How to Price Your Book for Maximum Sales
Price too high and you kill sales; too low and you leave money on the table. Here’s how to find the number that maximizes both reach and revenue.
Pricing is one of the few levers you can pull instantly, for free, that directly changes how many books you sell and how much you earn per copy. Yet most authors either guess or copy whatever the book next to theirs charges. Smart pricing balances two goals — reach (how many people buy) and revenue (how much you make per sale) — and the right number depends on your format, goal, and where the book is in its life.
eBook pricing: mind the royalty bands
On Amazon KDP, price interacts directly with your earnings. You only earn the 70% royalty when your eBook is priced between $2.99 and $9.99; outside that band you drop to 35%. That makes the $2.99–$9.99 window the default home for most eBooks. For many indie titles, $3.99–$5.99 is the sweet spot that maximizes total revenue — high enough to earn well, low enough to sell volume.
Don’t price too low, either
A $0.99 permanent price signals “cheap” and, thanks to the 35% band, earns you almost nothing per sale. Free and $0.99 are promotional tools, not a business model. The exception is the first book in a series, where a low or free price can pay off through read-through to the full-priced sequels.
Print pricing: start from cost
Print is different because KDP deducts a per-copy printing cost. The dashboard shows your minimum price; you set your list price above it to earn a royalty. Don’t underprice print — readers expect paperbacks to cost more than eBooks, and a $12.99–$16.99 range is normal for trade paperbacks. Pricing print higher than the eBook also makes the eBook look like the value option, which nudges more eBook sales.
Use psychological pricing
The conventions exist because they work: $4.99 reads as meaningfully cheaper than $5.00, and matching the price points readers already see in your genre makes your book feel correctly positioned. Browse your category and price within its normal range — being wildly cheaper can read as low quality, while being much more expensive needs strong justification.
Price for the stage your book is in
- Launch: some authors open a notch lower to spark early sales and reviews, then raise the price once momentum builds.
- Steady state: settle at the number that maximizes revenue, usually mid-band.
- Promotions: temporary $0.99 or free runs, announced to your email list, to trigger visibility.
- Series: discount book one to sell the rest at full price.
Test and adjust
Because price changes instantly, you can experiment. Try a price for a few weeks, watch your sales and total royalty, then adjust. The goal isn’t the highest price or the most units — it’s the number that produces the most total income while getting your book into enough hands to build reviews and word of mouth. For where pricing fits the bigger picture, see our Amazon book marketing guide.
Helpful resources
Frequently asked questions
What is the best price for an eBook?
For most indie eBooks, somewhere in the $3.99–$5.99 range maximizes total revenue. Stay within the $2.99–$9.99 band to earn the 70% KDP royalty; below or above it you drop to 35% and earn far less per sale.
Should I price my first book at 99 cents?
Only as a promotion or as book one of a series to drive read-through. As a permanent price it signals low quality and, in the 35% royalty band, earns almost nothing. It’s a marketing tool, not a pricing strategy.
How should I price my paperback?
Start from KDP’s printing cost, which sets your minimum, then price above it to earn a royalty. A $12.99–$16.99 range is normal for trade paperbacks. Pricing print above the eBook also makes the eBook look like the better value.
Can I change my book’s price after publishing?
Yes, instantly and for free. Price is one of the easiest levers to test — try a number for a few weeks, watch your sales and total royalties, and adjust toward whatever produces the most income while keeping sales volume healthy.
Want your pricing to work as hard as your book?
Author’s Craft helps you price and position your book across formats to balance reach and revenue — and build the promotions that drive visibility. Get a pricing and marketing plan.