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How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book on Amazon in 2026?
Publishing a book on Amazon through KDP (Amazon’s publishing platform) costs nothing up front. Amazon takes its share only when a copy sells: printing comes out of each paperback or hardcover sale, and a small delivery fee comes out of each ebook sale on the 70% royalty option. What costs money is preparing your manuscript, which runs $1,557 to $5,499 for a 60,000-word novel. For the setup itself, see how to self-publish on Amazon.
- Free to upload
- Printing and royalty calculator
- Checked October 2026
Does it cost money to publish a book on Amazon?
Not to publish. Amazon charges nothing to upload an ebook, paperback or hardcover, and takes its costs out of your sales instead. Here is every charge, and when it applies.
Uploading
$0any format
Ebook, paperback and hardcover setup on KDP are free, with no monthly fee and no minimum order.
Printing
$4.00250-page paperback
Taken from each paperback and hardcover sale, based on pages, ink and trim size (book size).
Ebook delivery fee
$0.15per MB
Taken from each ebook sale on the 70% royalty option. A 2 MB novel costs $0.30 a sale.
Amazon’s share
30% to 65%of list price
30% of ebook sales on the 70% option and 40% of paperback sales at $9.99 and above. Through Expanded Distribution (KDP’s option to offer your paperback to bookstores and libraries), it keeps 60%.
Shipping on customer orders is paid by the customer, not by you.
KDP printing cost and royalty calculator
Enter your book’s details to see what Amazon charges to print it, what you keep per sale, and how many copies cover what you spent producing it. Uses KDP’s published US rates, checked October 2026.
You keep per sale on Amazon
$4.99at 60%
- Printing cost per copy$4.00
- Delivery fee per sale$0.30
- Royalty rate60%
- Per sale through Expanded Distribution$2.00
- Lowest list price KDP allows$8.00
- Lowest price with Expanded Distribution$10.00
US marketplace only. Estimates exclude taxes, returns and Kindle Unlimited page reads. Confirm final figures in KDP’s own Printing Cost and Royalty Calculator before you set a price.
Amazon book printing cost, by type of book
Page count, ink and trim size set the printing cost. Seven common books, priced on Amazon.com as of October 2026, with what you keep at a typical list price.
Picture books and cookbooks are almost always large trim, so plan on the large-trim rate. Standard color costs far less than premium color and suits many cookbooks and workbooks.
How much Amazon pays you per book
Ebooks and print books follow different rules. The price you pick decides which royalty rate applies.
Ebooks: stay between $2.99 and $12.99
The $12.99 ceiling rose from $9.99 on July 7, 2026, and it is opt-in. An ebook already priced $10 to $12.99 stays at 35% until you switch it to 70% by hand in KDP. To earn 70%, your ebook must also be priced at least 20% below your paperback or hardcover on Amazon.
Paperbacks and hardcovers: $9.99 is the line
A paperback at $9.49 earns 50% of its price, where the same book at $9.99 earns 60%.
Kindle Unlimited
Books enrolled in KDP Select earn per page read, about $0.004 to $0.005 a page as of October 2026, from a fund Amazon sets each month. KDP Select requires your ebook to be exclusive to Amazon. Compare publishing exclusive to Amazon or wide.
Expanded Distribution or IngramSpark for bookstores and libraries
Both put your paperback in front of stores outside Amazon. IngramSpark is the service bookstores and libraries order from. The two pay very differently.
KDP Expanded Distribution
Paperbacks only- Free to switch on in KDP.
- Pays 40% of list price minus printing. The 250-page novel at $14.99 pays $2.00 a sale instead of $4.99.
- Raises your minimum list price. That same novel cannot go below $10.00, against $8.00 on Amazon alone.
- KDP does not accept returns, so bookstores rarely stock books ordered through Expanded Distribution.
IngramSpark
Bookstores and libraries- Free to set up, with free revisions. A 1.875% market access fee applies to distribution sales, as of October 2026.
- You set the wholesale discount (the share bookstores keep) and the return policy they expect.
- The route for hardcovers in libraries and for bookstore orders.
- Use your own ISBN, since a free KDP ISBN cannot be used elsewhere.
Our advice
Sell on Amazon through KDP, and reach bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark. Leave Expanded Distribution off if you use IngramSpark, so the two do not compete for the same ISBN.
Do you need to buy an ISBN to publish on Amazon?
An ISBN is your book’s ID number. A free KDP ISBN is fine for an Amazon-only paperback. Buy your own if you want bookstores, libraries or your own publisher name.
Kindle ebook
No ISBN needed
Amazon gives every Kindle ebook its own product number (ASIN).
Best for: every Kindle edition
Free KDP ISBN
$0
Lists “Independently published” as the publisher and works only for books printed by KDP.
Best for: an Amazon-only paperback or hardcover
Your own ISBN from Bowker
$125, or $295 for ten
One per format. Lets you use your own publisher name (imprint) and publish the same edition through IngramSpark.
Best for: bookstores, libraries and a series
What author copies cost on Amazon
Author copies and proof copies cost the printing cost, plus shipping and any sales tax. Order a proof before you publish, because a printed copy shows problems a screen does not: margins, color and spine text.
Seven Amazon pricing mistakes that cost you money
Each one is a setting in KDP, and each costs the same amount on every copy you sell.
Pricing an ebook at $13.00
It earns 35%, or $4.55, where $12.99 earns $8.88.
Loses $4.33 a saleLeaving an older ebook on 35%
An ebook at $11.99 on the 35% option earns $4.20. Switched to 70% by hand, it earns $8.18.
Loses $3.98 a salePricing a paperback at $9.49
Below $9.99 the royalty drops from 60% to 50%. The 250-page novel earns $0.75 at $9.49 and $1.99 at $9.99.
Loses $1.24 a salePrinting a novel on large trim
At 250 pages, large trim costs $5.25 a copy against $4.00 on regular trim.
Costs $1.25 more a copyChoosing premium color for a cookbook
A 150-page cookbook costs $13.00 in premium color and $7.03 in standard color, which suits many photos.
Costs $5.97 more a copyUploading a heavy ebook file
A 20 MB picture book at $4.99 pays $1.39 on the 70% option and $1.75 on 35%.
Loses $0.36 a saleExpanded Distribution without repricing
It raises your minimum price and pays 40%. The 250-page novel earns $2.00 on those sales, against $4.99 on Amazon.
Loses $2.99 a saleCheck your own price
Enter your format, pages and list price to see what you keep and where the cliffs are.
Open the Calculator
How much does it cost to self publish a book on Amazon, start to finish?
Uploading is free, so the real budget is preparing your manuscript. A 60,000-word novel costs $1,557 for a lean ebook launch or $5,499 for an edited ebook in five stores plus the Amazon paperback, as of October 2026. See every book type, service and add-on on how much it costs to publish a book.
Our Amazon setup, if your files are ready
Amazon
$249
Kindle ebook on Amazon, your Amazon author page (Author Central) and 3 categories.
5 to 10 business days
Online Stores
$549
Adds the Amazon paperback and four more ebook stores.
10 to 15 business days, plus proof shipping
Global
$999
Adds hardcover, bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark.
15 to 30 business days
Add-ons: your own ISBN on the Amazon tier $30 plus the agency fee, Amazon hardcover $79 at launch or later, series setup $99, Amazon book description rewrite $150. ISBN agency fees and printed proofs are paid by you directly, with no markup. Every account is opened in your name, and you keep 100% of your royalties.
Still deciding? Compare self-publishing and traditional publishing →
Publishing on Amazon: cost questions authors ask
Short answers on fees, printing, royalties and ISBNs.
Is it free to publish a book on Amazon?
Yes. Uploading an ebook, paperback or hardcover to Amazon KDP costs nothing, with no monthly fee and no minimum order. Amazon takes its share only when a copy sells: printing comes out of each print sale, and a delivery fee of $0.15 per MB comes out of each ebook sale on the 70% option. Producing the book is the real cost.
How much does Amazon take from each book sale?
Amazon keeps 30% of ebook sales priced $2.99 to $12.99, plus the delivery fee, and 65% outside that range. On paperbacks and hardcovers it keeps 40% at $9.99 and above, or 50% below, and printing comes out of your share. Through Expanded Distribution your share drops to 40% of list price minus printing.
How much does it cost to print a book on Amazon?
A black and white paperback costs $2.30 for up to 110 pages, then $1.00 plus $0.012 a page on regular trim, so 250 pages cost $4.00. Large trim, color and hardcovers cost more: a 32-page color picture book costs $4.20 and a 300-page hardcover $9.25. The cost comes out of each sale, not from you up front.
Do I need an ISBN to publish on Amazon?
Not for a Kindle ebook, which gets Amazon’s own product number (ASIN). For paperbacks and hardcovers, KDP gives a free ISBN that lists “Independently published” as the publisher and works only for KDP-printed books. Buy your own from Bowker, $125 for one or $295 for ten, if you want your own imprint or plan to publish through IngramSpark too.
How much do author copies cost on KDP?
Author copies cost the printing cost plus shipping and tax, with no markup. A 250-page paperback costs $4.00 a copy to print, so ten copies cost $40 before shipping. Proof copies are priced the same way. Order one before you publish to check the margins, color and spine.
Should I use KDP or IngramSpark for my paperback?
Use KDP for Amazon sales, where it pays 60% minus printing at $9.99 and above. Use IngramSpark to reach bookstores and libraries, because it lets you set the wholesale discount and return policy they expect. If you use both, leave KDP Expanded Distribution off and use your own ISBN on each.
What is the cheapest way to publish a book on Amazon?
Publish the Kindle ebook yourself on KDP for free, price it between $2.99 and $12.99 for the 70% royalty, and add a paperback with a free KDP ISBN later. The only unavoidable costs come from preparing the manuscript. A proofread and a professional ebook cover are the two worth paying for first.
How much can I earn per book on Amazon?
A $4.99 ebook earns about $3.28 a sale (2 MB file), as of October 2026. A $12.99 ebook earns about $8.88, and a 250-page paperback at $14.99 about $4.99, after Amazon’s share and printing or delivery. Your profit starts once those royalties cover what you spent producing the book. The calculator on this page shows how many copies that takes.
How are KDP royalties taxed for authors outside the US?
Amazon withholds US tax on royalties from US sales, at up to 30%, unless a tax treaty between the US and your country lowers the rate. You claim the treaty rate in the KDP tax interview. Royalties are also income in your own country, so check local rules with a tax adviser.
How much does it cost to advertise a book on Amazon?
Amazon Ads have no minimum. You set a daily budget and pay each time a reader clicks your ad, and many authors start with a few dollars a day to test keywords. Ad spend is billed to your card, separate from publishing. We can set up your Amazon Ads account ($299) or manage it ($499 a month). If you already run them, our $399 Amazon Ads account audit gives you a written review and a 45-minute call. You make the changes; results are not guaranteed.
Get your book onto Amazon, set up in your name
Tell us which files are ready and which formats you want. After a free 30-minute call, you get a written quote within 48 hours at the rates on this page.
Four things, done right the first time
- Your KDP accountOpened in your name, so every royalty lands with you
- Your listingsKindle ebook from $249; paperback and four more stores from $549
- Your pricingYour ebook priced inside the 70% band, and print checked against printing cost
- Your Amazon author pageAuthor Central, with your bio, photo and every edition linked
You keep 100% of your rights and royalties.
You keep 100% of your rights and royalties, every account is in your name, and nothing is signed until you decide.
Rates from Amazon KDP help pages and IngramSpark. Checked October 2026 by the AuthorWings publishing team. US marketplace.
