- For the month of November 2022, the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) global fund amount paid out was $45.20 million.
- The total paid out during 2022 is expected to reach $522.00 million.
- The total paid out during 2021 was $450.10 million.
- This represents a YoY increase of 16%.
- During the first month of Kindle Unlimited in July 2014, just $2.50 million was paid out.
- As of July 2022, the KDP payout per page read in the U.S. amounts to $0.0043.
- As of July 2015, the payout per page was $0.0058.
- The payout per page has dropped by 25.86% over the 8-year period.
- For paperbacks and hardcover books, KDP offers a 60% fixed royalty of the listed price.
- For e-books, KDP offers two royalty options, either 35% or 70% (for given territories) of the listed price.
Paperback royalties
- For paperbacks sold on Amazon marketplaces with supported distribution, KDP offers a 60% fixed royalty of the seller’s listed price.
- Printing costs are then subtracted, depending on page count, type of ink used and the marketplace location.
- Expanded distribution is an option to help sellers reach additional readers through educational institutions, libraries, bookstores and online retailers.
- When enabled, it offers a 40% royalty of the book’s listed price relevant to the distribution channel when purchased. Printing costs are subtracted afterwards.
Hardcover royalties
- A fixed royalty rate of 60% is given by KDP for hardcover books sold on Amazon, where distribution is supported.
- After a customer purchases a hardcover book on Amazon and a copy is manufactured for the order, a royalty is paid out.
- The royalty given is 60% of the listed price, minus printing costs (page count, ink & marketplace).
- If a customer purchases a book at a discounted price due to promotions, it will not affect the royalty rate.
E-book royalties
- For e-books, there are two royalty options available on Amazon, either 35% or 70%.
- The 35% option gives a royalty of 35% of the listed price without VAT.
- The 70% option gives a royalty of 70% of the listed price without VAT, less delivery costs, for each book sold to customers in the given territories.
- This option is for works in-copyright titles only. Sellers do not need to live within these territories to receive the royalty.
- For sales outside the given territories, the standard 35% option will apply.
Kindle unlimited and kindle owners’ lending library royalties
- A customer can read a Kindle e-book as many times as they want once downloaded using Kindle Unlimited.
- However, sellers of Kindle e-books will only receive royalty payments for pages read by a customer for the first time.
- Even if a seller’s KDP Select enrollment period has expired, they will still receive payments.
- One royalty payment is given for Kindle Unlimited, corresponding with the same selected schedule as other KDP sales.
Audible publishing royalties
- ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) is a platform to distribute your audiobook to Audible, Amazon and iTunes.
- Authors looking to produce and distribute their audiobooks have different royalty options available to them.
- Those who look to distribute exclusively can earn 40% of exclusive Audible, Amazon and iTunes sales.
- If an author looks to sell the audiobook in additional marketplaces, this rate will drop to 25%.
- By paying for production, the author will have to pay the producer a one-time fee.
- The royalty share option allows earnings to be split equally between author and producer, each earning 20% of audiobook sales.
- Authors can also access a higher tier of producer with royalty share plus, which also includes a one-time fee.
KDP select global fund
- Based on subscriptions paid by members of Kindle Unlimited.
- The earnings of each author are determined by their overall share of the total pages read.
- It is also reviewed each month to encourage authors to submit their e-books.
- The fund changes as members join or unsubscribe.
- Any payments received are additional to Amazon’s royalties for self-publishing authors.
- Each country is allocated a share of the fund, based on factors such as:
- Exchange rates.
- Customer reading behavior.
- Local subscription pricing.
- The maximum available to earn for each author is 3,000 Kindle Edition Normalized Pages read per title per customer.
KDP global fund payout amounts
- As of November 2022, the amount paid out for the month was $45.20 million.
- The total paid out in 2022 is expected to reach $522.00 million
- The total paid out in 2021 was $450.10 million.
- This represents a YoY increase of 16%
- Over the two year period, the monthly figure paid out has increased by $9.20 million
- Just $2.50 million was paid out from the first month of Kindle Unlimited, July 2014.
| Year | Month | Amount ($ million) | Change |
| 2022 | November | 45.20 | = |
| 2022 | October | 45.20 | + 0.22% |
| 2022 | September | 45.10 | = |
| 2022 | August | 45.10 | + 0.22% |
| 2022 | July | 45.00 | + 3.69% |
| 2022 | June | 43.40 | + 0.23% |
| 2022 | May | 43.30 | + 4.34% |
| 2022 | April | 41.50 | + 0.24% |
| 2022 | March | 41.40 | + 5.08% |
| 2022 | February | 39.40 | – 6.64% |
| 2022 | January | 42.20 | + 4.96% |
| 2021 | December | 40.20 | + 0.75% |
| 2021 | November | 39.90 | + 0.25% |
| 2021 | October | 39.80 | + 0.25% |
| 2021 | September | 39.70 | + 0.25% |
| 2021 | August | 39.60 | + 3.94% |
| 2021 | July | 38.10 | + 4.38% |
| 2021 | June | 36.50 | + 1.67% |
| 2021 | May | 35.90 | + 1.13% |
| 2021 | April | 35.50 | + 0.28% |
| 2021 | March | 35.40 | + 5.67% |
| 2021 | February | 33.50 | – 6.94% |
| 2021 | January | 36.00 |
A graph to show the KDP global fund payout amounts is shown below:
KDP payout per page read – U.S.
- As of July 2022, the KDP payout per page read in the U.S. amounts to $0.0043.
- For this month, this value has remained the same for three consecutive years.
- Over the 8-year period given, the payout per page has dropped by $0.0015.
- This represents a decrease of 25.86% in total.
- The greatest YoY increase was given in 2018, at 12.50%.
| Month | Amount ($) | Change |
| July 2022 | 0.0043 | = |
| July 2021 | 0.0043 | = |
| July 2020 | 0.0043 | – 2.27% |
| July 2019 | 0.0044 | – 2.22% |
| July 2018 | 0.0045 | + 12.50% |
| July 2017 | 0.0040 | – 16.67% |
| July 2016 | 0.0048 | – 17.24% |
| July 2015 | 0.0058 |
A graph to show the KDP U.S. payout per page read is shown below:
Amazon publishing royalties FAQ
What are Amazon royalties?
- Amazon royalties are figures paid to the author when a publication is read and/or sold on Amazon or its associated platforms.
- Both the seller and Amazon receive a percentage of the revenue from the consumer.
How does Amazon pay royalties?
- Amazon is able to pay royalties through direct deposit, wire transfer or check.
- A royalty payment through check is only offered to sellers when electronic payment methods are unavailable.
How long does it take for KDP to pay royalties?
- KDP pays royalties 60 days after the month end when the royalty threshold (for wire & check) was met.
- Direct deposits can take 1-5 business days to appear in your account.
- Wire payments can take 5-10 days to appear in your account.
- Check payments can take up to 30 days to reach the address given in your account.
WordsRated covers the business of publishing and the world of word games. Our Word Finder and Unscramble Words tools help you get the most from any set of letters. Fans of Wordle can use our Wordle Solver when the daily puzzle gets tough, or browse our 5-Letter Word Finder for the best five-letter starting words and strategies.