Pricing your ebook and paperback on KDP

Pricing on KDP affects both how much you earn per sale and how attractive your book is to readers. Ebook and paperback pricing work differently. Here’s a practical guide to pricing both on KDP.

Ebook pricing and royalty

Amazon’s 70% royalty option for ebooks applies to list prices between $2.99 and $9.99 (in most territories). Below $2.99 or above $9.99, royalty drops to 35%. So pricing in the $2.99–$9.99 band usually makes sense unless you have a reason to go lower (e.g. a loss-leader first in series) or higher (e.g. long nonfiction). Check delivery fees for long books—they’re deducted from royalty and can make very low prices unprofitable.

What readers expect by genre

Fiction genres have informal price norms. Romance and fantasy often see a lot of $3.99–$5.99. Debut or unknown authors sometimes start at $2.99 or $3.99 to encourage tries. Established authors or breakout hits may sit at $5.99–$7.99. Nonfiction varies: how-to and self-help can support $4.99–$9.99. Browse bestsellers in your category to see the typical range and where you’d fit.

Paperback pricing

KDP sets a minimum list price for print based on page count and trim size. You can’t go below that. Your royalty is list price minus printing cost and Amazon’s share. Higher list prices mean more per copy but may reduce volume. Many indie paperbacks sit in the $12.99–$17.99 range for a standard novel. Compare similar books in your genre and trim size.

Series and book one

It’s common to price the first book in a series lower ($0.99–$2.99) to hook readers, then price later books at $3.99–$5.99. Not every series does this, but it’s a proven strategy for building an audience. Standalone books often start at $3.99 or $4.99.

Experiment and adjust

You can change ebook and paperback prices anytime. Try a price for a few weeks, watch sales and page reads (for Kindle Unlimited), then adjust. Promotions (e.g. countdown or percentage discounts) let you test lower prices without committing. Use data, not guesswork, to refine.

Keep it simple

Don’t obsess over the perfect price. Pick something in the right royalty band and in line with your genre, then focus on cover, blurb, and marketing. You can always change it later. Pricing matters, but it’s one of several levers—not the only one.

Setting clear, genre-appropriate prices for your ebook and paperback puts you in a good position to earn and grow your readership on KDP.