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KDP glossary · Prices and royalties

How does KDP list price work?

The list price is the price you set for your book in each Amazon marketplace. For print books it excludes VAT, and KDP enforces a minimum at which your royalty covers the printing cost: printing cost ÷ 50%, or ÷ 60% (never under $9.99) above the threshold. The maximum is $250 on Amazon.com. Kindle prices must fit the 35% or 70% band.

Also called: minimum list price, book price

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The numbers

Minimum list price on Amazon.com
BookPrinting costMinimum list price
6 × 9 in, 200 pages, black-and-white paperback$3.40$6.80
5.5 × 8.5 in, 300 pages, cream paperback$4.60$9.20
8.5 × 8.5 in, 32 pages, premium color paperback$4.20$8.40
8.5 × 11 in, 120 pages, premium color paperback$10.60$17.67
6 × 9 in, 300 pages, black-and-white hardcover$9.25$15.42
Maximum print list price by currency
CurrencyMaximum
USD$250
EUR€250
GBP£250
CAD350 CAD
AUD350 AUD
JPY¥30,000
PLN1,200 PLN
SEK2,500 SEK
Kindle list price on Amazon.com
OptionPrice range
35%, file under 3 MB$0.99–$200
35%, file of 3 to 10 MB$1.99–$200
35%, file of 10 MB or more$2.99–$200
70%$2.99–$12.99

The top of the 70% band rose to $12.99 on July 7, 2026.

How the minimum is set

KDP says it calculates the minimum from the printing cost and the royalty rate, so that the royalty always covers printing. Worked through (our calculation): divide the printing cost by 50%. If the result is $9.98 or less, that is the minimum. If it is higher, the 60% rate applies: the minimum is printing cost ÷ 60%, and never less than the $9.99 threshold.

A 120-page, 8.5 × 11 in premium color paperback costs $10.60; ÷ 50% would be $21.20, above the threshold, so its minimum is $10.60 ÷ 60% = $17.67. The same book in standard color costs $5.82: ÷ 50% gives $11.64, above the threshold, but ÷ 60% gives $9.70, under it, so its minimum is $9.99.

Kindle prices

Kindle list prices include VAT where it applies; royalties are calculated on the price without VAT. To earn 70%, the price must sit inside the band and be at least 20% below the list price of any print edition on Amazon.

Example: pricing a paperback and its eBook

A paperback listed at $12.99 on Amazon.com allows an eBook of at most $10.39 on the 70% option (20% below the print price). A price of $9.98 on the paperback would earn 50%; one cent more, $9.99, earns 60%.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping at $9.98, one cent under the 60% threshold.
  • Adding pages after setting the price: the printing cost, and so the minimum, goes up.
  • Forgetting that print list prices exclude VAT, so European shoppers pay more than the number you enter.
  • Pricing the eBook too close to the paperback while choosing the 70% option.
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