A Heartbreaking Change for Independent Authors

 On June 10, 2025, Amazon is implementing a major change that feels like a gut-punch to independent authors like me. In an unprecedented move, they are reducing the royalty rate for paperback books priced under $9.99 (or £7.99 in the UK) from 60% down to 50% medium.com. This might sound like just a number, but for those of us who pour our hearts into creating children’s picture books, it has very real consequences. Suddenly, the modest income we earn per book will shrink – or even vanish completely if we don’t raise our prices. Amazon itself warns that if a book’s price falls below the new minimum threshold, it could result in “zero royalties due per sale” kdp.amazon.com. In simple terms: we now have to set the price of our books at at least £7.99 (or $9.99) just to make any royalty at all kdp.amazon.comkdp.amazon.com.

When I first saw this announcement, my heart sank. I know many fellow indie authors who stared at their screens in disbelief, doing the math on what this means. We’ve always accepted that self-publishing means slim profit margins – we don’t do it to get rich, we do it because we love storytelling. But this change feels different; it feels like a harsh reminder that to Amazon, our lovingly crafted stories for children are part of a numbers game. Amazon claims these lower-priced books “represent a unique challenge given increasing operational costs” medium.com – essentially blaming rising print and production costs. Yes, printing books has gotten more expensive over time, but this one-size-fits-all royalty drop is hitting the little guys the hardest.

32 Pages, Countless Hours of Creativity

 Most children’s picture books are short – usually around 32 pages long penguin.co.uk. That’s an industry standard that has held for decades, because 32 pages is just enough to tell a magical story without losing a young child’s attention. Don’t let the length fool you, though: those 32 pages often represent months or even years of effort. Writing a captivating story, crafting characters that leap off the page, and illustrating each scene with bright, engaging artwork – all of this takes enormous time, love, and creativity. Every page in a picture book is painted with passion and purpose. From the whimsical cover to the “The End” page, independent authors and illustrators put a piece of their soul into these books.

Yet, under Amazon’s new policy, the value of those 32 pages is being reduced to mere pennies unless we hike up the price. Let me put this in perspective: before, many of us priced our paperback picture books around £6.99 or £7.50 in the UK (about $8–$9 in the US) – a price we felt was fair and accessible for parents. At that price, we might earn perhaps £1-2 per sale in royalties. Now, if we kept that same price, our royalty could literally drop to £0. Nothing. Amazon’s own examples show that a paperback listed at $8 could yield $0 in royalty after this change kdp.amazon.com. Essentially, if we don’t raise our list price to at least the new minimum (£7.99/$9.99), we are forced to sell our books for free (as far as our earnings are concerned).

Can you imagine? You spend countless late nights perfecting a story that makes children giggle or dream or feel loved, you invest in an illustrator (or painstakingly draw the pictures yourself), you agonise over every rhyme and every colour… and then you’re told that unless you charge a higher price, your work earns you nothing. It’s disheartening. It’s also an agonising dilemma: do we raise our prices and risk fewer families being able to afford our books, or keep prices low and practically give away our labour for free?

When Books Become Less Affordable for Families

 What hurts most is knowing that this royalty drop will make children’s books more expensive for the families who need them. If independent authors like me have to price every picture book at £7.99 / $9.99 or above, that puts many of our books out of reach for budget-conscious parents. Not every family can shell out ten dollars per book, especially when their child tears through stories or begs for a new bedtime book each week. For many, £7.99 is a significant chunk of the weekly grocery budget. Raising our prices might recoup some of the lost royalty for us, but it means some children will get fewer books.

This comes at a time when encouraging kids to read is more important than ever. We’re competing with screens, with flashy digital distractions, and sadly, children are reading for pleasure less than they used to. A recent report described a “shocking and dispiriting” decline in kids reading for fun – only about one in three children today says they enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest level recorded theguardian.com. As an author, Auntie and Great Auntie, that statistic breaks my heart. Reading is so fundamental to a child’s imagination, empathy, and education. I firmly believe that every child who finds a book they love is a child who takes a step toward a brighter future. Stories shape us; I still remember the picture books that shaped me, decades later.

Yet how can we foster that love of reading if books become luxury items? If parents have to think twice before buying a book because it costs nearly $10, many will simply buy fewer books. That means fewer stories at bedtime, fewer rainy afternoon reads, fewer gifts of books for birthdays or holidays. For families with multiple kids, the cost adds up fast. Libraries will always be a wonderful resource (and I hope more people use them!), but let’s face it – nothing quite compares to a child owning and cherishing their own copy of a favourite book. Making books less affordable is a step in the wrong direction when we should be doing everything possible to get kids hooked on reading.

I've seen firsthand how children’s faces light up when they connect with a story.  I’ve had parents tell me sheepishly that they want to buy my book but have to wait until payday. That’s at the old price. How many will simply walk away if the price jumps? Independent authors don’t have the marketing might of big publishers; we rely on word-of-mouth and on being accessible and relatable to our readers. Pricing ourselves out of the market is terrifying. We worry not just about our livelihood, but about losing readers – losing the chance to touch a young mind or heart because the cost was too high.

Drowning in a Sea of “Low-Content” Books

 To add insult to injury, this change doesn’t seem to distinguish between lovingly crafted storybooks and what Amazon calls “low-content” books. If you’re not familiar with the term, Amazon defines a low-content book as one with “minimal or no content on the interior pages”, typically repetitive pages meant to be filled in by the user – think blank notebooks, journals, planners, diaries, etc kindlepreneur.com. Over the past few years, there’s been a flood of these low-content books on the market. In fact, there are likely hundreds of thousands of low-content books on Amazon now, pumped out by people hoping to “make loads of money for little effort” quora.com.

Now, I don’t begrudge anyone trying to earn an income, but this surge of low-content publishing has created a glut. Search for something like “cute journal” on Amazon and you’ll wade through countless cheaply produced notebooks with different cover designs. Amazon’s new royalty policy is presumably a reaction to this glut – these ultra-low-priced, low-content books might have been eating into Amazon’s profits or clogging the system. “Increasing operational costs”, as Amazon put it, is likely a reference to the expenses of printing and shipping so many of these low-priced items medium.com. I do understand that Amazon is a business that needs to cover its costs.

However, the one-size-fits-all approach of this royalty drop is painfully unfair. It lumps true creators together with mass content generators. It doesn’t take into account the immeasurable value that a real storybook brings to a child’s life versus a blank notebook. We independent children’s authors are not churning out dozens of near-identical products just to turn a quick profit. We are crafting unique narratives – bedtime adventures, lessons about friendship, journeys through imagination – which can become core memories in a child’s mind. A notebook has its use, certainly, but it will never inspire a child the way a story can.

Amazon’s change essentially says: “If it’s under 32 pages, under $9.99, well it’s all the same – 50% royalty.” But it’s not the same. From a creative standpoint, it’s devastating to feel that our labors of love are treated no differently than a low-effort lined journal. The time, love, and creativity we pour into producing original children’s stories far exceeds the effort in designing a generic notebook. That imbalance isn’t reflected in how we’re being compensated anymore. Previously, the 60% royalty at least acknowledged that authors deserve a fair share even on lower-priced books. Now, it’s as if Amazon is telling us our work is worth a smaller slice of the pie, unless we make the pie more expensive. It’s demoralising.

I’ve spoken with other indie picture book authors in writing groups and online forums, and the sentiment is the same: frustration and fear. Frustration that our creative contributions seem undervalued, and fear for what this means going forward. Will this discourage new authors from entering the field? Possibly – if a new writer realizes they must price their debut picture book at $10 when they hoped to make it $7, they might think twice about publishing at all. And what about diversity of voices? Independent publishing has been a wonderful way to bring diverse, niche, or underrepresented stories to readers. If the hurdles (and costs) for indie authors keep rising, many important voices could be silenced or never heard in the first place.

How You Can Help

 Despite these challenges, we haven’t lost our passion for creating stories. Now, more than ever, independent authors need the support of readers to keep going. If you love children’s books and the magical journeys they offer, you can make a real difference in keeping this creative ecosystem alive. Here are a few simple ways to help:

• Buy books from independent authors: Whenever you’re able, consider purchasing a picture book from a self-published or small-press author. Each sale means the world to us – it’s not just about the royalty (which, as you know, is now smaller), but about reaching another child with our story.
• Spread the word: Share your favourite indie children’s books with friends, family, and your community. If a particular storybook made your little one smile or taught them a good lesson, tell other parents about it. Recommend indie titles to teachers or librarians. Word-of-mouth is powerful for authors who don’t have big marketing teams behind them.
• Leave a review or rating: Taking a minute to leave a positive review on Amazon or Goodreads can greatly boost an author’s visibility. Reviews are one of the key ways books get noticed by new readers. Even a one-liner about how much your child loved the book can help. Plus, reading your kind words fuels our passion and morale.

Finally, I want to thank every reader and parent who has ever picked up an independent author’s book. Your support isn’t just a drop in the bucket – it’s the lifeline that allows us to continue doing what we love. In a world where algorithms and policies might make it harder for our stories to be seen, you have the power to help them shine. By buying, sharing, and reviewing books you love, you ensure that these heartfelt 32-page treasures can keep reaching the young readers who need them. Together, let’s keep the love of reading alive, one story at a time.

Thank you for supporting independent authors – your choice truly makes a difference.