Why Does Apple Books Reject Ebooks?

1. Strict EPUB validation (EPUBCheck failures)

Apple Books runs EPUBCheck validation and rejects files with any Critical or Error-level issue. Apple is one of the only major platforms to reject on warnings in some cases. Any structural defect — broken spine, missing manifest resource, invalid OPF attribute — will block the upload. Apple also checks HTML validity inside content files, not just OPF structure.

2. Missing or invalid ISBN

For paid books distributed through Apple Books Connect, a valid ISBN-13 is required as the primary identifier. It must be declared in content.opf as a dc:identifier with the correct scheme attribute. Paid books without a valid ISBN are rejected at submission.

3. Image DPI and color profile issues

Apple Books requires cover images to be at minimum 1400×2100 pixels, RGB color mode, sRGB color profile. CMYK images — common when covers are designed for print — are rejected. Images embedded in the book body must be in web-safe formats (JPG, PNG, GIF) with correct MIME types declared in the manifest.

4. Fixed-layout EPUB errors

Fixed-layout EPUBs (used for picture books, comics, and heavily designed books) require specific OPF metadata and spine properties. Missing rendition metadata, incorrect viewport declarations, or spine items without the correct properties attribute causes Apple to reject the file.

5. Missing nav.xhtml (EPUB 3)

EPUB 3 files must include a navigation document (nav.xhtml) with a valid toc nav element. Apple requires this even when an NCX is also present. The nav.xhtml must be listed in the manifest with the nav property and must contain a correctly structured ordered list of chapter links.

6. Content and rights issues

Apple Books has content guidelines covering explicit content, depictions of minors, and specific content categories. Books must also include accurate rights and territory declarations. Submitting a book for worldwide distribution when rights are territory-limited causes a rights conflict rejection.

Does Apple Books accept EPUB 2?

Yes, but Apple strongly recommends EPUB 3 and applies stricter requirements to EPUB 2 submissions. EPUB 3 gives you the most predictable validation outcome.

My file passed EPUBCheck but Apple still rejected it — why?

Apple validates against some Apple-specific schema rules beyond EPUBCheck, particularly for fixed-layout books and accessibility metadata. The rejection email should include the specific error Apple's system flagged.