Wondering how to make money publishing books on Amazon? Thankfully, making money on Amazon is a relatively straightforward process. Once you’ve done your market research and hit your target audience, it’s really all about the numbers. This is the definitive guide on to make money publishing books on Amazon.
(Need some help learning how to do market research and hit the target audience for your genre? Check out our course on how to become a Full-Time Fiction Author.)
In this post, we cover everything on how to make money publishing a book on Amazon. If you want to make money publishing books you can do so. All it takes is a little time, effort, and practice!
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This guide to how to make money publishing books on Amazon will cover:
Does Amazon pay you for publishing books?
Amazon pays its authors a large royalty rate, typically a much higher percentage than you would receive if you traditionally published. This is one reason why there are so many self-publishing success stories. Amazon’s royalty rates vary greatly (more on this below), but regardless, your starting royalty percentages can be relatively high.
Plus, when you learn how to make money publishing on Amazon, you will quickly realize you don’t need to have piles of your books sitting in your basement. Amazon’s KDP Print is Amazon’s print-on-demand service. This can be extremely helpful for authors.
How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon?
If you want to discover how to make money publishing books on Amazon or how to publish a book for free, all you need to do is turn to Amazon. Of course, when publishing a book on any platform, marketing is a crucial aspect that largely contributes to your book’s success. Readers must be made aware your book exists in order to purchase it, after all.
But, marketing investment aside, authors can make quite a bit of income from learning the tips and tricks of how to make money publishing books on Amazon. If this piques your interest, just keep reading.
Can you actually make money selling books on Amazon?
Yes, you can most definitely make money self-publishing on Amazon. Learning how to make money publishing books on Amazon starts with Kindle eBook sales and Kindle Unlimited page reads. These are the two top ways authors make their money on Amazon. Here is a simple breakdown of how the process works.
Kindle eBook sales
Let’s start answering, how to make money publishing books on Amazon with Kindle eBook sales. For Kindle eBook sales, there are two royalty rates that Amazon will pay out based on the price you choose to list your ebook. Amazon pays out a 35% royalty rate for books priced at $0.01-2.98 or any book over $9.99.
However, if you list your Kindle book within the preferred $2.99 – $9.99 range, you’ll earn 70% royalties on all book sales.
Obviously, it pays to play Amazon’s game and keep your price point within their golden zone. Need a visual breakdown? Check out the table below to see the most common prices points and what you will earn per book sold.
| Kindle Price | Royalty Rate | Income Per Book Sale** |
| $0.99 | 35%* | $0.35 |
| $1.99 | 35%* | $0.70 |
| $2.99 | 70% | $2.09 |
| $3.99 | 70% | $2.79 |
| $4.99 | 70% | $3.49 |
* All Kindle eBook prices outside of the $2.99-$9.99 range automatically earn 35% royalty rate unless the book is on a Kindle Countdown deal
**Excluding delivery fee determined by KDP based on file size
Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) Read
Next up in how to make money publishing books on Amazon: KENP. If you choose to enroll your book in Kindle Unlimited (or Kindle Select), you will be introducing another Amazon revenue stream into the mix. There’s only one caveat—you must make your book exclusive to KDP for a 90-day period.
Many find the benefits are well worth the trade-off. Successful authors on KDP Select attribute 50, 60, or even 75% of their income to Kindle Unlimited Page Reads, or KENP Read (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages Read). There is definitely money to be made when you become a KDP Select author.
The royalty rate for KENP is based on how many subscribers are enrolled into the Kindle Unlimited program each month. As you’ve probably guessed, that rate changes every month. Yet, historically, the rate doesn’t vary by much. We’re talking percentages of pennies here.
If you enroll your book in Kindle Select or Kindle Unlimited, your eBook will be evaluated and given a page count, or KENPC (Kindle Enrolled Normalized Page Count). Amazon loves their acronyms.
Here is a simple chart to help show an example of the money you can earn with KENP reads. (Based on the average KENP rate of $0.045 a page.)
| Kindle Pages Read | KENP Income Earned |
| 100 page reads | $0.45 |
| 1,000 page reads | $4.50 |
| 10,000 page reads | $45.00 |
| 100,000 page reads | $450.00 |
Enrolling your book in Kindle Select/Kindle Unlimited has another perk—special promotions. KDP Select authors can use one of two types of promotions per quarter, every 90 days:
- 5 Free Days per period OR
- 7 Kindle Countdown Days per period
Granted, using your free KDP days may not technically make you more money. But you can use free days to give your book some much-needed exposure.
Broader income streams and monetization tactics
Selling books on Amazon isn’t just about launching a title and hoping it takes off. The authors who earn the most over time think beyond individual book sales and focus on building multiple income streams from the same content.
When done right, each book becomes an asset that continues generating revenue long after it’s published.
Why writing a series increases lifetime earnings
One of the simplest ways to earn more from Amazon publishing is by writing a series instead of a standalone book.
When readers enjoy the first book, they’re far more likely to purchase the next one, and the next. That means a single sale can turn into multiple purchases without additional marketing effort. This is especially powerful for fiction, but nonfiction authors can apply the same strategy by breaking a broad topic into focused, interconnected books.
A strong first book acts as a gateway, pulling readers deeper into your catalog and increasing your total earnings per reader.
Multiply revenue with multiple formats
Another overlooked way to grow income is by publishing your book in more than one format.
Some readers prefer Kindle. Others want a physical copy. And a growing number consume books exclusively through audio. By offering your content as an eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook, you’re making sure you don’t miss out on readers simply because your book isn’t available in their preferred format.
The best part? Once your manuscript is written, expanding into new formats requires far less effort than writing a new book from scratch.
Tap into international markets
Amazon isn’t limited to English-speaking readers.
Translating your book allows you to reach entirely new audiences in international marketplaces, many of which have far less competition than the U.S. store. Even one translated title can open the door to consistent, passive income from readers around the world.
With Amazon introducing AI-powered translation tools, testing global markets is becoming more accessible for authors who want to scale without massive upfront costs.
Niche research and content strategy
One of the biggest mistakes new authors make is starting with what they want to write instead of what readers are already buying.
If your goal is to learn how to make money publishing books on Amazon, niche research is foundational. Choosing the right topic can be the difference between a book that quietly disappears and one that consistently generates sales.
A strong Amazon niche sits at the intersection of demand and opportunity.
Demand means people are actively searching for and buying books on the topic. Opportunity means the niche isn’t so competitive that new books have no chance of being discovered. You want proof that readers are spending money, but not a category dominated entirely by household-name authors or massive publishers.
A simple way to evaluate this is by browsing Amazon search results in your category. If you see books with solid reviews and reasonable rankings (but not every top result has thousands of reviews) you’re likely looking at a healthy niche.
The goal isn’t to find a “perfect” niche. It’s to find one where readers exist and there’s room for a well-positioned book to stand out.
Why some genres earn more than others
Not all book categories perform equally on Amazon.
Certain genres and nonfiction topics have a long track record of strong sales because they solve clear problems or deliver a specific experience readers are willing to pay for. In nonfiction, this often includes areas like personal development, business, health, and practical how-to guides. In fiction, popular genres such as romance, thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction tend to dominate due to loyal reader bases and high series consumption.
That doesn’t mean smaller or niche genres can’t be profitable. It means understanding reader behavior matters. Genres with repeat readers, binge-reading habits, and series potential often generate higher lifetime value per customer.
Once you identify a promising niche, your content strategy becomes much clearer.
Instead of trying to write a book that appeals to everyone, you can focus on a specific reader, problem, or desire. This makes your title, description, and positioning more compelling and helps Amazon’s algorithm understand who to show your book to.
Many successful authors also plan multiple books within the same niche from the beginning. This allows you to build momentum, grow authority, and increase earnings without constantly restarting your research process.
How much do authors make per book on Amazon?
How much do authors make on Amazon? The real money-maker comes from the Kindle Countdown Days. During your Kindle Countdown promotion, your $0.99 or $1.99 book will earn 70% royalty rates. That’s right, you can list your book at $0.99 and earn yourself $0.70 per book vs. the $0.35 you would normally earn. Now you’re really learning how to make money publishing books on Amazon!
Of course, this double royalty rate is only good for 7 days per 90-day period. So, use your Kindle Countdown Days wisely. At this point, you might be asking yourself, “What about paperback sales?” Good question!
In an ideal world, paperback sales would earn authors just as much money as ebook sales or KENP reads. However, on Amazon, that’s not typically the case.
Most authors make only a small percentage of their income from paperback sales (0-10%), especially fiction authors. While this is one aspect of how to make money publishing books on Amazon, paperbacks are mostly good for selling to family and friends or at in-person author events.
The reality is that eBook sales have eclipsed paperback book sales, especially on the almighty Amazon. You can thank the Kindle app for this phenomenon. Avid readers can download the app and devour books anywhere, even on their phone (guilty!).
That’s good news for authors looking into how to make money publishing books on Amazon. The age of Kindle is still going strong. Now is the time to dive in and start making those eBook sales and get your KENP reads on. For more info, check out this super quick video on the topic.
How to make money publishing books on Amazon: your next step
Disclaimer: This post was written by a best-selling, full-time fiction author, who also happens to be one of our amazing book coaches!
If you’re looking to do more with your book or book idea, like put into practice what you learned about how to make money publishing on Amazon, we can help. Book a free call with one of our amazing coaches and start your publishing journey today!
