💰 eBook Pricing Calculator
Find the ideal price for your eBook — maximize royalties & sales across all major platforms
| Platform | Price Range | Royalty Rate | Your Cut (on $4.99) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP (Select) | $2.99 – $9.99 | 70% | $3.49 |
| Amazon KDP | $0.01 – $2.98 or $10+ | 35% | $1.75 |
| Apple Books | Any price | 70% | $3.49 |
| Kobo Writing Life | Any price | 70% | $3.49 |
| Draft2Digital | Any price | 60% | $2.99 |
| Google Play Books | Any price | 70% | $3.49 |
| Direct Sales (Gumroad) | Any price | 93% | $4.64 |
| Direct Sales (Payhip) | Any price | 95% | $4.74 |
| Genre | Low End | Sweet Spot | Premium Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romance / Erotica | $0.99 | $2.99 – $4.99 | $6.99 |
| Mystery & Thriller | $0.99 | $3.99 – $5.99 | $9.99 |
| Fantasy / Sci-Fi | $0.99 | $3.99 – $6.99 | $9.99 |
| Literary Fiction | $2.99 | $4.99 – $7.99 | $12.99 |
| Non-Fiction (How-To) | $2.99 | $7.99 – $14.99 | $24.99 |
| Self-Help | $2.99 | $6.99 – $12.99 | $19.99 |
| Business & Finance | $4.99 | $9.99 – $14.99 | $29.99 |
| Academic / Textbook | $9.99 | $19.99 – $39.99 | $79.99 |
| Children's / YA | $0.99 | $2.99 – $4.99 | $7.99 |
| Cookbook / Lifestyle | $3.99 | $7.99 – $12.99 | $19.99 |
| USD Price | GBP (£) | EUR (€) | CAD (CA$) | AUD (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.99 | £0.79 | €0.91 | CA$1.34 | A$1.51 |
| $2.99 | £2.36 | €2.75 | CA$4.04 | A$4.53 |
| $4.99 | £3.93 | €4.59 | CA$6.74 | A$7.56 |
| $7.99 | £6.30 | €7.35 | CA$10.79 | A$12.10 |
| $9.99 | £7.88 | €9.19 | CA$13.50 | A$15.14 |
| $14.99 | £11.82 | €13.79 | CA$20.24 | A$22.71 |
The price of e-books is a permanent never ending experiment. Bid and demand lead the prices, and those forces determine the cost of every product, whether about oil, milk or digital book.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, I receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and BN.com give higher royalties for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, because that is a very good range. The most bought e-books cost between $2.99 and $3.99, and $3.99 is the most popular price. Amazon created its system to push authors to that range, because they believe that like this they win the most money.
How Much to Charge for an E-Book
If you price your e-book like this, you receive 70% of every sale.
Unlike printed books, e-books cost very little to create, and do not have costs for selling them. Because making a digital book is so cheap, the minimal price for the user is set at $0.99.
$1.99 is the “fatal zone” for e-books. At that price, KDP pays a royalty of only $1.04, but for a book of $2.99 the payment is $2.09. That means that you lose almost half of the income because of a small discuont.
Books simply do not sell well at that price spot.
Most independent publishers price e-books between $5 and $10, and sometimes even less than $5. Big publishers usually price the books of their authors around £6, which is about $11. New releases from traditional houses commonly cost $14.99.
The range of $9.99 to $19.99 covers many traditional books, big non-fiction books and textbooks in discounted digital form.
Known authors can ask for between $6.99 and $9.99 for an e-book. Some famous authors price their digital books the same ore even more than the printed versions, around $10 to $17. A recognized self-help guru maybe could ask $19.99, because his readers understand the value of the content.
Even so, an unknown author does not have such reputation. Such a person can offer a lower price, urging clients that do not want to risk their money for someone unknown.
Independent e-books above $5 or $6 experience a fall in sales, depending on the theme. For unknown authors, the best price is between $0.99 and $2.99. For a text of 7,500 words, a price of $4.99 for e-book and $7.99 for printed copy is reasonable.
Surprisingly, increasing the price sometimes can indeed increase the sales, which seems illogical until you analyze it.
When you search for an efficient strategy, you must consider three things: fun value, school value and marketing value. The prices vary depending on the length of the book, the theme and how much trust the author built with his readers.
