Step 01
Digital Royalties (Ebooks)
Digital sales: the formula
Your royalty = sale price − payment processing fee − sales tax collected
BookMarket takes no commission on digital sales. Our income from authors is the membership fee. The processing fee is charged by our payment processor, Square, on each card payment. Sales tax is collected from the buyer where required and paid to the state, so it never counts as your income. If a reader buys several books allocates that part of the fee.
What you earn per ebook
Ebook price Example processing fee (2.9% 30¢) You receive Share of price
$0.99 $0.33 $0.66 67%
$2.99 $0.39 $2.60 87%
$4.99 $0.44 $4.55 91%
$6.99 $0.50 $6.49 93%
$9.99 $0.59 $9.40 94%
$12.99 $0.68 $12.31 95%
$14.99 $0.73 $14.26 95%
Table footnote Example uses Square's published online rate of 2.9% 30¢ per card payment 30¢ for some online payments. Exact fees appear on every sale in your Author Studio.
Figures are before income tax.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Notice the fixed 30¢. It weighs heavily on very cheap books: a $0.99 ebook keeps only 67%. That's a pricing insight worth sharing with authors. On BookMarket, $2.99 and above is where your share climbs past 85%. See How to price an ebook/academy/how-to-price-an-ebook.
Step 02
Compared With The Big Retailers
Same book, same price, different take-home
Ebook price BookMarket Amazon KDP (2 MB file) Apple Books / B&N Press / Google Play (70%)
$2.99 $2.60 $1.88 $2.09
$4.99 $4.55 $3.28 $3.49
$9.99 $9.40 $6.78 $6.99
$14.99 $14.26 $5.25 (35% band) $10.49
Footnote KDP→ 70% for list prices of $2.99–$12.99 on Amazon.com (band widened July 7, 2026). Amazon subtracts delivery costs ($0.15/MB) first and pays 70% of what's left, so a $9.99 ebook with a 2 MB file earns 70% ($9.99 $0.30) $6.78. Outside that
band KDP pays 35% of list price, with no delivery charge. Apple Books: “70%
royalties on every ebook, regardless of price.ˮ B&N Press: 70% of the retail price you set. Google Play Books: 70% in the US once you accept the current terms. All rates checked October 8, 2026.
Step 03
Audiobook Royalties
Audiobooks
which reads as yes. If confirmed: Audiobooks are digital sales, so the same formula applies: sale price minus processing fees and sales tax.
Step 04
Print Royalties
Paperbacks and hardcovers: the formula
Your earnings per copy = list price − Lulu printing cost − BookMarket print margin −
processing fee
You set the list price. Printing costs depend on your page count, trim size, paper, ink (black-and-white or color)
and binding. The publishing calculator shows every number before you publish, so there are no surprises.
Worked example (illustrative) Amount
Paperback list price $16.99
Processing fee (2.9% 30¢) $0.79
Your earnings per copy [calculated]
Step 05
Payouts
Getting paid
Royalty tracking Royalties build up in real time in your Author Studio.
Step 06
What “100%ˮ Does Not Mean
The fine print, in large print
It's net, not gross. Processing fees and sales tax come out first.
It applies to digital sales. Print sales carry printing costs and a BookMarket margin.
It's in addition to your membership. You pay your plan fee (from $17/month) whether or not you sell.
It isn't a promise of sales. We work hard on discovery, but no platform can promise readers. Publishing in more than one place (BookMarket is non-exclusive) is how most indie authors build income.
Questions
What authors ask
Does BookMarket take a commission on ebooks?
No. On digital sales you receive the sale price minus the payment processing fee and any sales tax. Our revenue from authors is the membership fee, plus a margin on print orders.
Why is my share lower on a $0.99 book?
Card processors charge a fixed fee per payment, about 30¢, on top of a percentage. On a 99¢ book that fixed fee is a big slice. At $2.99 and above, it matters much less.
Do I get paid for free classics or free promotions?
Free books generate no royalties. Free classics on BookMarket are public-domain works, not author titles.
Ready when you are