Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for Amazon KDP publishers.

One royalty payout covering a catalog of 80 low-content titles, ads running on dozens of them at once, and cover designers paid by the batch. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
FebruaryExample month
$4,600
what you made

February came in at $4,600. Ad spend outpaced royalties on the new pen name's launch batch, so I flagged that catalog as still finding its footing.

  • KDP royalty payout, full catalogCatalog royalties
  • Amazon Advertising chargePer-title ad spend
  • Cover designer, batch of 12Cover design
  • Keyword research toolResearch software
  • Interior formatting, contractorFormatting
Money in$11,400
Money out$6,800
Set aside for taxes$1,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A KDP catalog's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees one royalty deposit and calls it revenue. Yours is really the combined performance of dozens or hundreds of individual low-content titles, some under different pen names, each with its own small slice of ad spend and its own cover cost.

  1. 1

    One payout hides which titles actually sell

    A single KDP royalty deposit covering 90 titles gives no sense of whether five bestsellers are carrying eighty-five quiet ones, so it is easy to keep producing more of what is not working.

    What we doKeeps the full catalog payout as one clear revenue line and works with you on the title-level sales reports KDP provides, so the pattern is visible when you need it.
  2. 2

    Ad spend across dozens of titles is hard to see clearly

    Running Amazon Advertising on 40 different titles at once means dozens of small daily charges, and without a clear total it is easy to keep funding ads that cost more than the titles bring back.

    What we doTracks total per-title ad spend against total catalog royalties for the month, so you can see the overall return before digging into any one title.
  3. 3

    A new pen name launch looks like a straight loss

    Publishing 15 new titles under a new pen name costs money in covers, formatting, and ads before any of them have sales history, so that catalog's first few months always look like a loss on its own.

    What we doKeeps each pen name or catalog's costs and royalties visible separately, so a new launch reads as an investment finding its footing, not a failing business.
  4. 4

    Batch cover and formatting costs blur into one big number

    Paying a designer for a batch of 20 covers at once is a real cost, but if it lands as one lump payment with no link to which titles it covered, it is hard to know the real cost of launching a new batch.

    What we doKeeps batch design and formatting costs in their own line and notes how many titles they covered, so the true cost per title stays visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a KDP publishing business.

Set up once for how the catalog gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Catalog royaltiesThe combined KDP payout across every live title.
  • Expanded distribution royaltiesSales through KDP's paperback and hardcover distribution beyond Amazon.
  • International marketplace royaltiesSales through Amazon's UK, European, or other regional stores.
  • Bundle salesMulti-title sets sold as a discounted bundle.

Money out

  • Per-title ad spendAmazon Advertising campaigns run across the catalog.
  • Cover designCover artists paid per title or per batch.
  • FormattingInterior formatting for new titles, often contracted per batch.
  • Research softwareKeyword and category research tools for new titles.
  • Content creationWriters or template builders for low-content titles.

What we watch for you

  • Ad spend to royalty ratio

    Whether total ad spend across the catalog is earning back more than it costs.

  • New batch cost

    What a new pen name or title batch costs before it has enough sales history to judge.

  • Cost per title

    What cover design and formatting cost per new title added to the catalog.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a strong catalog month does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things KDP publishers ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

My royalty payout covers 90 titles. Can you tell me which ones are actually working?

I keep the full payout clear as one number, and I can work from the title-level reports KDP gives you if you want the breakdown behind it.

I just launched 15 titles under a new pen name and it looks like a loss so far. Is that normal?

It usually is early on. I am tracking that pen name's costs and royalties apart from your main catalog, so you can watch it find its footing instead of judging it too soon.

Should I keep running ads on my older, slower titles?

That is above my pay grade. I can show you total ad spend against total royalties so far, and the accountant can help you think about which titles to keep funding.

The tax side

The tax side of running a KDP catalog.

Most of what trips people up here is a catalog too big to eyeball, and batch costs that need tying back to the titles they actually paid for.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Paying a cover designer $2,000 or moreA cover artist or formatter not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 across the year, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks that running total.
  • Self-employment taxA publisher not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • International marketplace royaltiesRoyalties from Amazon's stores outside the US can carry different reporting rules. Gus keeps them visible, and the accountant sorts out what changes.
  • The pass-through deductionMost publishing businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions Amazon KDP publishers miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Cover design and art
  • Interior formatting
  • Amazon Advertising spend
  • Keyword research tools
  • Content and template creation
  • Stock images and fonts
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Payment processor fees
  • Accounting and legal fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A KDP catalog's year, kept every month.

New titles launch on your own schedule all year, not around tax season. Your team keeps the books closed every month. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the catalog year

    Last year's return gets started, the cover designer's 1099 is prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed, catalog running

    The return is filed and signed, no scramble, since a slice of the catalog's royalties has been set aside every month since January.

  3. July

    Catalog performance check

    Where the catalog stands, what it will owe, and whether a spring title batch changed the number.

  4. October

    Before holiday gift-buying

    Journals and planners often sell well as gifts. Gus looks at planned ad spend and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for Amazon KDP publishers. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions KDP publishers ask first.

Do I owe tax on royalties from Amazon's international stores?

Usually, though the reporting can differ from domestic royalties. Gus keeps international royalties visible as their own line, and the accountant sorts out what applies.

I publish under five different pen names. Can Gus track them separately?

Yes. He can keep costs and royalties visible by pen name or catalog, so you can see which ones are actually working.

My cover designer works overseas and I pay her through Payoneer. Does she get a 1099?

Usually not a 1099-NEC, since that generally applies to US persons. The accountant sorts out what form, if any, applies to a foreign contractor.

I run ads on almost every title in my catalog constantly. Is that too much to track?

No. Gus keeps total ad spend visible against total royalties for the month, so the overall picture is clear even with dozens of campaigns running.

My catalog has grown past 100 titles and my records are a mess. Can Gus help now?

Yes. Send the KDP royalty and ad spend reports you have. Gus sorts them into a clear monthly picture, the accountant checks it, and most publishers know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever