Estimate only, from KDP's published Amazon.com print-cost tables (checked October 2026). Other marketplaces price differently, and your KDP dashboard's Rights & Pricing page is the final authority for your book.
The tables this calculator uses (Amazon.com, USD)
| Format & ink | Pages | Regular trim | Large trim* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback, black | 24–110 | $2.30 flat | $2.84 flat |
| Paperback, black | 110–828 | $1.00 + $0.012/pg | $1.00 + $0.017/pg |
| Paperback, standard color | 72–600 | $1.00 + $0.0255/pg | $1.00 + $0.0402/pg |
| Paperback, premium color | 24–40 | $3.60 flat | $4.20 flat |
| Paperback, premium color | 42–828 | $1.00 + $0.065/pg | $1.00 + $0.080/pg |
| Hardcover, black | 75–108 | $6.80 flat | $7.49 flat |
| Hardcover, black | 110–550 | $5.65 + $0.012/pg | $5.65 + $0.017/pg |
| Hardcover, premium color | 75–550 | $5.65 + $0.065/pg | $5.65 + $0.080/pg |
*Large trim = wider than 6.12″ or taller than 9″ (so 8.5×11, 8×10, 8.5×8.5, 7×10 all count). Royalty rate: 60% of list price at $9.99 and above, 50% below $9.99 — a rule in force since June 10, 2025. Minimum list price = print cost ÷ 0.60, because your royalty can't go negative.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does a color book earn so little at prices that work for black ink?
Premium color costs roughly five times black ink per page ($0.065 vs $0.012). A 200-page premium color paperback costs $14.00 to print — it needs a list price well above $23 just to clear the minimum at the 60% rate. Standard color ($0.0255/page) exists precisely for illustrated books that don't need premium saturation.
Is the 60% rate guaranteed at $9.99?
On Amazon.com, yes — $9.99 and above earns 60%, below earns 50%. Other marketplaces have their own thresholds in their own currencies. Expanded Distribution sales earn a lower rate (40%) minus print cost.
Why does KDP's dashboard show a slightly different number?
Marketplace. This calculator uses Amazon.com tables; a sale on Amazon.de or .co.jp prints and prices locally. Treat these results as your US estimate and the dashboard as the ledger.
Hardcover: same royalty, so why does everyone say it earns less?
Same rate, much higher fixed print cost — $5.65 vs $1.00 above the flat ranges, a $4.65 gap on every copy regardless of length. The hardcover only wins if readers accept a price at least that much higher. Full comparison: hardcover vs paperback.
Or send us the files — the check is free
Email your interior and cover PDFs and we'll tell you exactly what's wrong — in plain English, free, within 48 hours. If it does need fixing, the by-hand fix is $19 and we redo it free if KDP rejects it for a formatting issue we were hired to fix. We rebuild files to be compliant with KDP's published spec — that's the promise we can keep.