Paperback vs Hardcover on KDP — Which Should You Publish?
KDP lets you publish both paperback and hardcover editions of the same book. But should you? They have different printing costs, different cover requirements, and different reader expectations. Here's how to decide.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Paperback | Hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum pages | 24 | 75 |
| Maximum pages | 828 | 550 |
| Trim sizes available | 14 | 8 |
| Printing cost (200-page B&W) | ~$3.40 | ~$7.90 |
| Typical list price | $9.99–$16.99 | $19.99–$29.99 |
| Typical royalty per sale | $2–$5 | $3–$7 |
| Expanded distribution | Yes (40% royalty) | No |
| Cover complexity | Standard wraparound | Case laminate with hinge & board overhang |
Printing cost difference
Hardcovers cost roughly 2× more to print than paperbacks for the same content. A 200-page black-and-white book costs $3.40 in paperback vs $7.90 in hardcover. For premium color, it's $14.00 vs $19.50.
This means your minimum list price is higher for hardcover, and you need to price accordingly to maintain margins. Use the royalty calculator to compare profit at different price points for both formats.
Royalty comparison
Both formats pay a 60% royalty rate on Amazon store sales. The royalty formula is the same: (List Price × 0.60) – Printing Cost. The difference is purely in the printing cost.
Example with a 200-page B&W book:
| Paperback at $12.99 | Hardcover at $22.99 | |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon pays (60%) | $7.79 | $13.79 |
| Printing cost | –$3.40 | –$7.90 |
| Your royalty | $4.39 | $5.89 |
The hardcover earns $1.50 more per sale despite costing $4.50 more to print. The higher list price more than compensates for the higher printing cost.
Cover requirements
This is where the real difference hits. Paperback covers are a simple wraparound — back, spine, front, with 0.125" bleed on all sides. Straightforward.
Hardcover covers are significantly more complex. The cover boards extend beyond the page block (board overhang), there are hinge channels between the spine and boards, and the cover image wraps around the boards. The total file is wider and taller than a paperback cover for the same trim size.
Most cover design tools — including Canva and Amazon's own Cover Creator — don't support hardcover dimensions. CoverLab Pro is one of the few tools that calculates full hardcover case laminate geometry automatically.
When to publish paperback only
Paperback is the right choice when your book is under 75 pages (hardcover minimum), when you're publishing low-content books (journals, planners, activity books), when you want expanded distribution (bookstores and libraries), or when you're testing a new title and want to minimize complexity.
When to add hardcover
Add hardcover when your book is nonfiction with a premium positioning (business, self-help, memoir), when you want to offer a gift-worthy edition, when your paperback is selling consistently and you want to capture the premium segment, or when your genre expects it (literary fiction, coffee table books).
Publishing both formats
If you publish both, use the same trim size for both editions. This lets you reuse the interior formatting — you only need to create a new cover file for the hardcover dimensions. KDP links both editions together on the same Amazon product page automatically.
Use the spine calculator to get dimensions for both formats, and the royalty calculator to compare profit margins at different price points.
Related articles
Ready to design your cover?
CoverLab Pro calculates spine width, bleed, and trim dimensions automatically. Create a print-ready cover in minutes.
🚀 Create Your Cover Free