KDP Coloring Book Royalties: What You Earn
Updated By the ColorCraft team6 min read
Short answer
On Amazon.com, KDP pays 60% of the list price on paperbacks priced at $9.99 or more and 50% at $9.98 or less, minus the printing cost. A 100-page 8.5 × 11 black-ink coloring book costs $2.84 to print, so it earns $1.16 per sale at $7.99, $3.15 at $9.99 and $4.95 at $12.99. Rates and costs as published on KDP’s help pages, checked October 16, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Royalty = royalty rate × list price − printing cost.
- Amazon.com rate: 60% at $9.99 and up, 50% at $9.98 and below.
- Black-ink printing on white or cream paper and a large trim like 8.5 × 11: a flat $2.84 for 24 to 110 pages, then $1.00 + $0.017 a page.
- Moving from $9.98 to $9.99 lifts a 100-page book from $2.15 to $3.15 per sale.
- Expanded Distribution pays 40% minus printing, and KDP lists coloring books among content its distributors don’t accept.
- Other Amazon marketplaces have their own costs, currencies and thresholds.
How are KDP paperback royalties calculated?
KDP takes its printing cost out of your share of the list price. Per KDP’s Paperback Royalty page, for sales on Amazon marketplaces:
- 60% for list prices of $9.99 and up on Amazon.com.
- 50% for list prices of $9.98 and below.
- 40% for Expanded Distribution sales (bookstores and libraries), at any price.
Printing cost depends on ink, paper, page count and whether the trim is “large” (wider than 6.12" or taller than 9"). Most coloring books are 8.5 × 11, which counts as large. The figures here are for Amazon.com in US dollars, on white or cream paper; KDP’s groundwood paper option costs slightly less.
How much does KDP charge to print a coloring book?
From KDP’s Paperback Printing Cost page: a black-ink paperback on white or cream paper of 24 to 110 pages pays a flat fee ($2.84 on a large trim, $2.30 on a regular one). Longer books pay $1.00 plus a per-page charge ($0.017 large, $0.012 regular).
| Pages | 8.5 × 11 (large) | 6 × 9 (regular) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | $2.84 | $2.30 |
| 48 | $2.84 | $2.30 |
| 80 | $2.84 | $2.30 |
| 100 | $2.84 | $2.30 |
| 120 | $3.04 | $2.44 |
| 150 | $3.55 | $2.80 |
| 200 | $4.40 | $3.40 |
Two things follow. Pages up to 110 are effectively free to add, so a single-sided book of 50 designs (100 pages) costs the same to print as one of 12. And KDP lists 110 in both bands; our calculator uses the per-page price from 110, the slightly higher figure, to stay conservative.
How much does a coloring book earn per sale?
| List price | Rate | Printing | Royalty per sale | Per 100 sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6.99 | 50% | $2.84 | $0.66 | $66.00 |
| $7.99 | 50% | $2.84 | $1.16 | $116.00 |
| $8.99 | 50% | $2.84 | $1.66 | $166.00 |
| $9.98 | 50% | $2.84 | $2.15 | $215.00 |
| $9.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $3.15 | $315.00 |
| $10.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $3.75 | $375.00 |
| $12.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $4.95 | $495.00 |
The jump at $9.99 is the biggest lever you have: one cent on the price adds $1.00 per copy. Below $9.99 every extra dollar adds 50 cents; above it, 60 cents. The “per 100 sales” column is arithmetic, not a forecast. How many copies a book sells depends on the niche, the cover, the listing and the competition.
For comparison, a 32-page 8.5 × 8.5 picture book in premium color costs $4.20 to print and earns $3.59 at $12.99. Color is expensive to print, so storybooks need higher prices than coloring books.
How do page count and trim size change your royalty?
Less than you might think, up to a point. Because black-ink books of up to 110 pages pay the same flat printing fee, page count only starts to bite past that. Trim size matters a little: a regular trim like 6 × 9 costs less to print than 8.5 × 11, but buyers expect a full-size coloring book and price accordingly.
| Book | Printing | Royalty at $9.99 |
|---|---|---|
| 8.5 × 11, 48 pages (24 designs, single-sided) | $2.84 | $3.15 |
| 8.5 × 11, 100 pages (50 designs, single-sided) | $2.84 | $3.15 |
| 8.5 × 11, 150 pages | $3.55 | $2.44 |
| 8.5 × 11, 200 pages | $4.40 | $1.59 |
| 6 × 9, 100 pages | $2.30 | $3.69 |
The practical sweet spot for a full-size coloring book is up to 110 printed pages: enough designs to feel generous, printed single-sided, at the lowest printing cost. Past that, every 10 extra pages cost about 17 cents a copy.
How should you price a coloring book on Amazon?
Find your printing cost
Enter page count, trim size and ink in the royalty calculator, or use KDP’s printing cost table.
Check both sides of $9.99
Compare the royalty at $9.98 and at $9.99, where the Amazon.com rate rises from 50% to 60%.
Compare your niche
Look at the prices of the best-selling paperbacks in your category and where your book sits on page count and quality.
Set the price on KDP
On the Rights and Pricing tab enter the list price and confirm the printing cost and royalty KDP shows for each marketplace.
Decide on Expanded Distribution
Leave it off for coloring books; KDP lists them among content its distributors don’t accept.
There is a floor too: KDP won’t let a price go below what covers printing at the applicable rate. For a 100-page 8.5 × 11 black-ink book that break-even price is $5.68. Our free KDP royalty calculator shows the printing cost, rate, royalty and break-even price for any page count, trim and ink.
Should coloring books use Expanded Distribution?
Usually not. Expanded Distribution makes a paperback available to bookstores and libraries outside Amazon at a 40% rate minus printing, so a $9.99 book earns $1.16 there instead of $3.15. More importantly, KDP’s Expanded Distribution page lists coloring books among the content its distributors don’t currently accept. Being declined doesn’t affect your account or your Amazon listing.
What does it cost to make the book in the first place?
KDP’s publishing tools are free, and printing is taken out of each sale rather than paid up front. Your costs are your time and your tools. ColorCraft plans start at $9 a month; at $3.15 a copy, 3 sales of one $9.99 book cover that. A free KDP ISBN is available for coloring books. See pricing for plans, and how to make a coloring book to sell on Amazon for the full workflow.
Are royalties the same on Amazon.co.uk, .de and other stores?
No. Each marketplace has its own printing cost, currency, rate threshold and VAT treatment. KDP shows the printing cost and royalty for every marketplace as you type a price on the Rights & Pricing tab; check those figures before you publish rather than converting from US dollars.
Frequently asked questions
What royalty does KDP pay on paperbacks?
On Amazon.com, 60% of the list price for paperbacks priced at $9.99 or more and 50% for $9.98 or less, minus the printing cost. Expanded Distribution sales pay 40% minus printing at any price.
How much does it cost to print a coloring book on KDP?
A black-ink 8.5 x 11 coloring book on white or cream paper of 24 to 110 pages costs a flat $2.84 on Amazon.com. From 110 pages it is $1.00 plus $0.017 per page, so 150 pages cost $3.55.
How much do you make on a $9.99 coloring book?
About $3.15 per Amazon.com sale for a 100-page 8.5 x 11 black-ink book: 60% of $9.99 is $5.99, minus $2.84 printing.
Why price a coloring book at $9.99 instead of $9.98?
Because the Amazon.com rate rises from 50% to 60% at $9.99. For a 100-page book that one cent raises the royalty from $2.15 to $3.15.
Do more pages mean a lower royalty?
Only above 110 pages. Black-ink books of 24 to 110 pages pay the same flat printing cost, so a 48-page and a 100-page 8.5 x 11 book both earn $3.15 at $9.99. Past 110 pages each extra page costs $0.017 on a large trim.
Can coloring books use KDP Expanded Distribution?
KDP’s Expanded Distribution page lists coloring books among content its distributors don’t currently accept, so plan on Amazon sales only. Being declined doesn’t affect your account or your Amazon listing.
Sources
Last checked: . Policies, specs and rates were checked against these pages; KDP changes them from time to time, so confirm on KDP before you publish.
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Related guides
- Coloring Book Niche Ideas That Sell on KDP
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- How to Make a Coloring Book to Sell on Amazon
End-to-end tutorial: theme, interior pages with Paige, blank backs, cover wrap, listing, bleed export and the KDP upload screens.