Short answer. KDP author copies cost your book's print cost per copy, with no further discount, plus shipping at checkout. You can order up to 999 in one order once the paperback is live. Shipping is never free or Prime. KDP gives no fixed delivery time, so order early enough for launch day.
Key points
- Price per copy is the print cost for your trim size, ink and page count. KDP says it cannot discount it further.
- A 220-page, 6 x 9 inch, black ink paperback prints at $3.64 a copy in the US store.
- Up to 999 author copies per order. Proof copies stop at 5.
- Shipping has no formula. You see the real figure on the last checkout page, and you do not have to place the order to see it.
- Author copies earn no royalties and do not show in your KDP reports.
- With a scheduled print release, you cannot order in the last five days before launch.
What are KDP author copies?
They are printed copies of your live paperback or hardcover, sold to you at print cost. KDP's Proof and Author Copies page says you may resell them or give them away.
They are not proof copies. A proof is a test print of a draft, with a "Not for Resale" watermark and a barcode with no ISBN. An author copy is the finished book, the same one a reader gets.
For a launch, author copies are the stock you sign, mail to people who helped, and carry to a local event. When they arrive is one of the dates our book launch plan fixes for you.
How much do KDP author copies cost?
The print cost of one copy, times the number of copies. KDP's page on proof and author copy prices says the print options you chose set that cost, and that it is the lowest price KDP can offer.
For a black ink paperback in the US store, KDP's Paperback Printing Cost page gives the formula:
- 24 to 110 pages: a fixed $2.30 a copy at regular trim, $2.84 at large trim.
- 110 to 828 pages: $1.00 plus $0.012 a page at regular trim, or $0.017 a page at large trim.
Large trim means wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches. A 6 x 9 book is regular trim.
We priced a typical first novel on 14 October 2026: 220 pages, 6 x 9, black ink on cream. That is $1.00 plus 220 times $0.012, so $3.64 a copy. Twenty-five copies come to $91.00 and fifty to $182.00, before shipping and any tax.
Colour interiors cost more per page. Our post on KDP paperback print cost by page count has the full table.
How much is shipping for author copies?
KDP will not give a number. Its help page on shipping cost says the total depends on how many items you order, the speed, the destination, the Amazon store and the size and weight of the books.
There is a way to see it. Add the copies to your cart and go to the last checkout page. The shipping total sits there before you click Place your order. KDP's page says you do not need to finish the order if you only want the estimate.
Two rules hold everywhere. Author copy orders never get free or Prime shipping. Orders shipped into the EU from outside it may carry customs fees, which KDP adds to the shipping charge at checkout.
How long do author copies take to arrive?
KDP does not publish a number of days. Its page on when copies arrive says the estimate depends on the quantity and the speed you choose, and that print times move with total order volume.
The delivery date shows on the last checkout page. Write it down. If no date appears, KDP needs more time to print and will email you when it has one. KDP also says it cannot speed up printing on request.
If a box is 3 days or more past its estimate, KDP treats it as late or lost. You have 30 days from the estimated date to ask for a refund.
So the safe launch rule is ours, not KDP's: place the order the day the paperback goes live, and plan the launch event around the date checkout gives you.
When can I order author copies before launch day?
It depends on how you release the paperback.
If you publish it straight away, author copies open once the book is Live. KDP's ordering page says the button can take another 24 hours to appear after the book goes live.
If you schedule a release date, KDP's Schedule a Release page lets you order while the Amazon page is still hidden. Wait a day after the status changes to Release Scheduled. Then order before the last five days, because ordering is closed in that window.
We worked it through for a launch on Tuesday 1 December 2026. The five-day lock starts on Thursday 26 November, which is US Thanksgiving. A box ordered on the evening of the 25th is a box ordered at the last minute, and carriers are busy that week. For a December launch we would order by mid-November.
The fix we do for this: we write your launch plan in six parts, dated day by day around your launch, with the author copy order date, the proof date and the posts that go with them, for $249 in 7 business days. You run it; we promise no sales. Tell us your launch date.
How many author copies can I order?
Up to 999 in one order. Proof copies are capped at 5. KDP's ordering page says both limits differ from the limits on normal Amazon orders.
For a first launch, the number is a judgement call. Count the people you will hand a copy to in person, the people you will mail one to, and the event you have booked. Most first launches need a box, not a pallet.
Do author copies count as sales?
No. KDP's Proof and Author Copies page says you earn no royalties on the purchase or resale of an author copy. The orders do not appear in your KDP reports either.
That means buying 50 copies on launch day will not show as 50 sales in KDP. If the goal is a strong first week, readers need to buy from your Amazon page.
Can I order author copies to any country?
Not to every one. You order from the Amazon store that serves the delivery address. A few rules on KDP's ordering page catch authors:
- Canada gets paperback copies from Amazon.ca. Hardcover copies for Canada come from Amazon.com.
- Japan orders come only from Amazon.co.jp and cannot ship outside Japan.
- Author copies cannot ship to Swiss Customs Union addresses.
If your zip code is not supported in the store you chose, the copies do not go into your cart. Fix the address and try again.
What if I changed the book after it went live?
Check the status before you order. KDP's page warns that if the book still reads "Live with unpublished changes", you receive the previous version. Copies printed from an earlier file are not eligible for a refund or replacement.
So fix the typo, wait for the status to read Live, then order the launch box.
Questions authors ask
Are KDP author copies cheaper than buying my own book on Amazon? Usually. You pay print cost, not the list price, but shipping is never free.
Can I sell my author copies at an event? Yes. KDP says you may resell or give them away.
Do author copies earn royalties? No.
What is the most I can order at once? 999 author copies per order.
Can I order before my scheduled release date? Yes, once the status reads Release Scheduled and a day has passed, but not in the last five days.
Can KDP rush my order? No. KDP says it cannot speed up printing.
Your next step
Find your print cost in the Pricing section of your paperback setup, multiply by the copies you need, then check shipping on the last checkout page. Send your launch date through our launch plan page and the $249 plan comes back with the order date in it, and the $99 graphics kit if you want the images made too. Our 4-week book launch plan timeline shows the weeks around it.
