Compare printing costs and royalties for both formats at any price point. Find out which earns more for your book and whether offering both formats makes sense.
Lower print cost · High volume
Premium feel · Higher price
Enter your prices to see which format earns more.
Amazon KDP supports both paperback and hardcover printing. Both use the same 60% royalty rate minus printing cost, but the printing costs are very different. Hardcover books have a significantly higher base printing cost — approximately $6.80 versus $0.85 for paperbacks — because the case-laminate binding process is more expensive. This means hardcovers must be priced substantially higher to generate a comparable royalty.
The decision isn’t just about which format earns more per sale. It’s also about reader expectations, genre norms, and whether offering both formats maximizes your total revenue. Many successful KDP authors publish both — the paperback at a standard price for everyday readers, and the hardcover at a premium price for readers who want to own a high-quality physical copy.
| Pages | PB Print Cost | HC Print Cost | PB at $14.99 | HC at $24.99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 pages | $2.65 | $8.60 | $6.34 | $6.39 |
| 250 pages | $3.85 | $9.80 | $5.14 | $5.19 |
| 350 pages | $5.05 | $11.00 | $3.94 | $3.99 |
| 500 pages | $6.85 | $12.80 | $2.14 | $2.19 |
FAQ
Common questions about choosing between hardcover and paperback for Amazon KDP.
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