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Amazon KDP Canada royalties, pricing and distribution

Amazon KDP Canada: Royalty Payments, Pricing, and Distribution Options

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

  • Amazon KDP is free for Canadian authors; ebook royalties are usually 70% between $2.99–$9.99 or 35% outside that range.
  • Set up KDP with accurate tax and banking details to avoid withholding; Canadian authors benefit from local printing and tax treaty rules.
  • Proper formatting, a strong cover, and a clean EPUB make publishing faster and reduce review rejections.
  • BookAutoAI is a top choice for non-fiction authors who need fast, formatted books with market-ready covers and EPUB conversion.
  • Consider pricing strategy, distribution channels, and KDP Select trade-offs before you publish.

Table of Contents

How royalties and pricing work on Amazon KDP Canada

Amazon KDP Canada lets you publish eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers at no setup cost. That low barrier is a big reason many Canadian authors publish on KDP.

Understanding royalties and pricing is essential so you keep more of what you earn.

Royalty rates for eBooks

70% royalty option: For an ebook priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (in local currency), KDP pays a 70% royalty on the list price minus delivery costs where applicable.

35% royalty option: If your ebook price is below $2.99 or above $9.99, or if you choose not to enroll in the 70% regions, your royalty rate will be 35%.

Note: Delivery costs for the 70% option are based on file size and are subtracted before royalties. For most text-driven non-fiction, delivery costs are small.

Paperbacks and hardcovers

  • Print royalties depend on the printing cost, list price, and distribution channel. KDP subtracts printing and distribution costs from the list price and pays the remainder as your royalty.
  • Print choices (black-and-white vs. color, trim size, and page count) affect printing costs and the minimum list price you must set to earn a royalty.

Pricing strategy tips

  • Test prices in the $2.99–$9.99 range for eBooks to access the 70% royalty and attract buyers.
  • Consider perceived value: non-fiction that solves a specific problem often supports higher price points.
  • Use price promotions or limited-time discounts to drive visibility, especially if you also enroll in KDP Select.

How readers find your book

Pricing affects visibility: lower introductory prices can improve conversion and ranking, especially for new authors. Combine a competitive price with strong metadata (title, subtitle, keywords, and categories) and a professional-looking cover to increase clicks and sales.

If you are new to publishing on Amazon, a good place to start is What Is Amazon KDP — it explains the publishing basics and why pricing and royalties matter.

Setting up KDP in Canada: taxes, bank info, and ISBNs

Creating an account and preparing your payment details are necessary early steps. Get these right to avoid payment delays or excess tax withholding.

Account setup basics

  • Sign up at KDP using your Amazon account or create a new one.
  • Enter your profile details and verify your email. KDP is free to join; there are no listing or setup fees.

Tax information and withholding

KDP requires tax information for authors who earn royalties. Canadian authors enter Canadian tax details and can claim benefits under the U.S.–Canada tax treaty when applicable.

Correctly completing the tax interview on KDP reduces the risk of unnecessary U.S. withholding on royalties. If you leave the tax form incomplete or incorrect, KDP may withhold taxes at a higher default rate.

Banking and payment options

Add your Canadian bank account details for direct deposit. KDP pays royalties monthly, about 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale occurred, once you meet the minimum payment threshold.

Ensure your bank account info matches the name on your author profile to avoid payment delays.

ISBNs and identifiers

eBooks do not need an ISBN on KDP; they get an Amazon ASIN.

For print books, KDP can assign a free KDP ISBN (for distribution on Amazon). If you want your own imprint listed as the publisher, you can buy an ISBN or use a free ISBN from Library and Archives Canada.

Consider rights and control: owning your own ISBN gives you more control over publisher name and distribution outside KDP.

Compliance and AI disclosure

KDP requires authors to follow content guidelines and disclose AI-generated content when policies require it. Keep clear records if you use AI tools in writing or editing, and follow KDP’s content rules.

Distribution, printing, formatting, and publishing

This section covers how distribution works in Canada, practical print and shipping details, and the technical steps that often cause the most delays: formatting, covers, and EPUB conversion.

Distribution and local printing in Canada

Since 2019, Amazon has supported localized printing for Canadian orders in many cases. That means print books ordered in Canada can be printed locally, which improves shipping times and makes Prime-eligible delivery possible.

Local printing reduces shipping time and costs for buyers in Canada. That can improve customer satisfaction and rankings when reviews and sales are steady.

Expanded distribution

KDP offers Amazon marketplaces worldwide. When you enable distribution, your print book can be ordered via Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and other Amazon stores.

Expanded distribution allows sales to other retailers that work with Amazon’s print-on-demand network, but note that royalty rates and printing locations can differ.

Turnaround time

  • eBooks usually publish in 24–48 hours after upload and approval.
  • Print books typically become available in 2–5 days but can take longer depending on review issues or setup errors.

Formatting: avoid common mistakes

  • Manuscript layout: Keep consistent fonts and heading styles. Use simple fonts and clear heading hierarchy. Avoid complex layouts unless you know how to create print-ready files.
  • Margins and gutters: For print, set appropriate inner margins for binding. KDP provides templates for common trim sizes to help you get margins right.
  • Images and quality: Use 300 DPI images for print covers and interior images. Low-resolution images can be rejected or produce poor print quality.
  • Table of contents and navigation: A clean, linked TOC is essential for ebooks to make navigation easy.

EPUB conversion and why it matters

A clean EPUB file is critical for an ebook to display correctly across devices. Bad conversion can cause broken chapters, missing images, or navigation problems.

Use a purpose-built EPUB converter to avoid manual fixes and validation errors. For a fast, reliable option consider the EPUB Converter that produces store-ready files with embedded cover, metadata, and clean navigation.

Pro tip: Validate the EPUB on multiple readers before upload to catch navigation or image issues early.

Covers that sell

A cover must work as a 60–150px thumbnail and at larger sizes. That means readable title typography, a strong focal image, and genre-appropriate color and composition.

Many AI art tools produce eye-catching images but not market-ready book covers. Using a purpose-built generator helps create covers that meet market norms — see the Cover Generator for market-ready layouts and readable typography.

If you lack design skills, a cover generator trained on best-selling books speeds the process and creates more reliable results than generic art tools.

Create print-ready files

  • For print, KDP accepts JPG or TIFF at 300 DPI for covers. If you use full wrap covers for print, use KDP’s cover templates with correct spine calculations.
  • For ebooks, a properly embedded front cover inside the EPUB is required.

Book creation at scale

If you plan to publish multiple nonfiction titles, automate formatting, cover creation, and EPUB conversion to keep quality consistent and reduce time to market.

For an all-in-one option that handles content generation, humanizing edits, formatted ebooks, and print files, consider Bookautoai as part of your production options.

BookAutoAI and similar services can generate long-form content, humanize the language, and output formatted files ready for upload.

Practical publishing checklist (short)

  • Choose trim size and layout for print.
  • Format manuscript, check margins and images.
  • Create a cover suited for thumbnail and print requirements.
  • Convert to EPUB and validate navigation.
  • Add metadata: title, subtitle, description, keywords, categories.
  • Set pricing and territories, and upload files to KDP.

Final thoughts

Publishing on Amazon KDP from Canada is straightforward once you understand royalties, tax forms, and practical formatting needs.

Small technical mistakes are the most frequent cause of delays or quality problems. By preparing clean files, choosing the right price band, and using tools that produce market-ready covers and EPUBs, you minimize friction and get books into readers’ hands faster.

If you publish non-fiction at scale, a system that generates, humanizes, formats, and outputs ready-to-upload files can be a powerful time saver.

Write like a human, publish like an author.

FAQ

Is Amazon KDP available to Canadian authors?

Yes. Canadian authors can use Amazon KDP to publish eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers. KDP is free and supports direct deposit to Canadian bank accounts.

How long until I get paid?

KDP pays monthly, approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale occurred, provided you reach the minimum payment threshold and your bank information is correct.

Do I need an ISBN for my ebook?

No. KDP assigns an ASIN for ebooks. You only need an ISBN for print books if you want to use your own publisher imprint.

Should I enroll in KDP Select?

KDP Select can increase visibility through Kindle Unlimited and promotional tools, but it requires exclusivity for ebooks sold on Amazon. Decide based on your marketing plan and desire for other retail distribution.

What common upload issues delay publication?

Problems often come from incorrect margins, low-resolution images, missing metadata, or invalid EPUB navigation. Using a tested cover generator and EPUB converter reduces errors.

Do I need to complete tax forms on KDP?

Yes. Completing the tax interview correctly reduces the risk of unnecessary U.S. withholding on royalties for Canadian authors.

Sources

Amazon KDP Canada: Royalty Payments, Pricing, and Distribution Options Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Amazon KDP is free for Canadian authors; ebook royalties are usually 70% between $2.99–$9.99 or 35% outside that range. Set up KDP with accurate tax and banking details to avoid withholding; Canadian authors benefit from local printing and tax treaty rules.…