GridbinderGuide · Planning the book
How to price a puzzle book on KDP
Your royalty is a percentage of the list price minus the printing cost, and the printing cost comes from the page count and trim size. Work it out before you choose the number of puzzles.
Updated 29 October 2026 · Examples are real, unedited pages from the Gridbinder studio unless the caption says otherwise.
The two formulas
Printing cost (Amazon.com, black ink, white or cream paper): a book of 24 to 110 pages pays only a fixed cost, $2.30 on a regular trim and $2.84 on a large trim. From 110 pages it is $1.00 plus $0.012 per page (regular) or $0.017 per page (large). A large trim is wider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in, so 8 x 10, 8.5 x 11 and A4 are large.
Royalty: (royalty rate x list price) minus printing cost. On Amazon.com the rate is 50% for list prices at or below $9.98 and 60% at or above $9.99. KDP's own example: a 333-page regular trim book at $15 earns (0.60 x $15) - $5.00 = $4.00.
Worked examples with real page counts
| Book | Printing | At $7.99 | At $9.99 | At $12.99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 Sudoku, 6 x 9 in, two per page, 110 pages | $2.30 | $1.70 (50%) | $3.69 (60%) | $5.49 (60%) |
| 100 Sudoku, 8.5 x 11 in, 118 pages | $3.01 | $0.99 (50%) | $2.99 (60%) | $4.79 (60%) |
| 100 Sudoku, 8.5 x 11 in, large print, 132 pages | $3.24 | $0.75 (50%) | $2.75 (60%) | $4.55 (60%) |
| 300 puzzles, 6 x 9 in, two per page, 270 pages | $4.24 | not allowed (KDP minimum $8.48) | $1.75 (60%) | $3.55 (60%) |
The 300-puzzle line uses 270 pages; our tests of mixed 300-puzzle books at 6 x 9 in came to between about 270 and 390 pages, depending on the puzzle types, puzzles per page and options. Royalties are rounded to the cent. Use the calculator with your own page count.
What the table shows
- Under $9.99 you keep half the price minus printing, which leaves little on a large trim.
- At $9.99 the 60% rate starts, so a $9.99 book often earns more than twice a $7.99 one.
- More puzzles cost more to print. A 300-puzzle book does not work at $7.99, while a 150-puzzle book on 6 x 9 in does.
- Large print costs more pages, so it needs a higher price or fewer puzzles.
Setting the price
- Find five books for the same reader and note their price, page count and puzzle count.
- Pick a price in that range that you can explain: more puzzles, larger print, sound puzzles, a clearer layout.
- Check your royalty at that price. If it is under about a dollar, change the trim, the layout or the count.
- Remember other marketplaces have their own currency, printing costs and rates. KDP shows them in the pricing step.
Expanded Distribution
With Expanded Distribution, books sold through other stores pay 40% of the list price minus printing, so the price has to be higher for it to pay. Low-content books published without an ISBN cannot use it, and not every trim size qualifies; KDP shows whether your book is eligible in the pricing step.
Questions
What is the KDP royalty for a paperback?
On Amazon.com, 50% of the list price at $9.98 or less and 60% at $9.99 or more, minus the printing cost.
How much does it cost to print a 100-page puzzle book?
On Amazon.com, black ink: $2.30 on a regular trim such as 6 x 9 in and $2.84 on a large trim such as 8.5 x 11 in, because books of 24 to 110 pages pay only the fixed cost.
What is the minimum price on KDP?
KDP does not let you set a price where the royalty would be below zero, so the minimum depends on the printing cost and the rate.
Sources
- KDP: Paperback printing cost, checked 29 October 2026
- KDP: Paperback royalty, checked 29 October 2026
- KDP: Low-content books (Expanded Distribution), checked 29 October 2026
KDP changes its rules from time to time. If a number here and the KDP help page disagree, the KDP page wins; please tell us at support@arling.sk.