eBook royalties are straightforward: 70% of list price for books priced $2.99–$9.99 on major Amazon marketplaces, 35% outside that range or on smaller markets. Paperback royalties are calculated differently: list price × royalty rate (60% for KDP standard) minus printing cost. A 200-page paperback priced at $9.99 might net you $2.15 per sale after printing — roughly 22% effective royalty. Pricing your paperback higher (e.g. $14.99) significantly improves your per-unit royalty.
Kindle Unlimited (KU) page reads come exclusively from eBooks enrolled in KDP Select. If you write fiction series — especially romance, cozy mystery, fantasy, or LitRPG — KU page read income can exceed direct eBook sales income significantly. KDP Select requires 90-day exclusivity to Amazon for your eBook, but paperback exclusivity is not required. Most authors enrol their eBook in KDP Select while publishing their paperback wide or exclusively on Amazon.
Both eBook and paperback list under the same product page on Amazon, which means your BSR and reviews are shared between formats. However, paperbacks often rank slightly differently in Amazon's algorithm, particularly for gift-oriented and non-fiction categories where buyers prefer a physical book. Publishing both formats is generally the right default — it maximises the surface area of your product page and signals to Amazon's algorithm that your book serves multiple buyer preferences.
Should I launch eBook or paperback first on KDP?
Launch both simultaneously when possible. The shared ASIN means reviews and sales velocity on one format support the other. If you can only launch one, launch the eBook first — it's faster to publish, has no printing cost risk, and you can enrol in KDP Select for promotional days and Countdown Deals while waiting for the paperback proof.
What is the minimum page count for a KDP paperback?
KDP requires a minimum of 24 pages for a paperback. However, books under 100 pages will have a spine too thin to show text, which limits your cover design. For non-fiction and journals, aim for 80+ pages minimum; for fiction, 200+ pages is standard.
Can I price my eBook and paperback differently?
Yes — and you should. The typical strategy is to price the paperback $5–8 higher than the eBook. A $4.99 eBook and $12.99 paperback is a common pairing. This makes the eBook feel like a value choice for price-sensitive readers while the paperback serves as the premium physical option.
Free KDP Tools
BSR Sales Calculator
Estimate daily sales from Best Sellers Rank
KDP Royalty Calculator
Calculate eBook and paperback royalties
Revenue Goal Planner
Work out how many sales you need to hit your goal
Spine Width Calculator
Get your paperback spine width from page count
KENP Calculator
Estimate Kindle Unlimited page read earnings
Review Ratio Checker
Gauge review competitiveness for any niche