Glossary
Ebook royalty
Ebook royalty: An ebook royalty is the share of each sale paid to the author by the store. Amazon KDP pays 70% for prices between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus a small delivery fee) and 35% outside that range; Kobo and Apple Books pay 70%; Gumroad and your own site keep only the payment fee, leaving you 90% or more.
The Amazon rules in one place
- 70% option: list price $2.99 to $9.99, minus a delivery fee of about $0.15 per MB.
- 35% option: any price from $0.99 to $200, no delivery fee.
- Some marketplaces pay 70% only inside KDP Select.
- Royalties are paid about 60 days after the end of the month, once above the payment threshold.
Other stores
Kobo pays 70% above $2.99 and 45% below. Apple Books pays 70% at any price. Google Play pays 70%. Selling from your own site through Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy or Stripe keeps 90 to 97% after fees, with the marketing entirely on you.
Royalty versus revenue
Royalty is what you keep per copy; revenue is copies times price. A $4.99 ebook at 70% pays about $3.40 a copy. Selling 100 copies pays $340; a course sold to 10 of those readers pays more. Most authors treat the ebook royalty as the smaller half of the income the book creates.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my Amazon royalty lower than 70%?
The delivery fee. A 3 MB ebook with many images loses about $0.45 per sale on the 70% plan. Keep images small.
Are royalties taxed?
Amazon withholds US tax unless you complete the tax interview with a treaty country; the rest is income declared in your country.
Is 35% ever better?
For prices above $9.99 or below $2.99, and for large files, since the 35% plan has no delivery fee.