New royalty changes for books listed under $9.99 via Amazon KDP will impact thousands of authors!
In an email addressed to Amazon KDP authors, Amazon has announced that, since starting their print operations almost two decades ago, beginning on June 10th, 2025, the royalty rate for titles listed below USD 9.99 will drop from 60% to 50%. For Australian authors, the new royalty threshold for paperback books listed on Amazon.com.au will be AUD 13.99.
Amazon has claimed that books under $9.99 represent a challenge due to increasing operational costs, and this new change will allow them to continue to offer those books while avoiding impacting other titles currently offered on their various global marketplaces.
In an effort to somewhat sweeten this news, they also announced that as part of their annual printing cost review, they’ll be reducing the cost of colour printing for paperback in some marketplaces in an effort to boost colour printing by authors.
If you want to see which of your titles will be affected by the new changes, you can visit your Amazon KDP Author Dashboard, and there will be a notification at the top. You can also use Amazon KDP’s print cost calculator to see what effect the new changes will have on upcoming and currently available titles.
For any authors still considering which is the best self-publishing platform for them, or their books, be sure to check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Self-Publish Your Books! Where we discuss and compare the pros and cons of the most popular self-publishing platforms available to Australian authors.
Amazon KDP Help Pages Related to the New Royalty Changes
You can visit the Amazon KDP Help Page for marketplace-specific royalty rates and list prices in local currencies, as well as access to FAQs.
Use Amazon’s Royalty Calculator to show your current royalty rates and estimated royalty rates once the new royalty changes come into effect on June 10th.
Visit your Amazon KDP Dashboard to view and download a list of all affected titles.
Existing Royalty Rates Comparison for Books Under $9.99
To test the new royalty rates, we looked at one of our existing titles, Hockey Wars, which is currently listed on Amazon.com for $8.99 and is a 122-page, white paper, black and white paperback.
Current Royalty and Printing Costs
| Marketplace | Sale Price | Royalty | Min. List Price | Print Cost | Est. Royalty |
| Amazon.com | $8.99 | 60% | $4.11 | $2.46 | $2.93 |
New Royalty and Printing Costs After June 10th, 2025
| Marketplace | Sale Price | Royalty | Min. List Price | Print Cost | Est. Royalty |
| Amazon.com | $8.99 | 50% | $4.93 | $2.46 | $2.03 |
The problem now facing most self-published Australian authors is to choose between absorbing the new costs on their end, taking potentially a 30% loss, or increasing their sales price to cover the difference, and that’s where it gets a little silly.
If we listed Hockey Wars for USD 9.98, just one cent under their threshold, we would still be taking a USD 0.40 loss. However, if we increase the cost to USD 9.99, the new threshold after June 10th, 2025, we’ll be making a royalty of USD 3.53, a USD 0.60 profit compared to our existing pricing.
New Royalty and Printing Costs After June 10th, 2025, with $9.99 Price Update
| Marketplace | Sale Price | Royalty | Min. List Price | Print Cost | Est. Royalty |
| Amazon.com | $9.99 | 60% | $4.93 | $2.46 | $3.53 |
So, at the end of the day, it’s either authors losing money on royalties, or customers losing money because they have to pay more, and there’s no way to adjust your pricing to keep it the same.
Reduced Printing Costs for Colour Books
At the same time, they announced they will reduce how much they pay authors, they’re also decreasing the print costs for colour paperback books, large and regular trim sizes in some marketplaces, to encourage more authors to print their books in full colour. However, the new change will only impact colour paperback books which are purchased from and printed in Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, and Amazon.nl.
Amazon KDP Announces Significant Changes to Author Royalties | Conclusion
Australian authors now have a significant decision to make if impacted by the new Amazon KDP royalty changes. Increase their prices to ensure they’re not losing money, and potentially making more money than before, or leave their prices the same or similar, and absorb a loss. No one has ever said being a self-published author was easy, but now it just got a little bit harder.
If you have any questions about the self-publishing process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
At Author Services Australia, we support Australian and New Zealand self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, Amazon KDP Keyword and Category Research, manuscript uploading assistance, animated book cover reveal videos, and social media and marketing.
Will the new Amazon KDP royalty changes impact any of your titles, and what’s your plan? Absorb the costs or pass them on to readers. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to avoid missing out on any future author news and updates.
