Find out exactly how much Amazon charges to print your book before you set your price. Enter your page count, trim size and interior type — your printing cost appears instantly.
Every time one of your paperbacks sells, Amazon deducts a printing cost before paying your royalty. This cost is not a fee you pay upfront — it’s automatically subtracted from your 60% royalty on each sale. Understanding how it’s calculated helps you price your book correctly from the start.
KDP uses a straightforward formula: a fixed base cost plus a per-page rate. The fixed cost applies to every book regardless of size. The per-page rate depends on whether your interior is black and white or full color. Here are the current rates for the US marketplace.
For standard trim sizes (6×9, 5.5×8.5, 5×8 and similar): $0.85 + ($0.012 × page count). A 200-page novel costs $0.85 + $2.40 = $3.25. A 350-page novel costs $0.85 + $4.20 = $5.05. Black and white is by far the most affordable option and is suitable for any book that doesn’t rely on color images or illustrations.
For standard trim sizes: $0.85 + ($0.07 × page count). A 32-page children’s picture book costs $0.85 + $2.24 = $3.09. A 100-page color cookbook costs $0.85 + $7.00 = $7.85. Color books need to be priced significantly higher to generate a worthwhile royalty — typically $19.99 or above for anything over 100 pages.
| Page Count | B&W Cost | Color Cost | Break-even (B&W) | Rec. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 pages | $2.05 | $7.85 | $3.42 | $8.99 |
| 200 pages | $3.25 | $14.85 | $5.42 | $10.99 |
| 300 pages | $4.45 | $21.85 | $7.42 | $13.99 |
| 400 pages | $5.65 | $28.85 | $9.42 | $16.99 |
| 500 pages | $6.85 | $35.85 | $11.42 | $19.99 |
Now that you know your printing cost, use the Royalty Calculator to see exactly how much you earn at different price points.
Open Royalty Calculator →Most first-time authors either price too low (not covering printing costs) or too high (scaring away readers). The right approach is to start from your printing cost and work up from there.
First, find your break-even price: divide your printing cost by 0.60. That’s the list price where you earn exactly $0 per sale — everything goes to printing. Then add your target royalty on top. Most authors target $3–5 royalty per paperback sale, which means adding $5–8 to the break-even price.
For a 300-page novel with a $4.45 printing cost, the math works like this: break-even = $4.45 ÷ 0.60 = $7.42. Adding $5 target royalty: ($4.45 + $5.00) ÷ 0.60 = $15.75. So pricing at $15.99 gives you roughly $5 per sale — a solid margin. Use the Minimum Price Checker to automate this calculation for any royalty target you have in mind.
Books with large trim sizes — 7×10, 8.5×11, and similar — cost slightly more to print than standard sizes. The per-page cost is approximately $0.006 higher for black and white large-trim books. On a 300-page book that adds about $1.80 to your printing cost. It’s not dramatic, but it does affect your break-even price, so factor it in when setting your list price for workbooks, textbooks, and non-fiction guides that use larger formats.
The rates shown in this calculator apply to the US marketplace (Amazon.com). If your book sells through Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, or other international markets, the local printing cost is higher due to production expenses in those regions. Amazon will show you the exact printing cost for each marketplace in your KDP dashboard before you publish. For planning purposes, assume international printing costs are 20–30% higher than US rates.
FAQ
Common questions about how Amazon calculates and deducts printing costs from your royalties.
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