I haven’t posted an income report on this blog for a while, but I’d like to spend a bit more time now updating it.
So, it’s time to post the income report for April and May 2025, and… well, let’s just say it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride. 📉
KDP income is down — not just compared to last month, but compared to the last two years. And while some of my bestselling books actually held their own, most of my catalogue saw a significant drop-off.
Let’s look at what happened — plus my ad spend, how the June 10th royalty reductions are affecting things, and where I plan to go from here.
💸 April & May 2025 Royalties vs. Ad Spend
Here’s a clear look at how my earnings stacked up for each month, both before and after ads:
🟦 April 2025
- Gross Royalties: $4,431
- After Ads: $3,628
🟩 May 2025
- Gross Royalties: $4,841
- After Ads: $3,984
✏️ VAT on ads isn’t included in these “after ad” figures, so real profit is slightly lower still.
📊 [Insert bar chart comparing royalties vs. after ads]
📉 Year-over-Year Comparison (2023 Vs 2024 vs 2025)
To give this more context, here’s how April & May this year compare with the same months in previous years:
| Month | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | $7,964 | $6,074 | $4,431 |
| May | $9,672 | $8,379 | $4,841 |
Clearly, there’s a downward trend — and while part of this may reflect buyer behavior or broader KDP trends, some of it feels very algorithm-driven.
My top books are still selling at a similar rate, but everything else dropped off a cliff.
Also, I should mention that since I raised my prices – some books have SUDDENLY started to sell out of the blue.
Does Amazon give a boost to your books when you raise your prices? This is what appears to be the case. These are books with NO ADS currently running to them!
💰 Ad Spend & ACOS
Ad spend in both April and May was similar, although May had a slightly better ACoS (around 5% lower). But compared to previous years, I’m still spending more and earning less overall.
📦 What About Books Sold?
In May 2025, I sold 2,345 books.
But with KDP’s royalty reductions (which took effect on June 10th), I now lose 25–30 cents per sale on many books — unless I price at $9.99 or higher.
- 🧮 2,345 books × $0.30 = over $700 in lost royalties
- Some price increases offset this (e.g., $0.30–$1 more per book), but I haven’t yet raised prices on all my bestsellers
I’ll be watching closely in June to see if higher prices impact sales volume.
🧠 What I’m Thinking Going Forward
This feels like a turning point for KDP, at least for low- and medium-content publishers. My current thoughts:
- Raise prices where possible — especially for books with a higher perceived value, (e.g. larger books).
- Experiment more with standard color
- Focus on higher-value books – books that could be given as a high quality gift, (hardcover for example).
- Experiment running Ads to some of the books I’ve raised to $9.99
Oh — and one of my books was even put on sale by Amazon, which means the customer pays less, but I still get the full royalty. Was this a helping hand again by the algorithm…. A reward for raising my prices?
🗨️ What about you?
Have your KDP sales dipped too? Have you raised your prices yet?
Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear how April and May went for you and how you’re handling the June royalty changes.
📺 And if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the full video report:
👉 Watch on YouTube
Thanks so much for reading, and good luck with your publishing this month!
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