Hardcover vs Paperback Self-Publishing: Cost, Royalty & Which to Pick

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Hardcover vs Paperback Self Publishing on publishing.co.uk — Professional KDP Book Formatting

Hardcover vs Paperback Self-Publishing: Cost, Royalty & Which to Pick