What is a book's list price?

The list price (also called the recommended retail price or cover price) is the price you set for your book in each store and currency. Royalties, wholesale discounts and minimum price rules are all calculated from it. Some retailers, including Amazon, may sell a book for less than its list price; in most cases your royalty is still based on the list price you set, but check each platform's terms.

Setting a list price involves a few constraints. Each platform has minimum and maximum prices; for print, the minimum is driven by printing cost so that the royalty cannot go negative. Royalty rates can change at price thresholds — for example, KDP's 70% eBook royalty applies only within a set price band. And if you enable wide distribution for print, the price must cover the wholesale discount as well as printing.

Beyond the maths, price to your genre. Look at what comparable books by independent authors cost in your category. Very low prices can signal low quality; very high ones discourage new readers trying an unfamiliar author. Many series authors price the first book lower to draw readers in.

Set local prices deliberately rather than relying only on automatic currency conversion, which can give awkward amounts. In India, for instance, readers are used to rupee prices that look intentional. You can change list prices later, though changes may take time to appear.