# Amazon KDP review (2026): is it any good? > Amazon's free self-publishing for ebooks and print-on-demand books Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon's self-publishing service for ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. Authors upload a manuscript and cover, set a list price, and Amazon prints paperbacks and hardcovers when a customer orders them. There is no sign-up fee; Amazon takes a share of each sale and deducts the printing cost on print books. - **Category:** Print on Demand & Dropshipping - **Made by:** Amazon - **Website:** https://kdp.amazon.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Watch out: Expanded Distribution pays 40% of list price minus printing cost, and royalties arrive about 30 days after the month ends. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Amazon KDP is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to join and publish. Amazon pays a royalty on each sale: up to 70% on ebooks and up to 60% on print books, with printing cost deducted on print. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | KDP (royalty-based) | $0 | No fee to publish. Ebooks earn a 70% or 35% royalty; paperbacks earn 50% or 60% of the list price minus printing cost, and 40% minus printing cost through Expanded Distribution. | Read from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Amazon KDP before buying. ## Key features - **Ebooks and print books:** One account publishes Kindle ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, and KDP says books appear on Amazon stores in more than 10 countries within 72 hours. - **Printed when ordered:** Paperbacks and hardcovers are printed when a customer orders them and shipped by Amazon, so there is no inventory to hold. - **Royalty options:** Ebooks offer a 70% or 35% royalty depending on content and country. Paperbacks pay 50% or 60% of list price, set by price and marketplace, less printing cost. - **Printing cost and royalty calculator:** KDP provides a calculator for estimating printing cost and royalty. Printing cost depends on the marketplace, page count and ink type, not on trim size or cover finish. - **KDP Select:** Enrolling an ebook in KDP Select makes it eligible for Kindle+ and earns royalties for pages read. - **Expanded Distribution:** Paperbacks can be offered through other channels, with a royalty of 40% of the list price in that channel minus printing cost. Japanese-language paperbacks cannot join. ## Good for - Authors who want their book on Amazon with no upfront cost - Writers publishing an ebook and a paperback from one account - Anyone who prefers to keep ownership of the content and set their own list price ## Worth knowing - Printing cost comes off each print sale: KDP's own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-ink paperback sold on the US marketplace. - Sales through Expanded Distribution pay a lower 40% rate, and those royalties appear about 30 days after the month ends. - A minimum list price applies so that the royalty always covers printing cost. - Per-page-read royalties through Kindle+ require enrolling the ebook in KDP Select. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Kindle Direct Publishing puts your ebook or paperback on Amazon, and it costs nothing to join. Amazon keeps the printing cost and a share of each sale, and royalties through Expanded Distribution drop to 40%. - **Value for money: C.** No fee, but Amazon's cut is the price: up to 70% on ebooks and 60% on print, with the printing cost taken off. Its own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-and-white paperback. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Joining and publishing are free, with no trial needed, and one author could live on that. The costs come out of each sale. - **Features: B.** Ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, a royalty calculator, KDP Select and Expanded Distribution. The listing shows no gap in the core job of publishing a book. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You still format the manuscript and cover and set prices that clear the minimum. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, with no API or integrations on the listing. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Amazon's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among print-on-demand and dropshipping services - Amazon KDP's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 30 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on features (B, above 20 of 30) and worst on value for money (C, above 0). - Amazon KDP has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/print-on-demand ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Amazon KDP is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could make: Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Printers that make and ship each order. - You could not: Data from Amazon's seller tools and years of sales estimates. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Print on demand, Digital downloads, Amazon selling ## Alternatives - [IngramSpark](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ingramspark): Print-on-demand and wholesale distribution for self-published books. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ingramspark-vs-kdp) - [Lulu Direct](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lulu-direct): Print API that prints and ships books to your customers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kdp-vs-lulu-direct) - [Blurb](https://toolgpa.com/tools/blurb): Print-on-demand photo books, books, magazines and wall art. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blurb-vs-kdp) - [Merch by Amazon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/merch-by-amazon): Amazon program for uploading designs and earning royalties. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kdp-vs-merch-by-amazon) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834330 - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200644210 - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200798990 Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/kdp Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).