Kindle Unlimited does not pay you per borrow — it pays per page read. This calculator shows what each read actually earns you and, more usefully, whether it beats selling the book outright.
The per-page rate changes monthly and KENP is calculated by Amazon's own normalisation — check both in your KDP dashboard for exact figures. The word-count estimate is approximate.
KENP stands for Kindle Edition Normalized Pages. Amazon does not count your print pages or the reader's device pages: it normalises the text to a standard format so a book set in large type does not earn more than an identical one set small. Your exact KENP count is in your KDP dashboard.
As a rough guide, one KENP page runs to about 190 words, so an 80,000-word novel usually lands near 420 KENP pages.
Here is the part that confuses almost everyone: the rate is not fixed. Amazon divides a global monthly fund among every page read across the whole programme. More pages read that month means each page is worth slightly less. It typically lands around half a cent, but it moves monthly — which is why the calculator lets you enter the real figure.
The comparison hinges on two variables: length and price.
And a nuance most calculations forget: on KU you earn from readers who would never have paid for your book. It is not always a lost sale.
To be in Kindle Unlimited you must enrol the title in KDP Select, which requires digital exclusivity with Amazon for the enrolment term: you cannot sell the ebook in other stores. In exchange you join KU and unlock promotional tools. It is a strategy decision, not only a numbers one.
All four depend on the same thing: a book that holds up to the last page. An incoherent manuscript gets abandoned, and on KU abandonment literally means you stop being paid.
The normalised unit Amazon uses to measure pages read on Kindle Unlimited. It does not match print pages; the exact figure is in your KDP dashboard.
It varies monthly with the global fund divided across all pages read. It typically sits around half a cent.
Long books usually do better on KU; short books at a good price do better on sales. Compare both above with your own numbers.
Yes, and it requires digital exclusivity with Amazon for the enrolment term.
Kindle Unlimited pays by the page, so your income depends on readers reaching the end. YourNovel.app writes complete, coherent books with AI that remembers the whole story — no contradictions to make readers quit — exported ready for KDP. Start free, no credit card.
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