How to Price an Ebook (With Real Examples)

Pricing an ebook can feel like guesswork. It does not have to be.

For most nonfiction ebooks on Amazon, the common range is about $6 to $13, depending on the topic. Amazon’s higher 70% royalty now applies at prices up to $12.99. If you sell the ebook yourself, how-to guides usually sell for $15 to $29. And if the ebook exists to build your email list, the right price is free.

This guide shows you how to pick your number. You will get the royalty math, typical prices by genre, a simple formula for a starting price, and worked examples. We checked the KDP figures on Amazon’s help pages in October 2026.

The quick answer

These ranges come from published pricing guides and Amazon bestseller data, linked in the sections below. They are a starting point, not official rules.

Start with what the ebook is for

The right price depends on the job your ebook has to do. Pick one:

• Grow an email list or your authority. Give it away, or price it very low. The ebook’s job is to bring people in.
• Reach new readers and collect reviews on a store. Price low enough that a stranger will take a chance on you, but high enough that each sale pays.
• Earn income. Price on the result the reader gets, not on the number of pages. A guide that helps someone save money or win clients is worth more than a general-interest book of the same length.

A price that suits one goal can hurt another. A free ebook builds a list but earns nothing. A $12.99 ebook earns well per sale but may get fewer readers.

Know how the stores pay you

Your price and your income are not the same thing. Each store takes a cut, and the cut changes with the price.

Amazon Kindle (KDP)

KDP gives you two royalty options for ebooks:

• 70% royalty: your list price must be between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com. KDP raised this top limit from $9.99 in July 2026, so many guides online are now out of date. Amazon also takes a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB of file size in the US. Your royalty is 70% of (price minus delivery cost).
• 35% royalty: works at any price, and there is no delivery cost. Your royalty is 35% of the price.

For some countries (Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India), the book must also be in KDP Select to get the 70% rate on those sales. If you also sell a print edition, Amazon expects the ebook to be priced at least 20% below the lowest print price to qualify for 70%, as Reedsy’s royalty guide explains.

Here is what you would earn on a US sale, using a 2 MB file (a delivery cost of $0.30):

Before tax. Delivery cost depends on file size. A text-only ebook is often small, and heavy images cost more.

Look at the last two rows. Raising the price from $12.99 to $14.99 cuts your earnings by about $3.60 per sale, because you drop into the 35% tier. Unless you expect to sell just as many at the higher price, stay at or below $12.99.

If you enroll in KDP Select, your book is also part of Kindle Unlimited. Those readers are paid per page read from a shared fund, and the rate changes each month. For them, your list price matters less. Our guide to selling ebooks on Amazon covers whether Select is worth it.

Apple Books, Kobo and other stores

Rates differ by store. Apple Books pays 70% on all prices when you publish directly, according to PublishDrive’s royalty table. If you use a distributor such as Draft2Digital, the share is lower. Draft2Digital lists 60% for Apple Books, Kobo and Barnes & Noble. Check each store’s current terms before you decide.

Selling it yourself

When you sell on your own site or on a platform like Gumroad or Payhip, you keep most of the price, minus platform and card fees. One 2026 guide lists platform fees from about 5% to 10% plus per-transaction costs. Fees change, so check before you choose.

Typical ebook prices by genre

This table shows common price ranges on Amazon, based on a January 2025 look at bestsellers in each category.

Source: books.by pricing guide, citing January 2025 Amazon bestseller data. A second guide from River Editor gives similar ranges: nonfiction at $4.99 to $14.99 and up, thrillers at $3.99 to $5.99.

One warning. Bestseller lists lean toward established authors who already have readers. If you are new, start in the lower half of your genre’s range. PublishDrive gives the same advice: new authors should stay close to the average price, and authors with an audience can charge more.

What moves your price up or down

• Length. A 6-chapter guide of about 8,000 words should cost less than a 60,000-word book. Do not price by page count alone, though.
• The result. A guide with a clear payoff can charge more. One 2026 guide puts it this way: price on the outcome your reader gets, not the effort it took you.
• Your audience. If people already know and trust you, you can charge more than someone starting from zero.
• The competition. Look at what similar books charge. You can sit near them, or above them if you offer something extra.
• Extras. Worksheets, checklists and templates make a higher direct price easier to justify.

A simple formula for your starting price

1. Pick your goal. List building, reviews, or income (see above).
2. Find 10 similar books. Search your topic on the store. Write down each one’s price, length and number of reviews. Ignore the cheapest and the most expensive.
3. Take the middle price. That is your starting price. Move it down by a dollar or two if you are new and have no reviews. Move it up if you have an audience or extras.
4. Check the royalty math. Work out what you earn at two or three prices, using the table above. Stay at or below $12.99 on Amazon to keep the 70% rate.
5. Test and adjust. Change the price once, then wait a few weeks before you judge it. Change only one thing at a time so you know what caused the difference.

Worked examples

Here are four examples, using the sample books Koobe made to show what the tool can do. The prices are suggestions based on the ranges above. They are not data on how those books sold.

Why file size matters for the cookbook. Say the meal prep guide is 5 MB with photos. At $4.99 on Kindle, the delivery cost is $0.75, so you earn about $2.97 per sale. The same book as a text-only 0.5 MB file would earn about $3.44. Photos cost you about 47 cents a sale at this price. That is not a reason to skip photos in a cookbook. It is a reason to compress them and to price with the delivery cost in mind.

Launch pricing

Some authors launch at $0.99 for a few weeks to get early sales and reviews, then raise the price. River Editor suggests 7 to 30 days. Be aware that at $0.99 you only earn the 35% rate, which is about $0.35 a sale. That works as a short push, not as a long-term price.

Other authors start at $2.99, where every sale pays the 70% rate (about $1.88 on a 2 MB file). Either approach can work. Whichever you pick, decide before launch when you will raise the price.

Common pricing mistakes

• Using an old price limit. Many guides still say the 70% rate stops at $9.99. KDP’s own page now says $12.99.
• Pricing just over a royalty limit. Going from $12.99 to $14.99 can cost you about $3.60 a sale.
• Copying the cheapest competitor. Competing on price alone is hard. Compete on the result your book delivers.
• Ignoring file size. Large files carry a delivery cost on the 70% option.
• Changing the price every few days. You cannot tell what worked.

FAQ

How much should I charge for an ebook?

It depends on what the ebook is for. A lead magnet is free. A short guide is usually $2.99 to $5.99 on Kindle, or $9 to $14 if you sell it yourself. A full nonfiction ebook is usually $5.99 to $12.99 on Kindle, or $15 to $29 sold directly.

What is a good price for a Kindle ebook?

For the 70% royalty, the price must be between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com. Many nonfiction ebooks sell for about $6 to $13. Fiction often sells for less, around $3 to $7.

Is $0.99 a good price for an ebook?

It can work for a short launch to get early readers and reviews. At $0.99 you earn the 35% rate, about $0.35 per sale, so it is not a good long-term price.

Should I give my ebook away for free?

Yes, if its job is to build your email list or introduce you to new readers. Our guide to making a lead magnet ebook covers that route. If you need it to earn money, charge for it. You can also give away a free sample chapter and charge for the full book.

How much do authors earn per ebook sale?

On Amazon in the US, a $6.99 ebook with a 2 MB file earns about $4.68 at the 70% rate. A $14.99 ebook earns about $5.25 at the 35% rate. Other stores and direct sales have different rates.

Can I change my ebook price later?

Yes. You can change it on Amazon and on direct sales platforms, so do not worry about getting it perfect on day one. Change it once, wait a few weeks, and look at the results.

Where Koobe fits

Once you know your price, the next step is the ebook itself. If you are still planning, start with our free ebook outline generator. If you would like the writing, cover and formatting done for you, Koobe turns an idea into a finished ebook with files ready for Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Gumroad and Etsy. Your first book is free.