A print-on-demand paperback earns you the royalty rate times the list price, minus the printing cost. On Amazon KDP that means 60% of list price (50% below US$9.99 on Amazon.com) minus a print charge set by page count. On IngramSpark you get the list price minus your wholesale discount, the print charge and a 1.875% market access fee. For a typical 300-page novel that usually works out to a few dollars per copy, and sometimes much less.

This guide includes a few product links near the end. As an Amazon Associate, Freyja Publishing earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

This guide is about the maths only: the published formulas, worked examples you can copy, the price thresholds that quietly cut your earnings, and a step-by-step method for setting a print price that pays. If you are still deciding whether print-on-demand suits your book at all, start with print-on-demand versus traditional printing. For why print matters as an extra income stream, see print-on-demand as an overlooked revenue stream.

At a glance

• KDP paperback royalty = (royalty rate × list price) − printing cost. The rate is 60% on Amazon marketplaces once you are at or above a local threshold (US$9.99, £7.99, €9.99, A$13.99, C$13.99), 50% below it, and 40% for Expanded Distribution.
• KDP US print cost for a black-ink paperback over about 110 pages = US$1.00 + US$0.012 per page. A 300-page book costs US$4.60 to print.
• IngramSpark compensation = list price − wholesale discount − print charge − 1.875% of list price. IngramSpark suggests a 53–55% discount for US bookshop orders, and the US minimum is 40%.
• The cheapest mistake to fix is pricing a paperback just under the 60% threshold, which can cut your royalty by more than two-thirds.
• Formulas and fees change. Check the KDP and IngramSpark calculators before you set a price. Figures here are at the time of writing (October 2026), and prices change.

The two formulas you need

Amazon KDP paperbacks

According to KDP’s help pages on paperback royalties, the calculation is:

Royalty = (royalty rate × list price) − printing cost

The royalty rate depends on where the copy sells and at what price:

• 60% on Amazon marketplaces when your list price is at or above the local threshold. On Amazon.com that is US$9.99. It is £7.99 on Amazon.co.uk, €9.99 on the euro marketplaces, A$13.99 on Amazon.com.au and C$13.99 on Amazon.ca.
• 50% on Amazon marketplaces when your list price is below that threshold.
• 40% for Expanded Distribution sales, which are copies sold through other retailers and distributors outside Amazon.

KDP’s help pages also say that trim size, bleed and cover finish do not change the print cost within a size band. Only ink type, page count, marketplace and whether the book is a large trim do.

IngramSpark paperbacks

IngramSpark’s help centre describes the publisher compensation for a wholesale sale as:

Compensation = list price − wholesale discount − print charge − 1.875% of list price

The 1.875% market access fee took effect on 1 February 2026, up from 1.5%. In the same update IngramSpark made title set-up and revisions free. Depending on where you live, VAT or GST may also apply to the fee. IngramSpark does not publish a simple per-page formula for its current print charges, so take the print charge for your exact book from its compensation calculator.

KDP print costs by page count

KDP’s printing cost page gives the costs as a fixed charge plus a per-page charge. These are the Amazon.com figures for a regular trim size, which means up to 6.12 inches wide and 9 inches tall, so 5×8 and 6×9 both qualify:

Interior (Amazon.com, regular trim)	Formula	200 pages	300 pages	400 pages
Black ink, roughly 24–110 pages	US$2.30 flat	n/a	n/a	n/a
Black ink, roughly 110–828 pages	US$1.00 + US$0.012/page	US$3.40	US$4.60	US$5.80
Standard colour, 72–600 pages	US$1.00 + US$0.0255/page	US$6.10	US$8.65	US$11.20
Premium colour, 42–828 pages	US$1.00 + US$0.065/page	US$14.00	US$20.50	US$27.00

Large trim sizes cost more. A black-ink large-trim book is US$1.00 + US$0.017 per page, so 300 pages costs US$6.10. Other marketplaces have their own tables. For a regular-trim, black-ink book over about 110 pages, KDP lists £0.85 + £0.010 per page in the UK, €0.75 + €0.012 per page in the euro marketplaces, and A$2.42 + A$0.022 per page in Australia. A 300-page novel therefore costs about £3.85, €4.35 or A$9.02 to print. That is why the same book can make very different money in different countries.

Two rules of thumb follow from the formula. Every 10 extra black-ink pages adds US$0.12 to each copy. Colour costs far more than many authors expect: a 200-page standard-colour interior costs nearly twice as much to print as black ink, and premium colour costs about four times as much.

Worked examples: what one copy really earns

All of these use a 300-page, regular-trim, black-ink paperback on Amazon.com with a print cost of US$4.60.

List price	Amazon rate	Royalty on Amazon	Expanded Distribution (40%)
US$9.20	50%	US$0.00 (KDP’s minimum price)	Not available
US$9.98	50%	US$0.39	Not available
US$9.99	60%	US$1.39	Not available
US$12.99	60%	US$3.19	US$0.60
US$14.99	60%	US$4.39	US$1.40
US$16.99	60%	US$5.59	US$2.20

Look at the jump from US$9.98 to US$9.99. Adding one cent moves the book from the 50% band to the 60% band, and the royalty rises from 39 cents to US$1.39. A price “just under ten dollars” feels reader-friendly, but for a book of this length it is one of the costliest choices you can make.

Expanded Distribution needs a much higher price before it pays anything. At 40%, the break-even list price is the print cost divided by 0.4, which is US$11.50 here. Below that price KDP will not offer the book through Expanded Distribution.

The minimum list price

KDP sets your minimum list price as the printing cost divided by your royalty rate. With a US$4.60 print cost and the 50% rate, the minimum is US$9.20, where the royalty is zero. Treat the minimum as a floor that KDP enforces, not as a price to choose.

The same book through IngramSpark

IngramSpark’s print charge for your exact specification comes from its calculator, so the figures below assume a print charge of US$5.00 to show how the formula works. They are not a quote. With a US$14.99 list price:

Wholesale discount	Left after discount	Less 1.875% fee	Less assumed print charge	Compensation
55% (IngramSpark’s recommendation for bookshops)	US$6.75	US$6.46	US$5.00	about US$1.46
40% (US minimum)	US$8.99	US$8.71	US$5.00	about US$3.71

The trade-off is plain. A 55% discount with returns allowed is what most bookshops expect. IngramSpark’s own guidance says a US discount below 53% makes a title “short discounted”, and many shops will not stock it. A 40% discount pays you more per copy but mostly reaches online retailers and libraries. Neither is right for everyone. It depends on whether you have a real plan to get into bookshops. For the wider platform decision, see KDP or IngramSpark.

KDP and IngramSpark side by side

Factor	KDP Print	IngramSpark
Earnings formula	(60%, 50% or 40% × list price) − print cost	List price − discount − print charge − 1.875% fee
Who sets the retailer margin	Amazon (fixed by the royalty rate)	You (wholesale discount, 40% minimum in the US)
Print cost transparency	Published fixed + per-page tables	Calculator per specification
Set-up and revisions	Free	Free since February 2026
Returns to bookshops	Not offered	Optional, and expected by most shops
Best suited to	Copies sold on Amazon	Bookshops, libraries and non-Amazon retailers

Many authors use both platforms: KDP for Amazon sales, where the 60% rate applies, and IngramSpark for everywhere else instead of KDP’s Expanded Distribution. You need to own the ISBN to do this cleanly. The book distribution channels guide explains how the pieces fit together.

How to set a print price that pays: step by step

1. Fix your specification first. Choose the trim size, ink and paper, then get a final page count from your formatted interior file. Page count drives cost, so a change of 30 pages changes your sums.
2. Look up the print cost for each marketplace you care about, using the KDP printing cost table or the KDP and IngramSpark calculators.
3. Find your floor. Divide the print cost by 0.6 for Amazon, by 0.4 if you want Expanded Distribution, and use IngramSpark’s calculator for its floor.
4. Check the threshold. If your floor or your preferred price falls just under the local 60% threshold (US$9.99, £7.99, €9.99, A$13.99, C$13.99), work out what moving above it would earn.
5. Check comparable books. Look at recently published paperbacks in your exact sub-genre at a similar length, and note the range rather than one price.
6. Calculate the royalty at two or three candidate prices within that range, for each channel.
7. Decide your channel mix. That might be Amazon only, Amazon plus Expanded Distribution, or Amazon plus IngramSpark, and with IngramSpark you also choose a discount level.
8. Set prices per marketplace rather than letting KDP convert one price automatically, because print costs and thresholds differ.
9. Review after a few months using your own sales reports, and re-check the calculators whenever a platform announces new pricing.

Levers that change your per-copy earnings

Page count

Interior layout affects cost directly. A slightly smaller font size, sensible margins and fewer blank pages between chapters can remove pages without hurting readability. Never squeeze text so tight that it becomes hard to read, because reviews will punish that far more than a few cents of print cost.

Ink choice

Colour belongs where the content needs it, such as cookbooks, picture books and photography. For text-led books, black ink keeps the floor price low enough to compete. If you publish illustrated books, compare standard and premium colour costs before you commission artwork, because the format decision sets your price.

Trim size

Staying within KDP’s regular trim limits keeps you on the cheaper per-page rate. A large trim can make sense for workbooks or children’s titles, but run the numbers first.

Author copies

KDP lets you order author copies at the printing cost plus shipping and any taxes. If you sell copies by hand at events, your margin on each copy is your sale price minus that cost and the shipping, which is often better than any online royalty. Shipping varies a great deal by country.

Where print fits in your income

For many fiction authors, especially in genres strong on Kindle Unlimited, ebooks bring in most of the income and paperbacks add a smaller second stream. In non-fiction, gift categories, children’s books and local-interest titles, print can matter much more. Whatever your genre, the print cost formula means a paperback must be priced above the ebook. Readers generally expect that, and the gap also helps the ebook look like good value. For how to price both formats together, see how to price your book for the best profit. To account for every cost before launch, use the self-publishing costs budget guide.

Who this approach suits, and who it doesn’t

It suits authors who want a print edition with no stock, no upfront print bill and no warehouse, who sell mainly online, and who are happy with a modest margin on each copy.

It suits less well authors who expect to sell large print runs through their own channels, such as speakers selling at the back of the room or schools ordering in bulk. Their unit cost may be lower with a short-run or offset printer, but they take on stock risk and shipping. Highly illustrated, premium-colour books are another case: their print costs can push the list price above what the market accepts.

Common mistakes

• Pricing just under the 60% threshold. A list price of US$9.98, £7.98 or A$13.98 can earn far less than the next cent up.
• Assuming Expanded Distribution pays like Amazon. At 40%, many paperbacks earn cents per copy or are not eligible at all.
• Using an old print cost. Both platforms have revised their costs in recent years, and IngramSpark changed prices and fees in February 2026. Re-check the calculators.
• Ignoring the per-marketplace print cost. A book that pays well in the US can earn little in Australia at a converted price.
• Leaving the IngramSpark discount at a level you never chose. Decide deliberately between bookshop terms (53–55% with returns) and online terms (closer to 40%).
• Choosing colour without costing it. Premium colour can cost four times as much as black ink to print.
• Treating the minimum list price as a target. At the minimum your royalty is zero.

Quick per-copy checklist

• Final page count from the formatted file
• Print cost per marketplace noted
• Floor prices for Amazon, Expanded Distribution and IngramSpark worked out
• List price at or above each local 60% threshold, or a deliberate reason why not
• Royalty per copy calculated for each channel
• IngramSpark discount and returns policy chosen on purpose
• Paperback priced sensibly above the ebook
• Date set to review prices and re-check calculators

To compare tools that can help with formatting and page count, see the author toolkit hub. For the full publishing process, see the guide to self-publishing your first book.

Sources this guide draws on: KDP Help pages on paperback royalties and printing costs; IngramSpark Help Centre articles on pricing for Ingram’s global distribution network, the compensation calculator and the February 2026 changes to print costs and the market access fee; the Alliance of Independent Authors’ commentary on IngramSpark’s 2026 pricing changes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an author make per paperback on Amazon?

On Amazon marketplaces you earn 60% of the list price minus the printing cost, as long as your price is at or above the local threshold (US$9.99 on Amazon.com). For a 300-page black-ink book at US$14.99, that is about US$4.39 a copy. Shorter books and higher prices earn more, and colour interiors earn less.

Why does my KDP paperback earn so little below US$9.99?

On Amazon.com, list prices at or below US$9.98 earn a 50% royalty rate instead of 60%, and the print cost is then subtracted. Because the print cost stays the same, the lower rate takes a large share of what is left. Moving the price to US$9.99 or above often makes a big difference.

Is IngramSpark or KDP cheaper to print with?

It depends on the exact specification and market, and both platforms update their prices. KDP publishes its formula. IngramSpark shows its print charge in a calculator, and it changed its print costs from February 2026. Compare the two using your final page count rather than general claims.

What wholesale discount should I set on IngramSpark?

IngramSpark recommends 55% and suggests 53–55% for US and UK trade sales, because many bookshops will not stock a book with a lower discount. The US minimum is 40%, which pays you more per copy but mainly suits online sales. Choose 55% with returns only if you plan to pitch bookshops.

Does trim size change KDP print cost?

Only when it moves the book into KDP’s large trim category, which is wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches. Within the regular category, 5×8 and 6×9 cost the same per page. Bleed and cover finish do not change the print cost, according to KDP’s help pages.

Should I use KDP Expanded Distribution or IngramSpark?

Expanded Distribution is simpler but pays 40% minus print and needs a higher list price to qualify. IngramSpark gives you control over the discount and returns, which matters for bookshops. Many authors use KDP for Amazon and IngramSpark for wider distribution with their own ISBN.

Print-on-demand rewards authors who do the sums before they press publish. Get the page count, the threshold and the channel right, and every copy you sell earns what it should.