About the KDP Break-Even Calculator
Publishing a book well usually means paying for things up front: editing, a cover, formatting, perhaps ISBNs and a launch promotion. The break-even point is the number of copies you need to sell before those costs are paid back and every further sale is profit.
Enter your fixed costs as one total or list up to six named items, such as editing and cover design, and the calculator adds them up for you. Then enter your book price, royalty rate, printing or delivery cost per copy and average ad cost per sale. It shows the number of books needed to break even, the contribution each sale makes, royalty per book and the revenue readers will have spent by the time you break even.
Use it to sanity-check a budget before you commission work, to compare a cheaper cover against a pricier one, or to see how much a price rise or lower ad cost shortens the road to profit. If each sale earns nothing after costs, the tool explains that break-even is impossible and what to change.
How It Works
Royalty per book is your royalty rate multiplied by the price, minus the printing or variable cost per copy. Subtracting the ad cost per sale gives the contribution: what each sale puts towards your fixed costs.
Books to break even is fixed costs divided by contribution per book, rounded up to a whole copy. Revenue at break-even is that number of books multiplied by the list price.
In itemised mode, blank rows are ignored and the listed costs are summed into fixed costs before the calculation.
Formula
- Contribution
- Contribution per book = (Royalty % × Price) − Variable cost − Ad cost per sale
- Break-even
- Books to break even = Fixed costs ÷ Contribution per book (rounded up)
- Revenue
- Revenue at break-even = Books to break even × Price
Example
$1,500 of launch costs for a $14.99 paperback
- Fixed costs: $800 editing + $400 cover + $150 formatting + $150 launch promotion = $1,500.
- Royalty per book: (60% × $14.99) − $4.00 printing = $4.99.
- Contribution per book: $4.994 − $1.50 ad cost = $3.494, shown as $3.49.
- Books to break even: $1,500 ÷ $3.494 = 429.3, rounded up to 430. Revenue at that point: 430 × $14.99 = $6,445.70.
You need to sell 430 paperbacks to recover $1,500, after which each sale adds about $3.49 of profit.
Important Notes
- Break-even is rounded up to whole copies, because you cannot sell part of a book.
- Contribution is shown rounded to the cent, but the break-even count uses the unrounded value.
- The royalty rate is the one you enter. KDP's print rate depends on your price, so check it with the KDP Royalty Calculator.
- Ongoing costs such as monthly software are best added as an estimate for the period you are measuring.
- Kindle Unlimited income, taxes and currency conversion are not included.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a fixed cost?
Anything you pay once regardless of how many copies sell: editing, proofreading, cover design, interior formatting, ISBNs, illustrations, author photos and launch promotions. Printing is a variable cost because you pay it per copy.
Why does the tool say I can never break even?
If the royalty per book minus ad cost per sale is zero or negative, each sale adds nothing towards your fixed costs. Raise the price, lower printing or ad costs, or switch to a higher royalty option.
How do I estimate ad cost per sale?
Divide your total ad spend by the number of sales it produced over the same period. If you do not advertise, leave it blank. The [Advertising Break-Even Calculator](/tools/advertising-break-even-calculator) helps with ad-specific targets.
Should I include my own time?
Only if you want to. Most authors leave it out and use break-even to measure cash costs. If you add a value for your time, the copy count will show what it takes to pay for that too.
Can I combine eBook and paperback sales?
This tool uses one price and royalty per run. For a mixed estimate, run it with a weighted average price and royalty, or run each format separately to see the range.
How can I break even faster?
Raise contribution per book or lower fixed costs. A small price increase that moves a paperback above KDP's low-rate threshold, or trimming ad cost per sale, can cut the copies needed substantially.
Related KDP Tools
- KDP Profit CalculatorTurn royalties, ad spend and other costs into net profit, profit per book and margin.
- KDP Royalty CalculatorEstimate your royalty and profit from Kindle, paperback and hardcover sales.
- Advertising Break-Even CalculatorFind your break-even CPC, break-even ACOS and maximum sustainable bid.
- KDP Ad Profit CalculatorModel clicks, conversions and royalty to see whether your Amazon Ads campaign makes money.
- Kindle Royalty CalculatorCompare the 35% and 70% eBook royalty options including delivery costs.
- BSR Sales EstimatorTurn an Amazon Best Sellers Rank into an approximate daily and monthly sales range.
Related Guides
- How KDP Royalties WorkA clear guide to KDP royalties: the 35% and 70% eBook options, delivery costs and VAT, the 50% and 60% print tiers, expanded distribution and printing costs.
- How to Calculate KDP Ad Profit: ACOS, ROAS, CPC and Break-EvenCalculate whether your Amazon ads make money: ACOS, TACOS, ROAS, CPC, CPA, conversion rate, break-even ACOS and break-even CPC, with a worked example.