The numbers
| Ink and paper | Eligible trims (in) |
|---|---|
| Premium color · white paper | 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10, 8 × 10, 8.5 × 8.5 and 8.5 × 11 |
| Standard color · white paper | 5 × 8, 5.06 × 7.81, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 6.69 × 9.61, 7 × 10, 7.44 × 9.69, 7.5 × 9.25, 8 × 10, 8.5 × 8.5 and 8.5 × 11 |
| Black & white · white paper | 5 × 8, 5.06 × 7.81, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 6.69 × 9.61, 7 × 10, 7.44 × 9.69, 7.5 × 9.25, 8 × 10 and 8.5 × 11 |
| Black & white · cream paper | 5 × 8, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 |
| Black & white · groundwood paper | 5 × 8, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 |
Not eligible with any ink or paper: 8.25 × 6, 8.25 × 8.25 and 8.27 × 11.69 in (A4 isn't in KDP's chart). Hardcovers are not eligible.
| Channel | Rate | Printing cost | Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com | 60% | $3.40 | $4.39 |
| Expanded Distribution | 40% | $3.40 | $1.80 |
Content KDP excludes
KDP doesn't offer Expanded Distribution to journals, notebooks, planners and calendars (books with frequent lined or blank pages), coloring books, public domain content, unauthorized summaries of other books, interiors that need a high concentration of ink, poorly translated content, rebranded re-releases and content that is excessively reused or repeated.
Under that last item, KDP's page adds a table of genres that includes puzzle, activity, word search, sudoku, crossword and maze books, workbooks, cookbooks, travel guides, biographies and how-to books. They aren't excluded by name, so such a book can be enrolled, but distributors may decline it: KDP then removes it from Expanded Distribution, and it stays on sale on Amazon. Check the current list before counting on bookstore sales.
The price math
At 40%, a sale covers the printing cost only when the list price is at least printing cost ÷ 0.4. For a 200-page, 6 × 9 in black-and-white paperback that costs $3.40, that's $8.50 (our calculation). The same sale on Amazon.com pays 60%.
The ISBN can be a free KDP ISBN or your own, but it must not have been submitted for distribution through another service.
Example: a 200-page paperback at $12.99
A 200-page, 6 × 9 in black-and-white paperback at $12.99 earns $4.39 per copy sold on Amazon.com and $1.80 per copy sold through Expanded Distribution. Enrolling it doesn't change the Amazon royalty; it adds a lower-margin channel.
Common mistakes
- Enabling Expanded Distribution for a coloring book or a journal, or counting on it for a puzzle or activity book.
- Pricing so low that the 40% royalty barely covers the printing cost.
- Expecting it for a hardcover.
- Using an ISBN already distributed through another service.
- Choosing 8.25 × 6, 8.25 × 8.25 or 8.27 × 11.69 in: none of them is eligible, whatever the ink and paper.