What a paperback actually earns per copy on KDP, IngramSpark, D2D and B&N
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R. S. Breed Founder
Print royalties confuse people because every platform works them out differently.
- KDP: 60% of your list price minus printing, at or above a set price in each marketplace (US$9.99 on Amazon.com), 50% below it. Expanded Distribution to bookshops pays 40% minus printing.
- IngramSpark: you set a wholesale discount, usually 40% to 55%. You earn the list price minus that discount, minus printing, minus a 1.875% market access fee.
- Draft2Digital Print: about 45% of list price minus printing, for black-and-white paperbacks.
- Barnes & Noble Press: 55% of list price minus printing, US only.
Printing cost depends on your trim, paper and page count, and it's charged in each marketplace's own currency.
This calculator puts them side by side for your actual book: https://bervet.com/tools/print-royalty-calculator
Pick where you're selling, enter your trim size, paper, page count and list price, and you get the printing cost and what you earn per copy on each platform. Every answer has its own link, so you can save it or send it to a co-author.
Two things worth knowing before you set a price: IngramSpark usually pays less per copy than KDP on Amazon, because its point is reach into bookshops, not a higher royalty. No account needed.