About Book Recommendations
Free, private tools and plain-English guides for authors who publish on more than one platform.
Self-publishing means learning several systems at once. Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital each have their own page limits, print costs, royalty rules and report layouts. Most authors do not have time to read every help page, and one wrong assumption can mean a rejected upload or a paperback priced below its printing cost.
We built Book Recommendations so you can check those things in minutes, in one place, and see exactly where each number came from.
Why we exist
Most author calculators are black boxes. They give you a number but not the rule behind it, and they quietly go out of date. We wanted the opposite: a tool that shows its working, links to the platform page it used, and tells you plainly when a rule could not be confirmed.
What we build
Book Recommendations is a set of small, focused tools plus a library of guides:
- Metadata checker: test your title, subtitle, keywords and description against KDP's published rules.
- Royalty and print cost calculator: KDP printing cost and royalty, and side-by-side profit on other platforms.
- Cover and spine calculator: spine width, full wrap size and pixel dimensions for every KDP trim size.
- Interior PDF checker: page count, page size and bleed, checked in your browser.
- Sales dashboard: combine CSV reports from every platform into one set of totals.
- Description builder: turn your notes into a hook-first description.
- The blog: step-by-step guides on pricing, covers, files and descriptions.
How we handle accuracy
- Every platform figure sits in one data file with a link to the official page it was read from and the date it was checked. When a rule changes, we update that file and every tool follows.
- If we could not confirm a rule on an official page, the tool says so instead of presenting it as fact.
- Where a platform publishes no formula, such as print cost on some services, the tool asks for the figure from the platform's own quote tool.
- Results are estimates for planning. The platform's own screen always decides the final number.
Read the full process in our editorial policy.
How we handle your data
Calculators, the PDF checker and the sales dashboard run entirely in your browser. Your manuscript and sales reports are never uploaded. Read the privacy policy and cookie policy for details.
Who writes the content
How the site is funded
The tools are free and need no account. To cover hosting and development we may show advertising on some pages, from Google AdSense and from other third-party ad networks and advertisers, and we may promote the site through our own ad campaigns elsewhere. Ads are labelled, we do not write them, and they never change a calculation or a recommendation. We do not accept paid reviews or undisclosed sponsored articles. Read the advertising policy for the details.
Independent project
Book Recommendations is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IngramSpark, Lulu, Draft2Digital or Google. Found a wrong figure or want another platform added? Tell us.