How each platform calculates what you earn
| Platform | Print royalty | Print cost |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 50% or 60% of list price, minus printing cost | Published table |
| Barnes & Noble Press | 55% of retail price, minus printing cost | Quick Quote tool |
| IngramSpark | List price, minus wholesale discount, minus print cost | Own calculator |
| Lulu | Retail price, minus manufacturing cost and channel share | Own calculator |
Key takeaway: A bigger percentage does not mean a bigger payment. Printing cost and discounts decide the result.
Amazon KDP
KDP publishes its printing cost tables, so you can calculate your royalty exactly. See how KDP printing cost works. Expanded Distribution pays 40% of list price minus printing cost.
Barnes & Noble Press
B&N Press pays 55% of the retail price minus the per-book printing cost on print books. Printing cost depends on format, trim, pages and color, and you get it from its Quick Quote tool. Under its published terms, ebooks pay 70% of the retail price. B&N can change terms with notice.
IngramSpark
IngramSpark sells to bookstores and libraries, so you set a wholesale discount. Your compensation is the list price minus that discount and the print cost. IngramSpark has no single universal print-cost formula, so use its own calculator for your trim, paper, binding and market.
Lulu and Draft2Digital
Lulu quotes the manufacturing cost in its own calculator, and your royalty is the retail price minus that cost and any channel share. We could not verify Draft2Digital's print and ebook terms on an official page, so enter the figures from your own dashboard.
An illustration with assumed print costs
To show how different the formulas are, take a 250-page book at $12.99. KDP's printing cost for it on Amazon.com is $4.00, and the royalty is 0.60 x 12.99 - 4.00, about $3.79.
For the others, the printing cost depends on each platform's own quote. Suppose each quoted the same $4.00 (an assumption for illustration, not a real quote):
| Platform | Calculation | Per copy |
|---|---|---|
| B&N Press | 0.55 x 12.99 - 4.00 | about $3.14 |
| IngramSpark, 55% discount | 12.99 x 0.45 - 4.00 | about $1.85 |
The IngramSpark figure is lower because it sells to bookstores and libraries at a discount. That is a different market from a direct online sale, and you may need that reach. The point is to compare like with like.
What each platform is mainly for
- KDP sells on Amazon stores and offers Expanded Distribution to other outlets.
- Barnes & Noble Press sells through the Barnes & Noble website.
- IngramSpark is built for distribution to bookstores, libraries and other retailers.
- Lulu has its own store and distribution options.
- Draft2Digital focuses on distributing ebooks to many retailers.
Each platform's reach and terms change, so check its current distribution list.
Exclusivity and ISBNs
Some programs ask you to keep an ebook exclusive to one store in return for promotional tools. KDP Select is the best-known example, so read its current terms before you spread an ebook across stores. ISBN rules also differ by platform. Decide who will be listed as the publisher before you pick.
A simple way to choose
- List where your readers buy books.
- Match platforms to those places.
- Run your own numbers for each.
- Start with one or two, and add more once you can handle the extra admin.
How to compare fairly
- Fix the book: trim size, page count, paper and ink.
- Get the printing cost from each platform's own tool.
- Choose the same list price in each currency.
- Apply each platform's formula.
- Compare the money per copy, not the percentage.
The royalty and print cost calculator does step 4 for you and shows its working. Every rule it uses is listed with its source on the platform rules page.
Check before you publish
Terms differ by country and change over time. Read each platform's current terms before you upload. Nothing here is legal or financial advice.
