If you sell a book through Amazon KDP, don't expect the royalty to arrive immediately. Amazon generally pays KDP royalties approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which the sale was reported.

So, if you earn royalties from book sales in January, you can generally expect Amazon to issue that payment around the end of March.

For books sold through KDP's Expanded Distribution, the wait is longer—approximately 90 days after the end of the month in which the sale was reported.

Why Does It Seem Like Such a Long Wait?

Amazon KDP operates on a delayed royalty-payment schedule. Once you get into the cycle, however, payments can become monthly if you continue earning royalties and meet any requirements that apply to your payment method.

For example:

January sales → approximately end of March
February sales → approximately end of April
March sales → approximately end of May

This is why new authors sometimes become concerned when they can see book sales in their KDP reports but haven't received the money.

The sale and the royalty payment don't happen at the same time.

"Paid" Doesn't Always Mean "In My Hands"

There is another timing issue authors should understand.

Amazon issuing your royalty payment and you actually receiving or being able to access the money are not necessarily the same event.

The time after Amazon issues a payment depends partly on the payment method. Amazon says direct deposits can generally take 1–5 business days to appear in a bank account, while wire payments can take 5–10 days. Paper checks can take considerably longer to arrive.

For Caribbean authors, this distinction can be particularly important because the route available for receiving international payments may not always be as straightforward as it is in some other countries.

One More Thing: Payment Thresholds

Amazon does not impose a minimum royalty threshold for its standard EFT payments, although bank-related minimums can sometimes apply. Wire transfers and checks do have minimum payment thresholds.

If your earnings haven't reached the applicable threshold, Amazon holds the royalties until they do.

So when you're waiting for a KDP payment, there are really two questions to ask:

Has Amazon reached the date when my royalties are due?

And:

Do I have the right payment setup to receive them?

A West Indies & Caribbean Author's Practical Guide: GET PAID looks more closely at that second question—helping Caribbean and West Indian authors understand the practical issues involved in getting their book earnings from the selling platform to a payment method they can actually use.

Selling the book is only half the journey. Make sure you know how the money gets home.