KDP printing costs and paperback royalties, explained
By Daniel Rahl Jackson · Updated 20 October 2026
On a print book, your royalty is a share of the list price minus the cost of printing that copy. Getting the printing cost right is most of the work. Run your own numbers in the print royalty calculator.
KDP's printing cost on Amazon.com
KDP charges a fixed cost plus a cost per page. "Large" trim means wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches; otherwise the trim size, cover finish and bleed don't change the price.
| Paperback interior | Pages | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black ink, white or cream paper | 24–110 | $2.30 | $2.84 |
| Black ink, white or cream paper | over 110 | $1.00 + $0.012 a page | $1.00 + $0.017 a page |
| Black ink, groundwood paper | over 112 | $1.00 + $0.0114 a page | $1.00 + $0.0162 a page |
| Standard colour | 72–600 | $1.00 + $0.0255 a page | $1.00 + $0.0402 a page |
| Premium colour | over 40 | $1.00 + $0.065 a page | $1.00 + $0.08 a page |
A 300-page black-and-white paperback at a regular size costs $4.60 to print. Hardcovers cost $6.80 up to 108 pages and $5.65 plus $0.012 a page above that, so the same 300 pages cost $9.25 as a hardcover.
The royalty: 50% or 60%
Since June 2025, KDP pays 60% of the list price minus printing when the list price is $9.99 or more, and 50% minus printing at $9.98 or less. That makes $9.99 an important threshold: a 150-page paperback at $9.98 earns about $2.19, but at $9.99 it earns about $3.19.
Expanded Distribution, which lets other bookshops and libraries order your paperback, pays 40% minus printing. Hardcovers aren't eligible.
IngramSpark and B&N Press
IngramSpark pays the wholesale price minus printing. You choose the wholesale discount (at least 40% in the US; IngramSpark recommends 53 to 55% if you want bookshops to stock you), and since February 2026 it also takes a 1.875% distribution fee on the list price. Setup is free and revision fees were dropped in 2026.
Barnes & Noble Press pays 55% of the list price minus printing, and since April 2026 requires print books to be priced at $14.99 or more.
Neither publishes a printing formula, so use their own quote tools for exact costs.