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KDP expanded distribution: what it pays and who qualifies

The royalty rate, a worked example, the trim sizes that qualify and what to check before you turn it on.

Checked November 9, 2026Plain text version

Expanded distribution makes your paperback available to bookstores, libraries and online shops outside Amazon. Amazon sales stay the same; sales through these other channels pay less.

What it pays

Sales through expanded distribution pay 40% of the list price, minus the print cost. Take a 200-page 6 × 9 in novel at $12.99:

ChannelRoyalty per copy
Amazon.com$4.39
Expanded distribution$1.80

If the print cost is more than 40% of the list price, an expanded-distribution sale would pay nothing, so set a price that leaves room.

Sizes that qualify

InteriorSizes
Black ink, white paper5 × 8 in, 5.06 × 7.81 in, 5.25 × 8 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in, 6.14 × 9.21 in, 6.69 × 9.61 in, 7 × 10 in, 7.44 × 9.69 in, 7.5 × 9.25 in, 8 × 10 in, 8.5 × 11 in
Black ink, cream paper5 × 8 in, 5.25 × 8 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in
Standard color, white paper5 × 8 in, 5.06 × 7.81 in, 5.25 × 8 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in, 6.14 × 9.21 in, 6.69 × 9.61 in, 7 × 10 in, 7.44 × 9.69 in, 7.5 × 9.25 in, 8 × 10 in, 8.5 × 8.5 in, 8.5 × 11 in
Premium color, white paper5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in, 6.14 × 9.21 in, 7 × 10 in, 8 × 10 in, 8.5 × 8.5 in, 8.5 × 11 in

Custom trim sizes never qualify. Books in Japanese cannot use it.

Sources

KDP help pages, checked November 7, 2026. KDP changes its rules without notice; the linked page has the final word.

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Describe it and see the plan before anything is made. No card needed.

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