---
source_url: "https://kristytate.substack.com/p/a-hard-look-at-kindle-unlimited-payouts"
title: A Hard Look at Kindle Unlimited Payouts - by Kristy Tate
mirrored_at: 2026-08-11T03:01:40.819Z
host: kristytate.substack.com
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/kristytate.substack.com/p/a-hard-look-at-kindle-unlimited-payouts"
---

> **Original source:** https://kristytate.substack.com/p/a-hard-look-at-kindle-unlimited-payouts

WARNING! NUMBERS!

There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether to keep your books exclusive to Amazon or explore the wild, wide world of other distributors. Since that topic deserves a post of its own, I’ll save it for another day. For now, let’s focus on the numbers.

To calculate how many **Kindle Unlimited (KU) pages read** are required to match the **70% royalty** from a standard ebook sale, we need to compare the payouts. Here's how it works:

**Key Variables**

1.  **Amazon 70% Royalty Program**:
    
    -   Authors earn **70% of the list price** of their ebook (minus delivery costs, which are typically minimal).
        
    -   Example: If the ebook is priced at $3.99, the author earns:  
        **$3.99 × 70% = $2.79.**
        
2.  **Kindle Unlimited Payment Per Page Read (KENP)**:
    
    -   Authors in Kindle Unlimited are paid based on the **KDP Select Global Fund**, which varies monthly.
        
    -   The **KENP rate** fluctuates but is often around **$0.0045 to $0.005 per page**.
        
        -   Example: $0.005 per page is the most common recent rate.
            

**Example Calculation**

For a $3.99 ebook:

-   Royalty = $2.79.
    
-   KENP rate = $0.005 per page.
    

Pages Needed (KENP)=2.790.005=558 pages read.\\text{Pages Needed (KENP)} = \\frac{2.79}{0.005} = 558 \\, \\text{pages read}.Pages Needed (KENP)=0.0052.79​=558pages read.

**Approximate Pages for Common Price Points**

**Ebook Price**

**70% Royalty**

**Pages Needed (KENP)** _**(at $0.005/page)**_

$2.99

$2.09

418 pages

$3.99

$2.79

558 pages

$4.99

$3.49

698 pages

$5.99

$4.19

838 pages

**Key Considerations**

-   **KENP Adjustments:** The KENP rate varies slightly each month, so the pages needed can fluctuate.
    
-   **Book Length:** Shorter books may perform better under the royalty system, while longer books can benefit more from KU if readers finish them.
    
-   **KU Reader Behavior:** Not all readers finish books in KU, so the total pages read may not match the book's full KENP count.
    

If your book is long (e.g., 300+ pages in print), KU can be highly lucrative for page reads, but shorter books might fare better with outright royalties from sales.

No posts