# KDP paperback vs hardcover: trims, page counts, printing cost and royalties

Source: https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-paperback-vs-hardcover · Updated 2026-10-15

A 300-page 6x9 B&W book costs $4.60 to print as a paperback and $9.25 as a hardcover on Amazon.com. Trims, page limits, minimum price and royalty compared.

Short answer: A KDP hardcover costs more to print and needs more pages. On Amazon.com a 6 × 9 in, 300-page black-and-white book costs $4.60 to print as a paperback and $9.25 as a hardcover, so it earns $4.65 less per copy at the same list price. Hardcovers start at 75 pages, paperbacks at 24.

Key numbers:
- Paperback: 16 trims, 24–828 pages
- Hardcover: 5 trims, 75–550 pages
- 300-page 6 × 9 in on Amazon.com: $4.60 paperback, $9.25 hardcover
- Minimum list price: $9.20 paperback, $15.42 hardcover
- Expanded Distribution: paperback only

Sections: How do paperback and hardcover compare? · Which trims and page counts does each allow? · How much more does a hardcover cost to print? · What does each earn, and what is the minimum price? · How does the cover file differ? · When does each make sense?

Paperback and hardcover differ in almost everything KDP sets: the trims on offer, the page range, the marketplaces, the cover file and what a copy earns. The tables below compare them side by side, with one novel as the running example.

## How do paperback and hardcover compare?

| Feature | Paperback | Hardcover |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Trim sizes** | 16 standard sizes, plus custom sizes from 4 × 6 in to 8.5 × 11.69 in | 5: 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10, 8.25 × 11 in. No custom sizes. |
| **Page count** | 24–828, depending on trim and paper | 75–550 on every trim |
| **Ink and paper** | Premium color · white paper; Standard color · white paper; Black & white · white paper; Black & white · cream paper; Black & white · groundwood paper | Premium color · white paper; Black & white · white paper; Black & white · cream paper |
| **Build** | Soft cover on 80 lb (220 GSM) white stock, glossy or matte | Case laminate: the cover is printed on the case over 2 mm boards, glossy or matte, with no dust jacket. Endpapers match the interior paper, and books over 120 pages get a black-and-white headband. |
| **Amazon marketplaces** | All 14 print marketplaces | 11 marketplaces, plus Amazon.ca only through Amazon.com. Not on Amazon.co.jp. For Amazon.com.au, KDP’s help pages disagree: it is missing from the hardcover distribution list, but the Hardcover page says to reach it through Amazon.com. |
| **Expanded Distribution** | Yes, at 40%, on eligible trims and papers | No |
| **ISBN** | Free KDP ISBN or your own | Its own ISBN, never the paperback’s (free KDP ISBN or your own) |
| **Printing cost (6 × 9 in, 300 pages, B&W, Amazon.com)** | $4.60 | $9.25 |
| **Minimum list price** (same book) | $9.20 | $15.42 |
| **Royalty rate** | Same for both: 60% from $9.99, 50% below, minus the printing cost |  |

## Which trims and page counts does each allow?

Every hardcover trim also exists as a paperback except 8.25 × 11 in, which is hardcover only. The popular paperback-only sizes are the small novel trims (5 × 8 in and similar), the square and landscape picture-book sizes and 8.5 × 11 in. See them all to scale in the [trim size tool](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/trim-sizes).

The page floor is the bigger difference. A hardcover needs at least 75 pages, so a 32-page picture book, a 24-page toddler book or a short activity book can only be a paperback. Paperback limits depend on the trim and paper (lower on 8.25 and 8.5 in wide trims); every hardcover trim allows 75–550 pages. Standard color and groundwood paper are paperback only.

## How much more does a hardcover cost to print?

On Amazon.com, a black-and-white paperback costs a flat $2.30 up to 108 pages, then $1.00 + $0.012 per page. A black-and-white hardcover costs a flat $6.80 from 75 to 108 pages, then $5.65 + $0.012 per page. In premium color it is $1.00 + $0.065 per page for the paperback (a flat $3.60 up to 40 pages) and $5.65 + $0.065 per page for the hardcover. Large trims cost more per page in both bindings. Because the per-page rates match, a hardcover costs a fixed $4.65 more per copy once both are past the flat range.

Printing cost of the same 6 × 9 in book on Amazon.com:

| Pages | Paperback B&W | Hardcover B&W | Paperback premium color | Hardcover premium color |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 76 | $2.30 | $6.80 | $5.94 | $10.59 |
| 108 | $2.30 | $6.80 | $8.02 | $12.67 |
| 120 | $2.44 | $7.09 | $8.80 | $13.45 |
| 200 | $3.40 | $8.05 | $14.00 | $18.65 |
| 300 | $4.60 | $9.25 | $20.50 | $25.15 |
| 400 | $5.80 | $10.45 | $27.00 | $31.65 |
| 550 | $7.60 | $12.25 | $36.75 | $41.40 |

Other marketplaces have their own tables (hardcovers reach Amazon.ca only through Amazon.com). Compare any configuration with the [printing cost calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/printing-cost-calculator).

## What does each earn, and what is the minimum price?

Both bindings use the same formula: royalty = rate × list price − printing cost, with 60% at $9.99 and above on Amazon.com and 50% below. KDP won’t let the royalty drop below zero, which sets the minimum list price: $9.20 for the example paperback and $15.42 for the hardcover.

| List price | Paperback royalty | Hardcover royalty |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $14.99 | $4.39 | Below the $15.42 minimum |
| $19.99 | $7.39 | $2.74 |
| $24.99 | $10.39 | $5.74 |

To earn what the paperback earns at $19.99, the hardcover would need a list price of about $27.73. Paperbacks can also be sold through Expanded Distribution, KDP’s channel outside Amazon, at 40%: the same paperback at $19.99 earns $3.40 there. Hardcovers can’t use it. Try your own numbers in the [royalty calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/royalty-calculator).

## How does the cover file differ?

A paperback cover has 0.125 in of bleed on each outside edge. A hardcover cover wraps around the boards instead: 15 mm of wrap on every edge, boards 5 mm wider and 6 mm taller than the trim, and a 10 mm hinge on each side of the spine that must stay free of text. For the 6 × 9 in, 300-page example, the paperback cover is 12.926 × 9.25 in with a 0.676 in spine; the hardcover cover is 14.439 × 10.417 in with a 0.865 in spine. You can’t reuse one for the other. The [cover size calculator](https://kdpbook.io/kdp/cover-size-calculator) gives both, and the [cover dimensions guide](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-cover-dimensions-and-spine-width) explains every zone.

## When does each make sense?

- **Paperback only**: books under 75 pages (picture books, toddler books, short activity books), square or landscape trims, standard color or groundwood paper, low list prices, Expanded Distribution, and sales on Amazon.co.jp.
- **Paperback first**: for most novels, non-fiction and workbooks it’s the edition with the lowest price and the widest reach.
- **Hardcover as a second edition**: books readers keep or give, such as gift books, illustrated storybooks of 75 pages or more at 8.25 × 11 in, and novels or non-fiction for readers who prefer a hardcover. Its list price has to carry the extra printing cost.
- **Adding one**: a hardcover edition needs its own ISBN and a new cover file, and it counts toward KDP’s weekly limits of 2 new titles created and 2 submitted per format.

kdpbook.io offers a hardcover on 30 of its 36 book types, only in the trims and page counts KDP accepts, and builds the hardcover case cover from the final page count. The [trim sizes and paper guide](https://kdpbook.io/guides/kdp-trim-sizes-and-paper-types) covers the paperback options in more detail.

Sources (checked 2026-09-28):
- [KDP Help: Print Options](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834180)
- [KDP Help: Hardcover](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GAVW3FZZAKA2KY3B)
- [KDP Help: Hardcover Print Elements](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GKZVNAAFYWVKZWL8)
- [KDP Help: Paperback and Hardcover Distribution Rights](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834280)
- [KDP Help: Printing Cost (paperback)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834340)
- [KDP Help: Printing Cost (hardcover)](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GHT976ZKSKUXBB6H)
- [KDP Help: Paperback Royalty](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834330)
- [KDP Help: Hardcover Royalty](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G77F3WPD3KQLJTFS)
- [KDP Help: Expanded Distribution](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GQTT4W3T5AYK7L45)
- [KDP Help: Create a Paperback Cover](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020)
- [KDP Help: Create a Hardcover Cover](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GDTKFJPNQCBTMRV6)
- [KDP Cover Calculator](https://kdp.amazon.com/cover-calculator)
- [KDP Help: Paperback Submission Guidelines](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950)

## Questions

Q: Is a KDP hardcover more expensive to print than a paperback?
A: Yes. On Amazon.com a 6 × 9 in, 300-page black-and-white book costs $4.60 to print as a paperback and $9.25 as a hardcover. Above 108 pages the difference is a fixed $4.65 per copy, because both bindings use the same per-page rate.

Q: What is the minimum page count for a KDP hardcover?
A: 75 pages (KDP rounds odd counts up, so 76 in practice), up to 550. Paperbacks start at 24 pages.

Q: Do KDP hardcovers have a dust jacket?
A: No. KDP hardcovers are case laminate: the cover art is printed on the case itself, with a glossy or matte finish, and there is no dust jacket.

Q: Can a paperback and a hardcover share an ISBN?
A: No. Each format needs its own ISBN. KDP offers a free ISBN for the hardcover, or you can enter your own.

Q: Can a KDP hardcover use Expanded Distribution?
A: No. Expanded Distribution (40% royalty) is for paperbacks only; hardcovers are sold on Amazon marketplaces.