Free toolEbook royalty calculator
What does one sale actually pay? Drag the price and watch the ledger — Amazon KDP, Kobo, Apple, Google, Draft2Digital and Ebokio, each from its own published rules, checked 23 August 2026. The cliffs are drawn on the rail because that's where the money is lost.
Best per-copy at £4.99: Ebokio Pro — £4.14
Every rule, dated 23 August 2026
| Platform | You keep / copy | Effective share | Rule applied | Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebokio Pro | £4.14 | 83% | 90% of net receipts (price − 0% UK VAT − ~2.9% + 25p card fee) | £19.99/mo |
| Ebokio Premium | £3.68 | 74% | 80% of net receipts (price − 0% UK VAT − ~2.9% + 25p card fee) | £13.99/mo |
| Kobo Writing Life | £3.49 | 70% | 70% at £1.99 and up, no cap | — |
| Apple Books | £3.49 | 70% | 70% at any price, no delivery fees | — |
| Google Play Books | £3.49 | 70% | 70%, no delivery fees | — |
| Amazon KDP | £3.39 | 68% | 70% inside £1.77–£12.99, minus £0.10/MB delivery | — |
| Ebokio Free | £3.22 | 64% | 70% of net receipts (price − 0% UK VAT − ~2.9% + 25p card fee) | — |
| Draft2Digital (to wide stores) | £2.99 | 60% | store's 70% minus D2D's ~10% of list ≈ 60% | — |
- Amazon KDP — ebook royalty options and list price requirements
- Amazon KDP — delivery costs by marketplace
- Kobo Writing Life — what will my earnings be
- Apple Books for Authors — publishing and payments
- Draft2Digital — royalty rates
- Ebokio Publishing — plans and royalties
- Ebokio Publishing — how much do I actually earn per sale (FAQ)
How the calculator works
Each row applies the platform's own published rule to your price. Amazon pays 70% of the ex-VAT list price inside its £1.77–£12.99 UK band minus a delivery fee on file size, and 35% outside it. Kobo pays 70% from £1.99 and 45% below. Apple and Google pay a flat 70%. Draft2Digital forwards the store's 70% minus its own share (about 60% of list to you). Ebokio pays 70–90% of net receipts — the price minus the reader's VAT (0% in the UK) and the card fee. Figures checked 23 August 2026; if a platform changes its terms, the page changes with it.
Prices just below a threshold are the expensive mistake: at £1.49, Amazon pays 35% (52p) — at £1.99 it pays 70% (£1.29) on a book that costs the reader 50p more. The same cliff sits at Kobo's £1.99 line. That is why how to price your ebook and the price calculator steer suggestions past them.
Keep going: the 14 companies compared · royalties, explained · how to self-publish a book · all free tools