Amazon KDP

KDP Royalty Rates Explained: 35% vs 70%

How Amazon KDP royalties work: the 35% and 70% ebook plans, paperback and hardcover rates, and what changed in the June 2025 print update. · Updated Jun 24, 2026

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The two ebook royalty plans: 35% vs 70%

Source: Amazon KDP — eBook royalties

Every Kindle ebook earns one of two royalty rates. The 70% plan is the headline rate but comes with two conditions and a delivery fee; the 35% plan is unrestricted but pays half as much. Picking correctly is mostly a pricing decision.

70%

ebook royalty plan

  • List price $2.99 to $9.99 (US) required
  • Only in Amazon's designated 70% territories
  • Delivery fee deducted (~$0.06/unit average, scales with file size)
  • Best for most $2.99 to $9.99 titles

35%

ebook royalty plan

  • Any list price (below $2.99 or above $9.99)
  • Available in all territories
  • No delivery fee
  • Best for $0.99 series starters, premium-priced, or very large files

KDP royalty rate timeline

Sources: Amazon KDP — eBook royalties · Amazon KDP — Paperback / hardcover royalty

Four rate events span KDP's history. The Kindle 70% / 35% structure has held since 2010; print rates were a flat 60% from 2016 (paperback) and 2021 (hardcover) until Amazon's first material print rate cut in June 2025.

EffectiveChangeRates

Kindle 70% / 35% structure launched

Two-tier ebook royalty: 70% for sales in Amazon's designated 70% territories (subject to list-price band and delivery costs), 35% outside. The structure has been unchanged since.

  • kindle70%$2.99–$9.99 in 70% territories— Less VAT and delivery costs (Amazon currently lists ~$0.06/unit average)
  • kindle35%outside 70% territories OR outside $2.99–$9.99 band

Paperback joins KDP — 60% direct, 40% Expanded Distribution

Amazon added a paperback option to KDP via print-on-demand in 2016 (separate from CreateSpace, which fully merged into KDP in August 2018). 60% royalty for direct Amazon sales; 40% for sales via Expanded Distribution channels (other retailers, libraries).

  • paperback60%Amazon direct sales
  • paperback40%Expanded Distribution channel

Hardcover joins KDP at 60%

Case-laminated hardcover joined paperback under the same 60% direct-sales royalty structure (Expanded Distribution not available for hardcover).

  • hardcover60%Amazon direct sales

First material print royalty cut

Paperback and hardcover royalties drop from 60% to 50% for titles priced below regional list-price thresholds (~$9.99 in the US). Above-threshold titles still earn 60%. The first material print rate change in program history.

  • paperback50%list price ≤ $9.98 (US)
  • paperback60%list price ≥ $9.99 (US)
  • hardcover50%list price ≤ $9.98 (US)
  • hardcover60%list price ≥ $9.99 (US)

Spotlight: the June 2025 print change

Paperback and hardcover royalties drop from 60% to 50% for titles priced below regional list-price thresholds (~$9.99 in the US). Above-threshold titles still earn 60%. The first material print rate change in program history. Effective June 10, 2025.

When are KDP royalties paid?

Source: Amazon KDP — Getting paid

KDP pays royalties monthly, roughly 60 days after the end of the sale month. Earnings from a given month are finalized and disbursed about two months later, once returns and adjustments settle.

~60 days

after month end before payout

January earnings pay out around the end of March

Monthly

payment cadence

Paid by electronic funds transfer per marketplace

Threshold

minimum balance to pay

Balances below the marketplace minimum roll forward until met

Each Amazon marketplace pays in its local currency and carries its own minimum payment threshold. If your balance in a marketplace stays under that threshold, it accumulates and pays out in a later month once the threshold is reached. Kindle Unlimited page-read royalties follow the same ~60-day schedule as direct sales.

KDP ebook royalty: 35% vs 70%, explained

Kindle ebooks earn one of two royalty rates. The 70% plan applies when the list price is between $2.99 and $9.99 (US) and the title sells in one of Amazon's designated 70% territories; the 35% plan applies everywhere else, including any price below $2.99 or above $9.99. The catch with 70% is the delivery fee: Amazon subtracts a per-megabyte charge (currently around $0.06 per unit on average) before paying out, so a large, image-heavy ebook nets less than a text-only one. The 35% plan has no delivery fee and no price-band restriction, which is why very cheap books, very expensive books, and large files sometimes do better on it. For most fiction and nonfiction priced in the $2.99 to $9.99 band, the 70% plan wins comfortably.

Paperback and hardcover royalties, and the June 2025 print change

Print royalties have always worked differently from ebooks: instead of a share of list price, KDP pays a percentage of list price minus printing cost. Paperbacks joined KDP in 2016 and hardcovers in 2021, both at a 60% direct-sales royalty (40% through Expanded Distribution for paperback). On June 10, 2025, Amazon made the first material print royalty cut in the program's history: paperback and hardcover titles priced at or below $9.98 in the US dropped from 60% to 50%, while titles at $9.99 and above kept the original 60%. Because printing cost is deducted before the percentage is applied, a low-priced print book can net very little, which is why the new pricing floor matters most for short, cheaply-priced paperbacks.

Which royalty plan should you pick?

For Kindle ebooks, pick the 70% plan if your list price sits in the $2.99 to $9.99 (US) band and your file is not enormous, this is the right call for the large majority of titles. Drop to the 35% plan only when you deliberately price below $2.99 (for example a $0.99 series starter), price above $9.99, or have a very large file where the 70% delivery fee eats more than the rate difference. For print, you do not choose a plan: the rate is set by your list price relative to the regional threshold, so the lever you control is pricing. KDP also enforces a minimum list price that covers printing cost, which the dashboard shows you when you set the price.

Methodology

Cite this page

Profitable. (2026, June 24). KDP royalty rates explained: 35% vs 70%. Profitable. https://profitable.app/kdp/stats/royalties

KDP Royalty Rates FAQ

Is the KDP 35% or 70% royalty better?
For most Kindle ebooks the 70% plan is better, but only inside its rules: the list price must be $2.99 to $9.99 (US) and the book must sell in a 70% territory. The 70% plan also subtracts a delivery fee based on file size (around $0.06 per unit on average), so very large files can net less than expected. Choose 35% when you price below $2.99, above $9.99, or have a large image-heavy file. There is no single best plan, it depends on your price and file size.
How are KDP royalties calculated?
Kindle ebook royalty is your royalty rate (70% or 35%) times the list price, minus the delivery fee on the 70% plan. Print royalty is different: KDP pays your rate (60% or 50% depending on price and the June 2025 thresholds) of the list price after subtracting the fixed printing cost, not of the full list price. That printing-cost deduction is why a low-priced paperback can earn only a few cents.
What is the KDP paperback and hardcover royalty rate?
Both paperback and hardcover earn 60% of list price minus printing cost on direct Amazon sales when priced at $9.99 or above in the US. As of the June 10, 2025 print update, titles priced at or below $9.98 (US) earn 50% instead of 60%. Paperbacks sold through Expanded Distribution earn 40%; hardcovers are not available in Expanded Distribution.
When are KDP royalties paid?
Amazon pays KDP royalties approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale or Kindle Unlimited page-read occurred. For example, January earnings are paid around the end of March. Payments go out monthly by electronic funds transfer once your balance clears the minimum payment threshold for each marketplace; balances below the threshold roll forward until they are met.
What changed about KDP royalties in June 2025?
On June 10, 2025, Amazon reduced the paperback and hardcover royalty from 60% to 50% for books priced at or below the regional threshold (about $9.98 in the US). It was the first material print royalty cut in the program's history. Titles priced at $9.99 and above in the US continue to earn the standard 60%. Kindle ebook rates (70% and 35%) were unchanged.

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KDP Royalty Rates Explained: 35% vs 70% (Jun 2026)