Expanded distribution
Also called: ED, KDP expanded distribution
Definition
Expanded distribution is an opt-in KDP setting that pushes a paperback into bookstores, libraries, and online retailers beyond Amazon (Barnes & Noble, Ingram-served chains). Royalty drops from 60% to 40% on expanded sales, and the publisher must list the book at a high enough price to clear print cost at the lower royalty.
What is expanded distribution on KDP?
Expanded distribution is a paperback-only opt-in that adds non-Amazon retailers and libraries to the book's distribution surface. KDP fulfills these orders through its print partner (Ingram). The trade is access to a wider channel in exchange for a lower royalty rate.
What does expanded distribution pay?
Standard Amazon distribution pays 60% royalty minus print cost between $2.99 and $9.99. Expanded distribution pays 40% royalty minus print cost. The 20 percentage-point drop is the cost of letting a non-Amazon retailer take its margin from the same wholesale price.
Should a coloring book use expanded distribution?
For most KDP coloring book publishers, expanded distribution does not pay off. Coloring books are an Amazon-native category: buyers search Amazon, the discovery surface is Amazon, and the books that move volume move it through Amazon's storefront. Expanded sales for low-content coloring books are typically under 5% of total volume while costing 20 percentage points of royalty.
When does expanded distribution make sense?
It can make sense for: book series with established libraries-and-schools audiences (educational coloring books, therapeutic coloring books used in clinical practice), publishers with a non-Amazon brand presence pushing traffic to chains, or titles where the publisher specifically wants library availability. Outside those cases, leave it off.
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Related terms
Royalty cliff
The royalty cliff is the discrete drop in royalty rate when a KDP paperback is priced outside the $2.99 to $9.99 standard distribution band. At $9.99 a standard-distribution paperback earns 60% royalty minus print cost. At $10.00+ the rate stays 60% on standard but the publisher loses access to certain promo tools and faces buyer resistance.
KDP Select
KDP Select is an opt-in 90-day exclusivity program for Kindle eBook titles. Enrolled eBooks join Kindle Unlimited, earn page-read royalties, and get access to Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Promotions. Low-content books and coloring books are not eligible for KDP Select; only Kindle eBook editions of regular paperbacks qualify.
Low-content book
A low-content book is a KDP-published book whose interior is mostly empty or templated, such as journals, planners, logs, and coloring books. Pages are not blank but carry minimal author-written content. KDP allows low-content books with a separate dashboard since 2018.