Barnes & Noble Press Next to Amazon KDP, Royalty by Royalty

Key takeaways

• What is Barnes & Noble Press? Barnes & Noble's free self-publishing platform. It sells your ebook on BN.com and the NOOK store, and your print book on BN.com.
• Barnes & Noble Press vs Amazon KDP: KDP pays more on a paperback ($5.59 vs $4.64 on a 200-page book at $14.99). Barnes & Noble Press pays more on ebooks priced above $12.99 and offers a dust-jacket hardcover KDP does not.
• Can I use both? Yes. Barnes & Noble Press requires no exclusivity. Just keep your Kindle ebook out of KDP Select, which is exclusive.
• Does it put books in stores? No. Barnes & Noble says its print-on-demand books are not returnable, so stores do not stock them by default.
• Is it worth it? As a free second channel after KDP, usually yes. As your only channel, no.

Barnes & Noble is a bookstore chain, so its self-publishing platform sounds like a way onto its shelves. It is not. It is a way onto BN.com and the NOOK store, with royalty rules that differ from Amazon's in ways that matter for a business book. Below: what Barnes & Noble Press royalties look like next to KDP, format by format, and when the platform is worth adding.

1. How We Checked Barnes & Noble Press

On October 8, 2026, we priced one book on both platforms: a 200-page business book in 6 x 9 inches (the trim size, meaning the finished page dimensions) with a black-and-white interior. Barnes & Noble Press figures come from its public royalty calculator on the B&N Press homepage, its Royalty and Payment Terms, and its help center. KDP figures come from Amazon's KDP help pages, checked the same day.

We did not publish a test book. Both platforms can change their terms; Barnes & Noble Press says changes take effect 30 days after posting. Check the date next to each figure.

2. What Is Barnes & Noble Press?

Barnes & Noble Press is Barnes & Noble's self-publishing platform, formerly called NOOK Press. You upload a finished ebook, a print book, or both, set the price, and Barnes & Noble sells the book and pays you a royalty, your share of each sale. Print books are print-on-demand (POD): each copy is printed only when someone orders it, so you pay nothing upfront and hold no stock.

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is the same idea on Amazon: it sells your Kindle ebook and print editions on Amazon's own store. Barnes & Noble Press self-publishing reaches a different storefront: according to its FAQ, ebooks sell on BN.com, the Barnes & Noble app, and the NOOK store (NOOK is Barnes & Noble's e-reader and reading app), and print books sell on BN.com and the app.

It is not an aggregator, a service that sends one book to many stores at once. Your book appears only in Barnes & Noble's channels. Account and publishing cost nothing, and authors in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several EU countries can use it.

3. Can I Publish on Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble Press at the Same Time?

Yes. Barnes & Noble Press is non-exclusive, so the same book can be on KDP and Barnes & Noble Press at once. The one thing to avoid is KDP Select for your ebook.

KDP Select is an optional Amazon program that puts your ebook in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's ebook subscription. In return, Amazon says your Kindle ebook "must also be exclusive to the Kindle Store" for each 90-day term, and terms renew automatically. So:

• Print books: publish on both. KDP Select does not cover print.
• Ebooks: publish on both only if the Kindle edition is not enrolled in KDP Select.
• Price rule: Barnes & Noble Press requires your ebook price to be no higher than at any other retailer and no higher than your print edition, per its royalty terms.

4. What Are Barnes & Noble Press Royalties on Ebooks?

Barnes & Noble Press pays a flat 70% of your ebook's list price, at any price, according to its royalty terms. KDP also pays 70%, but only from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com (the upper limit rose from $9.99 on July 7, 2026, per KDP's royalty page), minus a small delivery fee based on file size. Outside that range, KDP pays 35%.

So the two pay about the same between $2.99 and $12.99. Above $12.99, Barnes & Noble Press pays roughly twice as much per sale:

Ebook list price	Barnes & Noble Press (70%)	KDP
$9.99	$6.99	About $6.99 minus a small delivery fee (70%)
$14.99	$10.49	$5.25 (35%, above the $12.99 limit)
$19.99	$13.99	$7.00 (35%)

Barnes & Noble Press ebook calculator and Royalty and Payment Terms; KDP eBook Royalty Options help page. Both checked October 8, 2026, US prices.

The price rule from the last section limits this. You cannot charge $19.99 on NOOK and $9.99 on Kindle. The advantage only applies if your ebook is priced above $12.99 everywhere. Our guide to KDP's 70% and 35% royalty rates covers the Amazon side.

5. What Does a 200-Page Paperback Earn on Each Platform?

KDP pays more: $5.59 per copy against $4.64 on Barnes & Noble Press, for the same 200-page paperback at $14.99. Barnes & Noble Press pays 55% of the list price minus the printing cost; KDP pays 60% minus the printing cost for list prices of $9.99 and up (KDP paperback royalty).

Note the floor: since April 2026, Barnes & Noble Press requires a list price of at least $14.99 for every print book, per its April 2026 policy update. We priced both at $14.99, 6 x 9, black-and-white:

	Barnes & Noble Press	KDP
Royalty rate	55% of list price	60% of list price
Printing cost	$3.60 (151 to 200 page bracket, cream paper, matte cover)	$1.00 + $0.012 per page = $3.40
You earn per copy at $14.99	$4.64	$5.59
Lowest list price allowed	$14.99	Printing cost divided by the royalty rate

Barnes & Noble Press print calculator and KDP Paperback Printing Cost help page, both checked October 8, 2026. US marketplace, black ink.

The math on one line: $14.99 × 55% − $3.60 = $4.64 on Barnes & Noble Press, and $14.99 × 60% − $3.40 = $5.59 on KDP (KDP printing costs). Run your own page count in the free KDP royalty calculator.

The $14.99 floor matters most for short books: a 120-page guide selling for $9.99 on Amazon cannot be listed at that price on Barnes & Noble Press.

6. Which Platform Offers a Dust-Jacket Hardcover?

Only Barnes & Noble Press. It prints paperbacks, hardcovers with a printed case, and hardcovers with a dust jacket, a removable printed paper wrap around the hard cover. KDP prints hardcovers only as case laminate, where the cover art is printed directly on the hard board, and its hardcover page says dust jackets are not available.

For a business book you hand to clients, a jacketed hardcover looks like a traditionally published book. It costs you about two dollars a copy in royalty. We priced it at $24.99 with the same 200-page interior:

Hardcover at $24.99	Printing cost	You earn per copy
Barnes & Noble Press, dust jacket	$8.93	$4.81
Barnes & Noble Press, printed case	$7.60	$6.14
KDP, case laminate	$5.65 + $0.012 per page = $8.05	$6.94

Barnes & Noble Press print calculator (6 x 9, 151 to 200 pages, black and white, matte, cream paper) and KDP Hardcover Printing Cost page, checked October 8, 2026.

When we selected the dust jacket, the calculator first suggested $17.86, a price that leaves $0.89 a copy, so set the price yourself. Author copies are priced a little above printing cost (FAQ), which makes the jacketed edition practical for speaking events and client gifts. For runs of hundreds of copies, see our comparison of book printing services.

7. Does Barnes & Noble Press Put Books in Stores?

No. Barnes & Noble's FAQ says print publishing does not place your book in Barnes & Noble stores. The reason is returnability: bookstores stock titles they can send back to the publisher if they do not sell, and Barnes & Noble's help article on local stores says print-on-demand items cannot be considered returnable.

What a Barnes & Noble Press author can do:

• Ask a local store directly. The same help article says a local Barnes & Noble may be interested in carrying your book on consignment (the store sells your copies and pays you afterward) or hosting an event, but you have to contact the store yourself.
• Let readers order it. Barnes & Noble Press says shoppers in any Barnes & Noble store can order a print book and have it shipped to them (B&N Press blog).

Barnes & Noble also runs a central store placement review, but its placement page describes it as for "Publishers/Authors (excluding Barnes & Noble Press Authors)." Publishing through Barnes & Noble Press does not open that route. Books that reach shelves usually go through a distributor with returnable terms; our guide to IngramSpark vs Amazon KDP explains that route.

Watch out: Barnes & Noble says people posing as its staff have offered authors in-store placement for a fee. Its scam warning says it never asks for money for placement, editing, or any other publishing service.

8. What Files and Details Do You Need to Publish on Barnes & Noble Press?

A finished manuscript file, a cover, a vendor account with tax and bank details, and an answer to an AI disclosure question. From the help center:

• Ebook files: an ePub, the standard ebook file format (a formatted Word file also works under its Word guidelines), plus a cover image; its ePub guide recommends at least 1,400 pixels on each side.
• Print files: print-ready PDFs of the interior and the cover; a print-ready Word file is also accepted for the interior. A print PDF cannot be made from an ePub (Creating Print Books). Print books run 18 to 800 pages, per its FAQ.
• ISBN: the 13-digit number that identifies a book edition. Ebooks need none. For print, Barnes & Noble Press offers a free ISBN, but its ISBN FAQ says it works only on Barnes & Noble Press and cannot be transferred. Barnes & Noble Press also refuses any ISBN already used at another retailer, so the one on your KDP paperback won't work here: use the free ISBN or a separate one you own.
• Payments: you are paid 30 days after the end of the month of the sale, once you have earned at least $25 (payment terms).
• Timing: ebooks appear within 24 hours and print books in three to five business days after you publish (processing times). It recommends ordering one proof copy first.

9. Does Barnes & Noble Press Accept AI-Generated Books?

Its help center does not prohibit them, but you must disclose AI use before the book can be published. Barnes & Noble's article on Use of Generative AI in Your Project asks whether generative AI was used for the manuscript, cover or artwork, images, or translations, and if so, whether each is AI-Assisted or AI-Created. Its definitions, as published:

• AI-Created: "any content (text, artwork, translations) that is created using Generative AI." The article adds that content is still AI-Created if you generated it with AI and edited it afterward.
• AI-Assisted: "any content you created, then used AI to edit it or expand on it."

All content must also follow the Barnes & Noble Press Content Policy. If you use any AI tool, including Built&Written, read the current version of that article when you upload and answer for each element separately: text, cover, images.

10. What If the Book Itself Is Not Written Yet?

Everything above assumes a finished book. Barnes & Noble Press and KDP both ask for a manuscript file and a cover; neither helps you write one. For many founders, consultants, and coaches, that is the real gap: years of LinkedIn posts, notes, talks, and podcast episodes, and no manuscript.

That step is what Built&Written is for. Following its workflow:

• You upload what you already have: LinkedIn posts, notes, podcast transcripts, half-finished chapters.
• Voice DNA learns how you write: Voice DNA analyzes your sentence rhythm and vocabulary so the draft reads like you.
• You get an outline and draft you control: reorder, rename, or delete chapters, and edit every chapter in the editor.
• You export the files the platforms ask for: a print-ready PDF and cover wrap for KDP, an ePub, and a DOCX.

The ePub goes to Barnes & Noble Press and Kindle; the PDF goes to KDP print. For a Barnes & Noble Press print edition, check the PDF against its trim size and build the cover with its cover template, since spine width differs between printers.

11. Is Barnes & Noble Press Worth It? Who Should Pick Which

Yes, as a free second channel after KDP; no, as your only one. On our KDP-Ready Stack Test (Planning, Production, Packaging, Publishing), both platforms cover only the last stage. Our self-publishing platforms comparison covers the other options.

	Barnes & Noble Press	Amazon KDP	Built&Written
What it does	Sells your ebook and print book on BN.com and NOOK	Sells your ebook and print book on Amazon	Builds the book from your material and exports PDF, ePub, and DOCX
Ebook royalty	70% at any price	70% from $2.99 to $12.99, 35% outside	Not a store
200-page paperback at $14.99	$4.64	$5.59	Not a printer
Dust-jacket hardcover	Yes	No (case laminate only)	Not a printer
Cost to start	Free	Free	See pricing

Figures from Barnes & Noble Press's calculator and terms and KDP's help pages, checked October 8, 2026.

• Pick KDP first if your readers buy on Amazon. It pays more per paperback and gives you the Kindle store.
• Add Barnes & Noble Press for an ebook priced above $12.99, a dust-jacket hardcover for clients and events, or a second storefront at no cost. Keep the Kindle ebook out of KDP Select.
• Skip Barnes & Noble Press if your goal is bookstore shelves. Publishing there does not get you on them.
• Start with Built&Written if the manuscript is not finished. It turns your existing material into an editable draft in your voice and exports the files both platforms need.

Final thoughts

KDP first, Barnes & Noble Press as a second channel where it gives you an advantage: higher-priced ebooks and a dust-jacket hardcover. It costs nothing to add, pays less on paperbacks, and does not put your book in stores.

If you have already picked your platforms but the manuscript is not ready, that is the step before either of them. Built&Written takes the posts, notes, and transcripts you already have to a structured, editable book and the files you upload to KDP and Barnes & Noble Press. See how it works.