Amazon recently released a change for e-book royalties that benefits indie authors! The 70% royalty option has increased from an upper limit of $9.99 to $12.99. This means you have the opportunity to earn more from each e-book sale!
Recall that KDP has two royalty options for e-books: the 35% and 70% models. The 35% model does not have a delivery fee, while the 70% model does (based on file size). Larger file sizes incur a higher delivery fee. Books priced between $2.99 - $12.99 are eligible for the 70% royalty rate, while books outside of this price range would only be eligible for the 35% royalty rate.
We reviewed e-book pricing in a previous article and remember while the price of e-readers has decreased, the price of e-books has not increased. In fact, many e-books are priced at $3 or less, which is the same price as twenty years ago when Kindle first came on the scene.
$10 - $15 for an e-book? Here's why it's not as crazy as you think.
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August 28, 2025
$15 for an e-book?! If you’re like me before I became an author you may think this is an outrageous price for a book you won’t physically be holding in your hands. And while that’s still on the higher end of the e-book price range, here’s why I’ve reframed the way I think about e-books and their price.
This increase to the 70% royalty model is a big deal for indie authors! It should help push e-books into a price band that more fairly compensates authors for all of their hard work.
Many indie authors, particularly debut authors, are worried if they price their e-book too high people won’t buy it. It’s a fair concern and one I had when I released my first book.
But I soon learned that royalties from a very low priced e-book didn’t even scratch the surface of the effort it took to produce the book—and I’m not just talking writing it. E-books still have to be edited, proofread, and have to have a cover. They have to be marketed. All of that adds up and even though it’s a digital item, there’s still a significant cost for the author to produce it.
Take an average length book of 285 - 300 pages with a small file size on the KDP 70% royalty model. With the prices below you can roughly see what this would equate to from a royalty standpoint.
Many indie authors price books within this range, which isn’t much of a price difference compared to when e-books came out almost twenty years ago.
$2.99 = $2.05 royalty
$3.99 = $2.75 royalty
$4.99 = $3.44 royalty
$5.99 = 4.14 royalty
Consider pricing your book within this range. You can even test the prices out to find one that works for you and your readers.
$6.99 = $4.85 royalty
$7.99 = $5.55 royalty
$8.99 = $6.24 royalty
$9.99 = $6.94 royalty
$10.99 = $7.64 royalty
$11.99 = $8.34 royalty
$12.99 = $9.04 royalty
If you’re preparing to release a new book, consider setting your new release at the top end of the price band. Then drop the price of existing titles to the middle or lower end of the price band.
This will drive trial of your existing titles. Plus, it can assist with pre-orders of your new release. More on that in a future post!
Stay twisted!
Author, Marketer, Gif Aficionado
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