Question 1

What is a book royalty?

Accepted Answer

A book royalty is the share of each sale the author keeps.

Self-published authors set the price and the store keeps its cut; traditionally published authors get a smaller share after their advance is earned back.

Question 2

How much does Amazon KDP pay per book?

Accepted Answer

Amazon KDP pays 70% on eBooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, minus a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB, and 35% outside that band.

Paperbacks earn 60% from $9.99 and 50% below, minus the printing cost.

Question 3

Which store pays authors the most?

Accepted Answer

The store that pays the most depends on the price.

At $4.99, Apple Books, Kobo, B&N Press and Google Play pay $3.49 a copy and KDP pays $3.39 for a 1 MB file; at $0.99, KDP pays $0.35 while Apple Books pays $0.69.

Question 4

Did the KDP 70% royalty change in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the KDP 70% royalty band on Amazon.com went from $2.99–$9.99 to $2.99–$12.99 on July 7, 2026.

Books already on 35% stay there until the author switches them in Rights & Pricing.

Question 5

How much does Audible pay for audiobooks?

Accepted Answer

Audible pays 50% on audiobooks exclusive to it and 30% on the rest under its new royalty model, from May 26, 2026.

The legacy rates of 40% and 25% end by the close of 2026.

Question 6

Is the book royalty calculator free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the book royalty calculator is free, with no sign-up.

The math runs on your device.

Question 7

Is anything I type saved?

Accepted Answer

What you type in the book royalty calculator stays in your browser, so it's there when you come back, and the other book tools use it.

Nothing is sent to a server.

Question 8

Who is the book royalty calculator for?

Accepted Answer

The book royalty calculator is for self-published authors, and authors deciding how to publish, who want to know what each store pays for their book.

Question 9

What other free tools can I use for my book?

Accepted Answer

The KDP royalty calculator draws your KDP royalty at every price, the book profit calculator finds your break-even, and the book page count calculator gives your pages and printing cost.

See all my free tools.

Question 10

Who made the book royalty calculator?

Accepted Answer

I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the book royalty calculator as one of my free tools on navid.me.

More about me.

Free Book Royalty Calculator (+ Guide)

Your book

What you earn per copy