Self-publishing cost calculator
This self-publishing cost calculator adds up what you plan to spend on editing, cover design, formatting and marketing, then shows how many copies you need to sell to earn it back.
Enter the quotes you have. Leave a box empty for anything you do yourself.
KDP pays $3.39 per US sale at 70%, assuming a 1 MB file.
Total cost to publish
$0.00
- Sales to break even
- -0 copies
- You keep per sale
- $3.39
Add at least one cost to see your break-even point.
These figures are estimates, not a promise of earnings. Free to use, no sign-up.
How this is calculated
Total cost = the sum of every amount you enter.
Break-even sales = total cost / what you keep per sale, rounded up to a whole copy.
What you keep per sale
If you choose the KDP ebook option, the calculator uses Amazon KDP's ebook royalty for a US sale, as of November 2026: 70% of the list price minus a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB when the price is from $2.99 to $12.99, and 35% otherwise. It assumes a 1 MB file. Source: KDP Help on ebook royalties and list price requirements.
If you sell somewhere else, or sell a paperback, choose to enter the figure yourself.
Why the cost boxes start empty
Prices for editors, designers and ads vary too much for one typical figure to be honest. The calculator has no built-in costs. Use real quotes for your book.
The result does not include your own time, tax, or returns.
Questions
How much does it cost to self-publish a book?
It depends on what you pay other people to do. Uploading an ebook or paperback to Amazon KDP is free. The real costs are the services you choose to buy: editing, cover design, formatting, an ISBN if you want your own, and marketing. Enter your own quotes above to get a total.
Does Amazon KDP charge a fee to publish?
No. KDP has no upfront fee. Amazon takes its share from each sale instead: you keep 35% or 70% of an ebook's list price, and paperback printing costs come out of your royalty.
What is a break-even point for a book?
It is the number of copies you need to sell before your earnings cover what you spent. Divide your total costs by what you keep per sale. If you spent $600 and keep $3.39 a copy, you break even at 177 sales.
Which cost should I not skip?
That is your call, and it depends on the book. Many authors put editing and the cover first, because readers see the cover before they buy and notice mistakes after. If money is tight, get quotes for those two before anything else.
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