Most authors check their total and move on. The real decisions hide in the filters and the chart. Here’s how to read the report, with September 2026 data from my own catalog.
What the Royalties Estimator shows
It shows estimated earnings for any date range, including Kindle Unlimited (KENP) estimates, with a daily chart and a per-book table. Everything below uses real numbers in INR.
Table of Contents
Step by step
- In KDP Reports, open Royalties Estimator.
- Set your start and end dates (I used Sep 1-30).
- Under Formats, filter to eBook, then paperback, and note each total.
- Under Distribution, separate Retail sales, Expanded Distribution wholesale and Kindle Unlimited.
- Check the KENP rate setting. By default it uses last month’s rate.
- Use Compare books to see which titles earn where.
- Hover over any point on the chart. A tooltip shows that day’s estimated royalties and the books behind them.
My September breakdown
| Stream | Royalties | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback | ₹16,151 | 47% |
| eBook sales | ₹10,934 | 32% |
| Kindle Unlimited (est.) | ₹7,419 | about 21% |
| Total | ₹34,503 |
How to investigate a spike
On Sep 25, my chart jumped to about ₹4,900 in one day. Hovering showed many books from one series, each earning the same amount, which is consistent with one reader buying through the series. On Sep 22, filtering to Expanded Distribution showed the whole channel’s month came from that single day, most likely a wholesale order. Two days made up roughly 30% of my month, and neither was something I could repeat on demand.
Five things to check every month
- Format by genre. Technical guides earned almost entirely in paperback. Fiction earned across all three formats.
- Concentration. A handful of titles produced about 45% of the total.
- Series behavior. Some cozy lines earned more from KU page reads than from sales. Check by series, not just by title.
- Channel quirks. Expanded Distribution made ₹4,772, almost all on a single day.
- Spikes. Trace each one to titles and a cause before assuming it will repeat.
Common mistakes
- Treating KU numbers as final, when they use last month’s rate.
- Judging a title by total royalties without looking at format.
- Copying a strategy from a spike.
- Forgetting that these are royalties before tax.
Next steps
Choosing the next book? Start with my free guide, [5 KDP Niches Still Worth Publishing In 2026]. Want the full system for keywords, categories and ads? Read The KDP Author’s Playbook . Want me to do it for your listing? See my [KDP SEO service].
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