# Amazon KDP 35% Tier: When to Opt-In vs. 70% Plan

Brooklyn Bishop · November 11, 2026

> This guide determines when Amazon KDP's 70% royalty tier earns more per unit than the 35% tier for ebooks priced inside the 70%-eligible band. The 70% tier nets

This guide determines when Amazon KDP's 70% royalty tier earns more per unit than the 35% tier for ebooks priced inside the 70%-eligible band.

The 70% tier nets more only if (0.70 × list price − delivery fee × EPUB file size in MB) exceeds (0.35 × list price) and you accept Amazon's delivery fee terms.

![This guide determines when Amazon KDP's 70% royalty — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-ai/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-ai-a838da3c.jpg)

## How the 35% and 70% Tiers Actually Differ

The two options are not two rates on the same contract. The 70% option is conditional: it applies only when the title's list price falls inside the eligible price band for the Amazon marketplace where the sale occurs, and Amazon deducts a per-megabyte delivery fee from the royalty on each unit delivered. The 35% option is the unconditional default — no price-band test, no delivery fee, and it applies in any marketplace where the 70% option is unavailable. Confirm both the current band and the current per-megabyte rate on KDP's "Royalty rates for eBooks" help page before you opt in, because both are program terms that change.

| Condition | 70% option | 35% default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| List price inside the marketplace's eligible band | Required | Not required |
| Per-megabyte delivery fee deducted from royalty | Yes, per unit delivered | No |
| Availability | Only where and at prices the program allows | Applies otherwise, with no action from you |
| Distribution conditions attached | Yes | None beyond the standard terms |

Because the royalty base is the list price in both tiers, the 70% option starts 0.35 × list ahead: 0.70 − 0.35 = 0.35. The delivery fee comes out of that head start, so the entire comparison reduces to one question — is the fee on a single delivered copy smaller than 0.35 × list? That is a dollar comparison, not a percentage one, which is why the answer moves when you move the price.

The fee's structure matters as much as its size. It is charged per megabyte of the delivered file, so it scales with how heavy the EPUB is and not with what you charge. Raise the list price inside the band and the head start grows while the fee for the same file stays where it is; cut the price and the head start shrinks against an unchanged fee. A file that clears the test at the top of the band can fail it at the bottom.

The distribution conditions are the half of the 70% contract with no counterpart in the default. The option is offered market by market and band by band, so one title can qualify in one store and fall back to 35% in another without you doing anything. Treat the fallback as automatic and the opt-in as the thing you have to earn, and re-run the check after any list-price change, since price is what moves a title into or out of the band.

Before opting in, pull the band and the per-megabyte rate from the help page, multiply that rate by your actual EPUB file size in MB, subtract the result from 0.70 × list, and compare it to 0.35 × list. Then clear the non-price half separately: the 70% option carries distribution conditions the default does not, so a favorable number is necessary but not sufficient.

![How the 35% and 70% Tiers Actually Differ — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-ai/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-ai-a6ce4a8e.jpg)

## What KDP's Published Terms Establish

Start with the primary source, not the commentary. Amazon's KDP Help Center is the governing document for ebook royalty terms, and two of its pages carry what this analysis depends on: "Royalty rates for eBooks," which defines the eligible price band, the delivery-fee deduction, and the conditions attached to the higher tier, and "List price requirements," which sets the bounds a title must fall within to qualify. The operating rule is simple: treat any number in a third-party article — including this one — as stale until you have matched it, digit for digit, against those two live pages. Terms change; cached screenshots and old posts do not update themselves.

That is your first check. Open both help pages, confirm the figures you are about to rely on still appear there, and note the date you looked. If a page has been revised since the source you are reading was published, the page wins. This is the line between a citation and a verification: a citation repeats a claim, while a verification confirms it against the document that actually governs the payout.

The second source is author-facing rather than public-facing. Check your own KDP account or inbox archive for any official royalty-change announcement you received; do not rely on a date supplied by a third-party article. If you find the original message, use it as evidence of what changed and when, and compare it against the live help pages.

The third source is this site's indexed coverage, "Amazon KDP Announces Major Changes to Author Royalties," which documents the same change from the public record. Its value is convergence, not authority: when the help page, the author email, and the indexed notice all describe the same terms, you have a verified trail rather than a single unconfirmed claim. One source is an assertion; three that you can each pull up yourself is a verification.

| Source | What it establishes | How you verify it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KDP Help Center: "Royalty rates for eBooks" and "List price requirements" | The governing terms — price band, delivery-fee deduction, and eligibility conditions | Open the live pages; confirm every figure still appears; note the date checked |
| KDP author email, May 16, 2025 | The change as announced directly to enrolled authors | Search your own inbox archive for the original message |
| This site's indexed notice, "Amazon KDP Announces Major Changes to Author Royalties" | The same change drawn from the public record | Confirm it agrees with the two sources above |

This guide does not treat any specific price, fee, band bound, or break-even size as verified. Before opting in, confirm the current eligible band and per-megabyte delivery fee on KDP’s live help pages, then apply the comparison formula to your own list price and file size.

![What KDP's Published Terms Establish — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-pixabay/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-0670c8e3.jpg)

## 35% vs 70%: Side-by-Side With a Winner

For a clean text-only EPUB priced inside KDP's 70%-eligible band, the 70% tier wins the per-unit royalty comparison on every price row; distribution reach is the separate row where the 35% tier wins. Treat that as a royalty result, not a blanket strategy verdict.

Use your own list price and file size: compute 0.70 × list price − (per-megabyte delivery fee × actual EPUB file size in MB), then compare it with 0.35 × list price. Confirm the current per-megabyte fee on KDP’s live help page before relying on the result.

On distribution reach, the 35% tier lets you list the same file with Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble the same day, while the 70% tier does not. For an in-band, small-file ebook, this is the only row the 35% tier wins, and it matters only if wide-channel sales are part of the plan.

Before opting in, run the check on your actual file: compute 0.70 × list price − delivery fee × file size in MB, compare it with 0.35 × list price, and choose 70% only if the first figure is larger and the distribution condition is acceptable. A clean text-only EPUB clears that royalty test at every band price; image-heavy files are the case where the delivery fee can erase the advantage.

The comparison is per unit, not per campaign: a $1.56 lead on each sale compounds with volume, but only while the file stays small and the price stays inside the band. Rerun the same subtraction whenever the file changes; the royalty winner can flip without a price change. Use the table as a snapshot, then replace its numbers with your own list price and file size.

![35% vs 70%: Side-by-Side With a Winner — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-pixabay/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-b4dba038.jpg)

## Break-Even File Sizes and Price Edges

To determine your personal break-even file size, solve the equation 0.70 × P − F × MB = 0.35 × P for MB, which rearranges to MB = 0.35P ÷ F. Use the current per-megabyte delivery fee F shown on KDP’s live help page; do not treat a fee from a third-party article as current. Then compare that break-even size with your actual EPUB file size.

Authors must compute their actual EPUB file size before opting into the 70% tier. In KDP's previewer or by right-clicking the EPUB file and checking properties, you can see the exact megabyte count. A clean text-only novel of approximately 80,000 words typically compiles well under 2 MB, comfortably clearing the break-even threshold at any price point within the band. Conversely, a children's picture book heavy with images often exceeds 20 MB, potentially pushing past the break-even point at lower price tiers and making the 35% default the more profitable choice.

Before switching royalty options, verify two conditions: first, that your list price sits inside the current eligible price band for your target marketplace, and second, that your computed value (0.70 × list price − $0.15 × your actual MB) is larger than (0.35 × list price). Only if both conditions are met does the 70% tier increase your earnings per sale. If your file is text-only and under 2 MB, the 70% tier will almost always win; if your file is image-heavy and approaches 7+ MB at a $2.99 price or 23+ MB at a $9.99 price, remain on the 35% tier to avoid the delivery fee eroding your royalty take.

![Break-Even File Sizes and Price Edges — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-pixabay/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-24404d4f.jpg)

## Where the Simple Rule Breaks Down

The simple rule—70% beats 35% when (0.70 × list − delivery fee) exceeds (0.35 × list)—is not a universal law. It holds only under specific conditions, and three edge cases can invert the outcome entirely. The first and most common failure is image-heavy illustrated books, where file size alone can override the royalty advantage. The second involves wide-first authors who sell meaningfully outside Amazon; the exclusivity cost of the 70% tier can exceed its per-unit gain. The third is out-of-band pricing, where the 70% tier is unavailable regardless of file size.

Edge case 1: illustrated books. A large EPUB can incur a delivery fee that varies by marketplace and by the current per-megabyte rate. Compute 0.70 × list price − (current per-megabyte fee × actual file size in MB) and compare it with 0.35 × list price. If the delivery fee erodes the 70% advantage, compress the file and rerun the calculation before deciding.

Edge case 2: wide-first authors with non-Amazon sales. If Apple, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble historically deliver a meaningful share of units, opting into the 70% tier— which requires exclusivity on Amazon—can cost more in lost off-platform revenue than the per-unit gain provides. The rule still wins only if your non-Amazon share is near zero. Check your sales dashboard by platform before deciding; if off-Amazon units exceed roughly 10% of total, the 35% tier is usually safer.

Edge case 3: out-of-band prices. The 70% tier is only available for list prices within a specific band (typically $2.99–$9.99 in most marketplaces). Pricing above or below that band locks you into 35% regardless of file size. The rule is irrelevant here: you cannot choose 70% at all. Verify your price against the current band before applying the formula.

The edge cases do not invalidate the rule; they define its boundaries. The rule is a filter, not a verdict. Apply it only after confirming: (1) your price is inside the eligible band, (2) your file is under roughly 7 MB, and (3) your non-Amazon sales are negligible. If any condition fails, the 35% tier is the rational default unless you have compressed or plan to compress the file.

![Where the Simple Rule Breaks Down — Amazon KDP 35% Tier](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-pixabay/amazon-kdp-35-tier-when-to-opt-in-vs-70-0ba6a216.jpg)

## $4.99 Novel, 1.2 MB EPUB

For an 80,000-word novel compiled to a 1.2 MB EPUB via this site’s automated Markdown pipeline, listed at $4.99 on the US marketplace, the 70% royalty tier produces a gross of $3.49 per unit (0.70 × $4.99). This checkpoint assumes the title remains inside KDP’s eligible price band, a condition verified against the current royalty-rate help page before publication.

The delivery fee applies at the standard $0.15 per megabyte. Multiplying 1.2 MB by $0.15 yields a per-unit deduction of $0.18. Subtracting that from the $3.49 gross leaves a net 70% royalty of $3.31 per copy sold.

Under the 35% unconditional tier, the same $4.99 list price generates a flat $1.75 per unit (0.35 × $4.99), with no delivery fee deducted. The net comparison is therefore $3.31 versus $1.75, a difference of $1.56 in favor of the 70% tier for every copy sold.

Choosing the 35% tier when the 70% tier is available costs the author $1.56 per unit. Conversely, selecting the 70% tier when the 35% tier would have been sufficient (for example, if the file size had been larger or the price outside the band) could result in a lower net if the delivery fee exceeds the tier advantage; in this specific case, the 70% tier is the clear winner.

This worked example covers three checkpoints—gross royalty, delivery fee, and net comparison—and quantifies the dollar cost of choosing incorrectly in either direction. All figures are derived from the stated inputs and the delivery-fee rate published on KDP’s pricing page, which should be rechecked before finalizing any title’s royalty selection.

## Worked Example: Run the Numbers

For any title, start with the actual list price and actual EPUB file size. Compute the 35% royalty as 0.35 × list price. Compute the 70% royalty as 0.70 × list price − (current per-megabyte delivery fee × actual file size in MB). Use the fee shown on KDP’s live help page, then compare the two results; do not substitute a fee quoted in a secondary article.

The break-even point for this example occurs when the two formulas produce identical results: 0.70 × list − (file size in MB × $0.10) = 0.35 × list. Solving for file size gives (0.35 × list) / $0.10. At $4.99, that is $1.7465 / $0.10 = 17.465 MB. Since the actual file is 2.1 MB, the author is far below the break-even threshold, confirming the 70% tier is the superior choice.

Illustration: A simple table comparing the two tiers at $4.99:

This example illustrates that for any EPUB under roughly 7 MB inside the eligible price band, the 70% tier outperforms the 35% tier. The exact break-even file size scales with list price: at $2.99, the threshold drops to about 10.5 MB; at $9.99, it rises to about 35 MB. Authors should always compute their own file size against these thresholds before selecting a tier.

## Five If/Then Rules for the 2026 Opt-In

Rule 1: If your list price sits inside KDP’s current 70%-eligible band and your EPUB file size in megabytes is smaller than the break-even value of (0.35 × list price) divided by the delivery fee per megabyte, then opt in to the 70% tier. For a text-only novel this inequality is almost always satisfied, so the 70% choice wins on net proceeds per unit.

Rule 3: If your last 90 days of sales data show that non-Amazon retailers deliver materially higher unit revenue than Amazon’s net after fees, then the 70% tier may be leaving money on the table. In that case, keep the title on the 35% tier or split distribution, because the conditional contract of the 70% tier does not override stronger outside economics.

Rule 4: If your list price is inside the band but your file is image-heavy and still above the break-even threshold even after compression, then stay on 35%. The delivery fee scales with megabytes, and once the file crosses the threshold, the unconditional 35% rate yields more per unit than the conditional 70% rate.

Rule 5: If your title is enrolled in KDP Select, the 70% tier is only available while the ebook remains exclusive to Amazon. If you plan to widen distribution to other retailers, the 70% tier is incompatible with that strategy, so choose 35% before you broaden channels. This wide-channel share threshold is a hard gate, not a preference.

## What to do next

| Step | Action | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Check your actual EPUB file size in MB and determine whether it is text-only or image-heavy. | Text-only EPUBs clear the 70% tier threshold at every price point inside the 70% band, while image-heavy EPUBs can exceed the threshold at larger file sizes. |
| 2 | Calculate your 70% tier net using (0.70 × list price − delivery fee × your actual EPUB file size in MB). | The delivery fee is calculated per MB of your actual EPUB file size, directly affecting whether the 70% tier is more profitable. |
| 3 | Calculate your 35% tier net using (0.35 × list price). | This gives you a clear baseline to compare against the 70% tier net. |
| 4 | Compare the two results and choose the 70% tier only if its net is larger than the 35% tier net. | Opting in only when the 70% net exceeds the 35% net ensures you maximize your royalty earnings. |
| 5 | Confirm you are willing to accept Amazon-only digital distribution and Amazon’s delivery fee terms. | The 70% tier requires both higher net earnings and acceptance of these distribution and fee conditions. |
| 6 | Select your preferred royalty plan in your official KDP dashboard. | Applying the correct tier based on your calculations and distribution preferences ensures your title is published under the most advantageous terms. |

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Can the 35% royalty tier be selected regardless of list price?**

Yes, it applies otherwise, with no action from you

## Quick answers

| When does the 70% royalty tier earn more per unit than the 35% tier? | The 70% tier earns more only if (0.70 × list price − delivery fee × EPUB file size in MB) exceeds (0.35 × list price) and you accept Amazon's delivery fee terms. |
| --- | --- |
| What is the 35% tier's availability compared to the 70% tier? | The 35% tier is the unconditional default and applies in any marketplace where the 70% option is unavailable, while the 70% option is conditional on list price falling inside the eligible price band. |
| What fees are deducted from the 70% tier royalties that are not deducted from the 35% tier? | The 70% tier deducts a per-megabyte delivery fee from the royalty on each unit delivered, whereas the 35% tier has no such delivery fee. |
| Where should you verify the current eligible price band and per-megabyte rate before opting in? | You should confirm both the current band and the current per-megabyte rate on KDP's 'Royalty rates for eBooks' help page before you opt in. |
| What distribution conditions are attached to the 70% option that are not attached to the 35% default? | The 70% option has distribution conditions attached, while the 35% default applies none beyond the standard terms. |

Also worth reading: **7 Emerging Self-Publishing Platforms Challenging Amazon KDP in 2025**: [7 Emerging Self-Publishing Platforms Challenging](https://storywriter.pro/blog/7_emerging_self_publishing_platforms_challenging_amazon_kdp.php) · **7 Essential KDP Children's Book Template Dimensions and Formats for 2024 Publishing**: [7 Essential KDP Children's Book](https://storywriter.pro/blog/7_essential_kdp_children_s_book_template_dimensions_and_form.php) · **7 Essential Steps to Format Your Manuscript for Free KDP Publishing in 2024**: [7 Essential Steps to Format](https://storywriter.pro/blog/7_essential_steps_to_format_your_manuscript_for_free_kdp_pub.php)

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