Plan a white-paper paperback: trim size, pages, ink and marketplace determine printing cost. Enter the KDP list price to estimate your royalty.
How the calculation works
Printing cost = fixed cost + pages × per-page cost. Short books have a fixed price. Royalty = list price × 50% or 60% − printing cost. The 60% tier starts at USD/EUR 9.99. Odd page counts round up to the next even number.
White-paper paperback, sold directly on Amazon.com or Amazon.de. Hardcover, groundwood and Expanded Distribution are outside this estimate. Enter the KDP list price before consumption tax; the customer price can differ. Estimate without guarantee. KDP values as of 25 October 2026. Amazon may change printing costs, royalty rates and page limits at any time; the calculation in your KDP Bookshelf is what counts. Rounding may differ.
Two examples
160 pages, 8.5 × 11 inches, premium colour, USA, USD 24.99 list price: 1.00 + 160 × 0.08 = USD 13.80 printing cost; 24.99 × 60% − 13.80 ≈ USD 1.19 royalty.
150 pages, 6 × 9 inches, standard colour, Germany, EUR 12.00 list price: 0.75 + 150 × 0.024 = EUR 4.35 printing cost; 12.00 × 60% − 4.35 = EUR 2.85 royalty.
Questions and answers
Which page count should I enter?
Count every interior page, including blank pages. KDP rounds odd counts up. Standard colour allows 72–600 pages. For black/premium ink, the 8.5 × 11 size allows at most 590; the other offered sizes allow at most 828.
Why does the minimum change at 9.99?
Below the threshold, the royalty rate is 50%; at or above it, 60%. Both price tiers must be checked. Dividing every printing cost by 0.5 would overstate the minimum for expensive colour books.
Is the royalty my profit?
It is an estimate per Amazon sale before income tax, advertising, design and other costs. It does not predict demand or sales.
Sources and date
2026-10-25 · KDP
Make your cookbook
- Book spine width calculator
- KDP trim size, bleed and margins for a cookbook
- How large can I print my recipe photo?
- Self-publish a cookbook on KDP
Text created with AI assistance. Calculations use fixed formulas.
Amazon and Amazon KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. They are named here only to identify the service this calculation refers to. MenuTome is an independent product and is not affiliated with Amazon.