Last reviewed by Robert Prime — July 2026. KDP printing costs and royalty rules change; the figures below were taken from kdp.amazon.com at the date of writing — check the KDP printing cost pages before you price.
Short answer: Publish a paperback as your default — it's cheaper to print, can be priced low enough to sell in volume, supports the widest range of trim sizes, and is what most readers buy. Add a hardcover if you want a premium, giftable edition with a higher royalty per copy and more shelf presence — it costs more to make (a far higher fixed printing cost), so it must be priced higher and sells fewer units, but it earns more on each sale. If your budget allows, do both: the paperback carries volume, the hardcover carries margin and prestige. The one thing authors underestimate is that a hardcover is a separate formatting job — different trim sizes, a 75-page minimum, wider gutters — not the same file with a new cover.
We run a book formatting queue at publishing.co.uk, so the numbers below reflect what KDP actually charges UK authors in 2026, pulled from Amazon's own printing-cost pages — not guesswork.
Table of Contents
- Hardcover vs Paperback at a Glance
- What Each Format Costs to Make (Real KDP Figures)
- What Each Format Earns You
- Trim Sizes, Page Limits and the Formatting Catch
- When to Choose Paperback, Hardcover, or Both
- FAQ
Hardcover vs Paperback at a Glance
| Paperback | Hardcover | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to make | Low — small fixed cost per book | Higher — much bigger fixed cost per book |
| Royalty per copy | Lower (priced low, thin margin) | Higher (priced high, fatter margin) |
| Minimum list price | Low — can sell at £6–£10 | Higher — the print cost forces a higher floor |
| Perceived value | Standard, everyday reader edition | Premium, durable, gift- and collector-friendly |
| Copies sold | The most — default reader choice | Fewer — a niche/premium buy |
| Page limits (KDP) | 24–828 pages | 75–550 pages |
| Trim sizes | Widest choice | A more limited set |
| Best for | Every book, as the core edition | Special editions, gifting, non-fiction authority, series collectors |
The honest framing: paperback is not "worse" than hardcover — it's the workhorse that most of your sales will come from. Hardcover is the premium layer you add on top when the book (or the buyer) justifies it. This isn't an either/or for many authors; it's "paperback definitely, hardcover maybe as well."
What Each Format Costs to Make (Real KDP Figures)
KDP prints on demand and deducts a printing cost from every sale. The formula is the same for both formats (KDP):
Fixed cost + (page count × per-page cost) = printing cost
What changes between paperback and hardcover is the fixed cost — and that gap is the whole story.
UK marketplace (Amazon.co.uk), black ink, regular trim, 2026:
| Fixed cost | Per-page cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback (110–828 pages) | £0.85 | £0.010 |
| Hardcover (110–550 pages) | £4.15 | £0.010 |
Source: KDP Paperback Printing Cost and KDP Hardcover Printing Cost. US black-ink rates are $1.00 + $0.012/page for paperback and $5.65 + $0.012/page for hardcover; KDP's own worked example is a 300-page US hardcover at $5.65 + (300 × $0.012) = $9.25.
The per-page cost is identical — it's the fixed cost that jumps, because a hardback case and binding cost more to produce than a glued paperback cover. Put it through the formula for a typical 300-page black-ink novel on Amazon.co.uk:
- Paperback: £0.85 + (300 × £0.010) = £3.85 to print
- Hardcover: £4.15 + (300 × £0.010) = £7.15 to print
So the same book costs roughly £3.30 more to make in hardcover — almost entirely down to that higher fixed cost. (Note: KDP's paperback rate for very short books under ~110 pages uses a flat £1.93 fixed cost with no per-page charge, and hardcover has a 75-page minimum — so ultra-short books can't be hardcovers at all.)
What Each Format Earns You
Royalty on KDP print books is straightforward (KDP):
(Royalty rate × list price) − printing cost = your royalty
The royalty rate is 60% on Amazon marketplaces that support the format; a lower rate can apply depending on list price, marketplace, or if you enable expanded distribution — so confirm your own figure in KDP. Because hardcover carries a higher printing cost, KDP also sets a higher minimum list price for it — you physically cannot price a hardcover as low as a paperback.
Take the same 300-page novel, priced sensibly for each format at 60% royalty (UK, black ink):
| Format | List price | Printing cost | Royalty per copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | £9.99 | £3.85 | (0.60 × £9.99) − £3.85 = £2.14 |
| Hardcover | £19.99 | £7.15 | (0.60 × £19.99) − £7.15 = £4.84 |
Worked using KDP's own royalty formula and 2026 UK black-ink printing rates. Your figures will differ by page count, trim size, ink and marketplace — run the KDP Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator for your exact book.
The pattern most authors see: a hardcover earns roughly double the royalty per copy but sells a fraction of the units. Paperback wins on total volume; hardcover wins on margin per sale and on the "premium edition" buyer who'd have paid more anyway. That's exactly why publishing both — and letting the reader choose — tends to beat betting everything on one format.
Trim Sizes, Page Limits and the Formatting Catch
This is the part that catches people out, and it's where the real cost of "adding a hardcover" hides.
A hardcover is a separate interior file. You cannot upload your paperback PDF, tick "hardcover" and be done. The reasons are technical and specific:
- Different page limits. Paperback runs 24–828 pages; hardcover runs 75–550 pages (KDP). A short book may not qualify for hardcover at all; a very long one may exceed the hardcover maximum.
- A more limited set of trim sizes. Hardcover supports fewer trim sizes than paperback, so if your paperback uses a size KDP doesn't offer in hardcover, the interior has to be re-laid-out at a supported size. See our KDP trim size guide for the current options.
- Wider gutter margins. Hardback binding "swallows" more of the inner margin than a paperback's, so text set to paperback margins can end up crowding the spine.
- A different cover template. The full-wrap dimensions, spine width and case-laminate wrap differ from the paperback cover entirely.
In practice that means a hardcover edition is a second formatting job, not a copy-paste. That's the honest reason "just add a hardcover" isn't free — and why authors adding one usually have the interior professionally reformatted rather than fight the margins and trim by hand. (For the full hardcover setup walkthrough, see how to create a hardcover book on KDP.)
If you'd rather not do that twice: we format both editions from your manuscript. Formatting starts at £69 for a KDP-ready print interior, with tiers covering print + Kindle and complete packages — so your paperback and hardcover interiors come back upload-ready, correctly sized, without you touching a gutter margin.
When to Choose Paperback, Hardcover, or Both
A simple decision framework:
- Paperback only — most first-time authors, most fiction, tight budget, or you want the lowest possible price to drive volume and reviews. This is the correct default and there's no shame in it.
- Add a hardcover — you have a gift-worthy book (a beautiful cover, a keepsake, a special or anniversary edition), authoritative non-fiction where a hardback signals credibility, or a series with collectors who'll buy the "nice" edition. The higher per-copy royalty is a bonus on top.
- Both from day one — you're building an author brand and want the full price ladder on the listing: paperback for the mass reader, hardcover for the buyer who values it more. Amazon shows both formats on one product page, so you lose nothing by offering the choice.
The one genuinely bad move is a hardcover-only launch for a debut. You'd be forcing every reader up to the highest price point and cutting yourself off from the volume, reviews and discoverability that a well-priced paperback generates. Lead with paperback; let hardcover be the upgrade.
For where format sits in your wider pricing strategy, see our self-published book pricing guide.
FAQ
Should I self-publish in hardcover or paperback? Start with paperback — it's cheaper to print, can be priced low, supports the most trim sizes, and is what most readers buy. Add a hardcover if you want a premium, giftable edition with a higher royalty per copy. For many authors the best answer is both: paperback for volume, hardcover for margin and prestige.
Is hardcover more profitable than paperback on KDP? Per copy, usually yes — a hardcover typically earns roughly double the royalty of a paperback because it's priced higher (e.g. ~£4.84 vs ~£2.14 on a 300-page UK novel at 60% royalty). But it sells far fewer units, so paperback almost always wins on total earnings. Hardcover adds margin, not volume.
Why does a hardcover cost more to print? The fixed cost is much higher. On Amazon.co.uk in 2026, a black-ink paperback carries about a £0.85 fixed cost versus around £4.15 for hardcover; the per-page cost (£0.010) is the same. The hard case and binding are what drive the difference (KDP).
Can I use the same file for hardcover and paperback? No. Hardcover has different page limits (75–550 vs 24–828 for paperback), a more limited set of trim sizes, wider gutter margins and a different cover template. It's a separate interior — a second formatting job, not a copy-paste. This is why authors adding a hardcover usually have it reformatted properly.
What's the minimum page count for a KDP hardcover? 75 pages. Paperback allows as few as 24 pages, but hardcover requires at least 75, so very short books can only be published in paperback (KDP).
How do I work out my exact royalty for each format? Use KDP's own formula — (royalty rate × list price) − printing cost — and its Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator, which shows the printing cost and minimum price for your specific trim size, page count, ink and marketplace.
Adding a hardcover edition? Both interiors need formatting to KDP's spec. See your book formatted, then order from £69 →
Related guides
External references
- KDP Paperback Printing Cost — fixed and per-page rates by marketplace
- KDP Hardcover Printing Cost — hardcover rates, page limits, worked example
- KDP Hardcover Royalty — royalty rates and formula
- KDP Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator — exact figures for your book
