Updated April 2026
What does it actually cost to print one copy of your book? Enter your specs — the table updates instantly.
| Platform | Print Cost | Your Royalty | You Keep |
|---|
Books.by costs more to print per book than KDP. It also pays you 70% more per sale. Here's the trade-off in plain numbers.
Authors usually choose KDP because the print cost is lower. That's true. But KDP also takes 40% of your retail price on top of that print cost. Books.by takes nothing. On a $19.99 paperback, the printing-cost gap is about $1.20 — and the royalty gap is about $5.91 in your favour.
The right question isn't "which platform prints cheapest?" It's "which platform leaves the most in my account after a sale?" For any book priced above ~$12, that's almost always Books.by.
Same book, $19.99 paperback, 200 pages B&W. Print cost is one number. Royalty after print cost is the one that pays your rent.
$1.21 more in print cost. $5.91 more in your pocket. That's not a wash.
See exactly what you'd take home selling direct on Books.by — $99/yr, 100-day money-back guarantee.
Start Your Books.by Store — $99/yr →Amazon KDP usually has the lowest per-unit printing cost. That's by design — they control the supply chain and optimise for volume. But printing cost is only one input in your royalty calculation. What matters is what you keep.
KDP charges you less to print, then takes 40% of your retail price on top. Books.by charges slightly more to print, then takes nothing. The crossover point — where Books.by becomes more profitable — is surprisingly low. For most books priced above $12, you earn more per sale on Books.by despite the higher print cost.
Use the royalty calculator to see the full picture, or the profit calculator to project annual earnings.
IngramSpark used to charge $49 per title to set up. They've since made initial setup free, but they still charge $25 per file revision. Publishing a book with a typo on page 47? That's $25 to fix it. KDP and Books.by don't charge for revisions.
For a complete breakdown of all publishing costs (not just printing), see our self-publishing cost guide. For colour-specific printing considerations, check the colour paper types page.
For a B&W interior, roughly $3.25 on KDP, $3.50 on IngramSpark, $4.00 on Lulu, and $4.46 on Books.by. Colour interiors cost significantly more — typically $13–$15 for 200 pages depending on platform.
Amazon's print network is optimised for enormous volume. Their per-unit costs are lower because they process millions of books. Books.by uses a global POD network with print facilities in the US, UK, EU, and Australia. The cost difference is typically $1–$2 per book, but Books.by takes 0% commission on sales while KDP takes 40% — so you keep more overall on books priced above roughly $12.
IngramSpark charges $25 per file revision after initial upload. KDP, Books.by, and Lulu allow unlimited free revisions. If you're the type to catch typos after publishing (who isn't?), this matters.
Books.by takes 0% of your sales. No commission, no percentage, no surprises. $99/year for everything.
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