Book Publishing and Printing with Amazon KDP
Amazon is widely recognized as a leading platform for print-on-demand (POD) self-publishing. Offered through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), this service enables authors to independently publish ebooks, paperbacks, and hardcover editions. The platform provides several trim size options, though paper selections are limited. Utilizing POD technology, authors are able to produce the exact quantity of books required, thereby eliminating the need for minimum orders and warehousing expenses.
KDP gives authors wide visibility on Amazon for both print and digital books. Although its reach is not as broad as IngramSpark, KDP provides expanded distribution options. However, only paperback books are eligible for this service, and it’s limited to distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Other limitations for Amazon’s expanded distribution include requirements related to trim size, heavy graphics, and more.
Amazon provides clear guidelines regarding compensation and payment schedules. The dashboard report displays key data such as top-earning books, estimated royalties, and orders. Users can generate detailed reports directly from the dashboard. Royalty rates vary depending on the book format: for eBooks, options include a 35% or 70% royalty rate based on territory, while print books offer a 50% royalty for titles priced at $9.98 and below, and a 60% royalty for those listed at $9.99 and above. For paperback books enabled for expanded distribution, the royalty rate is set at 40% of the list price.
KDP does have online calculators to estimate your printing cost and royalty, but here is a general example of earnings calculations:
(Royalty rate x list price) – printing costs = royalty
For an example we will use a list price of $15 in the US marketplace. The black ink paperback book is just over 300 pages with a standard trim size.
(0.60 x $15) - $5.00 = $4.00
If the paperback is enabled for expanded distribution with the 40% royalty rate, using the same print criteria, the royalty rate would look like this:
(0.40 x $15) - $5.00 - $1.00
In contrast to IngramSpark, KDP published authors have access to Amazon promotions, advertising, and A+ Content. A+ Content allows authors to add images, text, and even charts to their book detail page, further helping to engage the reader.
This summary highlights the publishing process via Amazon KDP. There are more tools and resources available on KDP that we were unable to cover in one blog post. In our next blog post, we’ll look at BookBaby.
