Why Does Draft2Digital Reject Ebooks?

Draft2Digital's acceptance requirements are stricter than a single-retailer upload because D2D converts your file and delivers it to 40+ retailers simultaneously — a file that passes KDP's upload can fail D2D's pre-conversion check if it would produce broken output for downstream partners. The most common D2D-specific failure categories are unsupported file formats (PDF is rejected; D2D requires EPUB, DOCX, or RTF), EPUB structural errors, and cover images below D2D's 1400px minimum.

Most common rejection reasons

1. Unsupported file format

D2D accepts EPUB, DOCX, and RTF. It does not accept PDF, MOBI, AZW, or KFX files. Uploading a PDF is the most common rejected format — authors often assume PDF is universal, but D2D cannot reflow PDF content into the format required by ebook retailers.

2. EPUB validation failures

D2D runs validation on uploaded EPUBs before conversion. Structural errors — missing spine items, corrupted manifest, invalid NCX — block the upload. D2D's error messages are generally clearer than KDP's, often citing the specific file and element causing the issue.

3. Missing required metadata

D2D requires a book title, author name, and at least one category selection before submission. These can be entered in D2D's interface even if missing from the EPUB itself, but the content.opf dc:title and dc:creator fields are also validated and must be present in submitted EPUBs.

4. Content policy violations

D2D distributes to retailers with their own content guidelines. Books with content that violates the policies of any of D2D's distribution partners are flagged during D2D's pre-review. D2D publishes a content policy specifying categories accepted with restrictions and categories not accepted at all.

5. Image file issues

D2D's conversion pipeline requires cover images to be submitted separately as a high-resolution JPG (minimum 1400px on the shortest side). Images embedded in the book body must be in standard web formats (JPG, PNG, GIF) — unusual image types or missing MIME type declarations in the manifest cause conversion failures.

How to fix it before resubmitting

  1. Confirm your file format is EPUB, DOCX, or RTF — if you have a PDF, convert to DOCX first using Word or Google Docs.
  2. Validate your EPUB with EPUBCheck before uploading — D2D's validator is less descriptive than EPUBCheck itself, so getting the full error list in advance saves time.
  3. Prepare your cover image separately: JPG format, minimum 1400px on the short side, RGB color mode.
  4. Complete all required fields in D2D's metadata interface (title, author, categories, description) before attempting submission.
  5. If rejected for content reasons, review D2D's current content policy and contact D2D support for clarification on which guideline was triggered.

Common questions

Can Draft2Digital convert a DOCX better than an EPUB?

For straightforward prose books, D2D's DOCX conversion is often cleaner than converting a poorly-built EPUB. For books with custom fonts, complex layouts, or fixed formatting requirements, a well-built EPUB gives you more control.

Does D2D check for duplicate content?

D2D doesn't actively scan for duplicates across its catalog, but downstream retailers (particularly Apple Books) do. If a book submitted through D2D triggers a duplicate content flag at a retailer level, D2D may contact you to clarify.

Validate your EPUB before submitting to Draft2Digital

The free EPUB Validator catches the structural, metadata, and navigation errors that Draft2Digital flags — no signup required.

Validate Your EPUB Free →

For a complete guide to EPUB structure and common errors, see the EPUB formatting guide and the EPUB errors reference.

Common EPUB errors: Broken spine order errors, OPF manifest references a missing file

Tool comparisons: Jutoh alternative for EPUB formatting, D2D's Book Builder as a formatting tool

Platform rejection guides: Why Smashwords rejects ebooks, Why OverDrive rejects ebooks (library distribution)