide →
Related Calculators
Free tools to put this resource into practice.
KDP Royalty Calculator
Estimate Amazon KDP royalties and profit per sale.
Try calculator →KDP Profit Goal Calculator
Books to sell to hit your KDP income goal.
Try calculator →KDP Break-Even Calculator
Sales needed to recover your KDP publishing costs.
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Related Guides
- Fee guideKDPWhy Is My KDP Royalty Lower Than the Calculator Predicted?
A four-culprit diagnostic for reconciling a KDP payout that came in lower than your estimate, plus the ebook 70% trap.
- Fee guideKDPHow KDP Royalties Work
How Amazon KDP royalties are calculated for paperbacks, hardcovers, and Kindle eBooks.
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Work backward from a dollar goal to the number of books you actually need to sell — with realistic expectations.
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