Guides

Short, sourced explanations of how book charts, royalties and the public domain actually work. Updated when the rules change.

• What a bestseller chart rank really tells you

  How Apple Books, Amazon and newspaper bestseller lists are built, why a rank is not a sales figure, and how to read our charts.

• Ebook royalty rates in 2026: every major store compared

  What Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark pay per ebook sale, with the 2026 rule changes.

• KDP printing costs and paperback royalties, explained

  The 2026 KDP printing cost formula for paperbacks and hardcovers, the 50% and 60% royalty rule, and how it compares with IngramSpark and B&N Press.

• Kindle Unlimited or wide: how to decide with numbers

  How KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited pay, what exclusivity costs you, and a simple way to find your break-even point.

• Republishing public-domain books: what you can and can't do

  How the US 95-year rule works, why translations and other countries complicate it, what Amazon KDP requires, and how to find classics worth a new edition.

• Public Domain Day 2027: works from 1931 become free to use

  On 1 January 2027, books, films and art published in 1931 enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1926. What that means and what to check.

• How to spot a rising book trend before it peaks

  Signals that a book, author or genre is about to break out: international charting, Wikipedia attention, library reading and new entries.

• Audiobook royalties in 2026: ACX, Spotify, Kobo and INaudio

  What authors earn from audiobooks on ACX (Audible), Spotify for Authors, Kobo and Voices by INaudio, including ACX's new 2026 royalty model.