Menu

Book price calculator

Work backwards from what you want to earn to the KDP list price that pays it, for paperbacks and Kindle ebooks.

Book format
USD
USD

Optional: ad spend per sale or anything else you want each copy to cover. Printing and delivery are already counted.

Lowest list price for your target$16.00
Royalty rate
60%
You earn
$5.00
Printing cost
$4.60
KDP allows
$9.20 to $250.00
    You $5.00Printing $4.60Amazon $6.40
    What you earn at each price
    List priceRateRoyaltyYou keepNote
    $9.2050%$0.00$0.00KDP minimum
    $9.9960%$1.39$1.3960% from here
    $16.0060%$5.00$5.00Lowest for your target
    $16.9960%$5.59$5.59
    $17.9960%$6.19$6.19
    $18.9960%$6.79$6.79
    $19.9960%$7.39$7.39
    Check a price in the royalty calculator

    Rather have a pro handle this? Our studio can: publishing setup.

    Short answer

    Add your target royalty to the printing cost and divide by KDP's royalty rate. A 300 page, 6 x 9 in paperback costs $4.60 to print, so earning $5.00 a copy on Amazon.com needs a list price of $16.00 at the 60% rate. A Kindle ebook earning $3.00 needs $4.58.

    How to use it

    1. Choose paperback or Kindle ebook, and the marketplace you price in.
    2. Enter the page count, trim and ink for a paperback, or the file size for an ebook.
    3. Type the royalty you want per copy, plus any other cost per copy you want each sale to cover.
    4. Read the lowest list price that gets there, and the table of prices above it.
    5. Take a price to the royalty calculator or the list price converter for other marketplaces.

    How it works

    KDP works out your royalty from the list price. This calculator runs that the other way.

    Paperback: list price = (target + other costs + printing cost) / royalty rate
    Ebook, 70%: list price = ((target + other costs) / 0.7 + delivery cost) x (1 + VAT)
    Ebook, 35%: list price = (target + other costs) / 0.35 x (1 + VAT)

    Worked example: a 300 page, 6 x 9 in paperback in black ink on cream paper costs $4.60 to print on Amazon.com. To keep $5.00: ($5.00 + $4.60) / 0.6 = $16.00. That is above $9.99, so the 60% rate applies. KDP rounds royalties to the cent, and the calculator checks each answer against KDP's own formula.

    For an ebook the calculator tries the 70% plan first and falls back to 35% when the price would leave the 70% band or the store needs KDP Select. It then checks the result, one cent at a time, against the same royalty formula the royalty calculator uses.

    Reference

    Lowest Amazon.com list price for each target royalty: the default 300 page paperback ($4.60 to print) and a 2 MB ebook.

    Royalty per copyPaperbackRateKindle ebookRate
    $3.00$12.6660%$4.5870%
    $4.00$14.3360%$6.0170%
    $5.00$16.0060%$7.4470%
    $6.00$17.6660%$8.8770%
    $8.00$21.0060%$11.7370%

    Questions authors ask

    How do I work out a price for my paperback?

    List price = (royalty you want + printing cost) / royalty rate. KDP pays 60% from $9.99 on Amazon.com and 50% below it. For $5.00 a copy on a book that costs $4.60 to print: ($5.00 + $4.60) / 0.6 = $16.00.

    What is the lowest price KDP lets me set?

    Printing cost divided by the royalty rate, so the royalty is never negative. For the $4.60 book above that is $9.20 on Amazon.com. The top is $250.00 for paperbacks there. Each marketplace has its own limits in its own currency.

    Why does $9.99 matter on Amazon.com?

    It is where the paperback rate goes from 50% to 60%. A price just under it earns noticeably less than $9.99 itself, so the table always shows that price when it is in range.

    How do I price a Kindle ebook for the 70% royalty?

    Keep the list price between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com. The 70% plan also takes a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB. To earn $3.00 from a 2 MB file you need $4.58.

    When does the 35% plan earn more?

    Above the 70% band, where only 35% is offered. To earn $12.00 a copy an Amazon.com ebook would need $34.28 at 35%, because $12.99 at 70% pays less than that. Very large files can also tip the balance; the ebook delivery cost calculator shows where.

    What price is normal for my genre?

    We don't show genre price averages: we have not found a published, current source we can cite for them. Look at the prices of recent books like yours in your own Amazon category, then use this calculator to see what each of those prices earns you.

    Why do the suggestions end in .99?

    It is only a display choice, not a KDP rule, and it does not change what KDP pays at a price. The first row is always the exact lowest price that meets your target; pick any price you like and check it in the royalty calculator.

    Does this work for IngramSpark?

    No. IngramSpark does not publish its print costs or a compensation formula, so this calculator covers KDP only. IngramSpark's own publisher compensation calculator gives your exact earnings once you enter a price and discount.

    Before and after this step

    Related tools

    Sources

    Last verified against KDP's own help pages. KDP changes royalty rules and printing costs, so check the sources before you set a price.

    KDP

    IngramSpark