A KDP royalty calculator only needs three inputs for print, and two for an ebook: list price, Amazon’s rate, and (for print) the printing cost of that copy. A book royalties calculator that hides any of those three is a guess.
Rates here match KDP help as read on 20 October 2026 for Amazon.com. Use the live KDP calculator for the book you are pricing. Full rate notes: Amazon KDP royalties explained.
Ebook
- If the 70% option applies, the Amazon.com list-price band is $2.99–$12.99 (the top moved from $9.99 on 7 July 2026). Royalty = 70% of list price, minus delivery. KDP’s sample delivery is $0.15 per MB on Amazon.com.
- Otherwise royalty = 35% of list price, with no delivery fee in KDP’s description of that option.
- 70% is not worldwide. Some marketplaces pay 35% even when you selected 70%.
Paperback and hardcover
- On Amazon.com, use 60% when the list price is $9.99 or more, and 50% when it is $9.98 or less.
- Expanded Distribution for paperbacks, where offered, is 40%. Hardcover is not in that channel.
- Subtract printing cost: (rate × list price) − printing cost.
- KDP’s Amazon.com sample: a $9.99, 250-page, regular-trim, black-ink paperback prints at $4.00 and pays $1.99. A longer color book can print for more than a low list price pays. Change price, trim, or ink. Do not hope.
Run print scenarios on AuthorShelf’s royalty calculator. We do not take a third cut of KDP sales. Production, if you still need it, is a separate listed fee: packages from $399–$2,989 or author services.
Common questions
How does a KDP royalty calculator work?
For an ebook, use 35% of list price, or 70% minus delivery when that option applies. For print on Amazon.com, use 50% or 60% of list price, then subtract printing cost. KDP’s own sample of a $9.99, 250-page black-ink paperback pays $1.99 after $4.00 printing.