How is KDP royalty calculated?

For Kindle eBooks, Amazon multiplies your list price (minus VAT) by the plan rate — 35% or 70% — then subtracts a per-megabyte delivery cost on the 70% plan only. For paperbacks it pays 60% of the list price minus a fixed-plus-per-page printing cost. This tool applies those exact published formulas per marketplace.

What is the difference between the 35% and 70% Kindle royalty plans?

The 70% plan pays more per copy but only applies inside a set price band (US $2.99–$12.99) and deducts a delivery fee of $0.15 per MB. The 35% plan covers a much wider price range ($0.99–$200 on Amazon.com), deducts no delivery fee, and is the only option outside the 70% band. This tool compares both whenever the price qualifies.

Why did I only get 35% royalty on my Kindle book?

The 70% rate applies only when your list price sits inside Amazon's band. If your price is below the minimum (US $2.99) or above the maximum ($12.99 since July 2026), the book automatically earns 35% instead. Setting an eligible price — or checking your KDP dashboard hasn't reverted to 35% — restores the higher rate.

How much does Amazon charge to print a paperback?

For a black-ink Amazon.com paperback, printing is a flat $2.30 up to 110 pages, then $1.00 plus $0.012 per page above that. A 300-page book costs $1.00 + (300 × $0.012) = $4.60 to print. Standard and premium color cost more per page. The calculator uses Amazon's exact ink-and-marketplace tables.

What is the KDP delivery cost or delivery fee?

The delivery cost is a per-megabyte charge Amazon deducts only on the 70% eBook plan, covering the wireless delivery of your file. On Amazon.com it is $0.15 per MB (£0.10 on Amazon.co.uk, €0.12 on Amazon.de), with a small minimum. A 5 MB file therefore costs $0.75 in delivery — one reason to keep image-heavy files lean.

Does the 70% ceiling really go up to $12.99 now?

Yes. On July 7, 2026 Amazon raised the 70% price ceiling from $9.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com — its first change since 2007 — with equivalent moves in other marketplaces. Books priced up to $12.99 can now earn 70% instead of dropping to 35%. Existing books already at that price may need the plan reselected in KDP.

Can Sri Lankan authors publish on Amazon KDP and get paid?

Yes. KDP is open to authors worldwide, including Sri Lanka, and pays royalties by electronic funds transfer or cheque in USD, GBP, EUR and other currencies. You set prices in each marketplace's currency, which is why this calculator works marketplace-by-marketplace rather than converting to rupees.

Does this include Kindle Unlimited (KENP) page-read income?

No. Kindle Unlimited pays from a variable monthly global fund at a per-page-read rate that changes each month, so it isn't a fixed published royalty. This tool computes only the deterministic per-sale royalty for a paid purchase. Expanded Distribution (the 40% paperback rate) and hardcovers are also out of scope for now.

When were these rates last verified?

The delivery, printing and price-band figures were last cross-checked against Amazon's live KDP help pages on 2026-07-17. KDP updates these tables periodically, so the page carries the verification date and is reviewed whenever Amazon announces a change.

Self-publishing · Freelance

Amazon KDP Royalty Calculator — eBook & Paperback

See exactly what Amazon pays you per sale. Compare the 35% and 70% Kindle eBook plans and the 60% paperback royalty — with delivery and printing costs — across four marketplaces. Free, no signup, formulas and sources shown below.

By Induwara Ashinsana— Executive Director, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Jul 17, 2026

Estimate your KDP royaltyper sale

KDP rates · 2026

Book type

Marketplace

List price (USD)

The price a customer pays on Amazon.com, before checkout tax.

Quick prices

Royalty plan

File size (MB)

Your uploaded eBook file, in megabytes. Only the 70% plan deducts a delivery fee.

Royalty per sale (70%)

$3.19

You keep

63.93%

of the list price

Delivery cost

$0.30

deducted per copy

70% planBest plan

$3.19

After $0.30 delivery

35% plan

$1.75

No delivery fee

You keep 64%Amazon & costs 36%

Royalty breakdown

List price	$4.99
Royalty at 70%	$3.49
Less delivery cost	− $0.30
Net royalty per sale	$3.19

Figures rounded to the USD cent. Excludes Kindle Unlimited (KENP) page-read income and Expanded Distribution (40% paperback) royalties.

Rates verified Jul 17, 2026Source: Amazon KDP help centre (eBook royalty, delivery & printing cost pages).

How it works

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) pays a fixed, published royalty on every sale — there is no negotiation, so your take-home is fully predictable once you know the rules. This calculator applies the exact formulas from Amazon's KDP help centre, marketplace by marketplace.

Kindle eBooks use one of two plans. On the 35% plan the royalty is simply 0.35 × (list price − VAT) with no delivery deduction and a wide eligible price range (Amazon.com $0.99–$200.00). On the 70% plan the royalty is 0.70 × (list price − VAT) − delivery cost, where delivery cost is your file size in MB times a per-MB fee ($0.15/MB on Amazon.com). The 70% plan only applies inside a set band — $2.99–$12.99 on Amazon.com since Amazon raised the ceiling from $9.99 on July 7, 2026. Price outside the band and the book earns 35% instead. When your price qualifies, the tool computes both plans and flags the one that nets more.

Paperbacks earn a flat 0.60 × (list price − VAT) − printing cost on Amazon-marketplace sales. Printing cost is a fixed charge plus a per-page charge that depends on ink type (black, standard color, premium color), page count and marketplace. Amazon.com black ink, for example, is a flat $2.30 up to 110 pages, then $1.00 + $0.012 per page. If the 60% share can't cover printing, the tool warns that the price is too low and shows the break-even price. (Amazon.in does not print paperbacks, so that pairing is blocked.)

Two smaller adjustments matter. VAT is removed before the rate is applied: US and UK book prices are effectively tax-exclusive (0%), while Germany applies a 7% reduced rate, so a German list price is divided by 1.07 first. Roundingfollows the marketplace currency to the cent. Every headline figure is also recomputed by a second, independent integer-cent formula and checked to agree — the “cross-checked” note under the calculator.

Worked examples

eBook · Amazon.com · 70% beats 35%

List $4.99 · 2.5 MB file · US

Delivery cost: 2.5 MB × $0.15 = $0.375 → $0.38
70% royalty: 0.70 × $4.99 − $0.38 = $3.493 − $0.38 = $3.11
35% royalty: 0.35 × $4.99 = $1.75
Best plan: 70% — it nets $1.36 more per copy

eBook · Amazon.com · price above the 70% ceiling

List $14.99 · US

$14.99 is above the $12.99 upper limit of the 70% band
70% is disabled → only 35% applies
35% royalty: 0.35 × $14.99 = $5.25
Dropping to $12.99 (2 MB) would earn 70%: 0.70 × $12.99 − $0.30 = $8.79

Paperback · Amazon.com · black ink

List $9.99 · 200 pages · black ink

Printing cost: $1.00 + (200 × $0.012) = $1.00 + $2.40 = $3.40
60% royalty: 0.60 × $9.99 − $3.40 = $5.994 − $3.40 = $2.59
You keep about 26% of the list price after printing

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

Rate tables were last cross-checked against Amazon's live KDP help pages on 2026-07-17. The 70% price-ceiling increase to $12.99 took effect July 7, 2026. KDP figures change periodically; this page is reviewed whenever Amazon announces an update.

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