When you submit your book for publishing, Books.by begins preparing your book for launch — validating your files, confirming print compatibility, and getting everything ready to go live on your store.
This process should take no more than 10 minutes, even for large files.
If your book has been “Preparing for Launch” for longer than that, it means the upload didn’t complete successfully and will need to be reprocessed.
What “Preparing for Launch” Means
Once you upload your book’s files and pricing, Books.by automatically runs a pre-flight validation to make sure your book meets all print and publishing requirements.
Here’s what happens during that short window:
Your book’s internal PDF and cover file are validated for printing.
The system checks page size, bleed, and trim settings.
Fonts and images are verified to meet print standards.
The barcode and ISBN are confirmed.
When validation passes, your book instantly goes live on your Books.by store and you’ll receive an email confirmation.
If your book stays in “Preparing for Launch” for more than a few minutes, it means something went wrong during validation.
Quick Fix: Try These Steps First
You can usually resolve this issue by re-saving and re-uploading your files.
Follow these steps:
1. Re-export your book file
Open your project in your layout program (e.g. Word, InDesign, Affinity).
Export it to the PDF/X-1a print standard.
Make sure all fonts are embedded and there are no transparent images.
Check that your book is between 32 and 800 pages.
You can use a free online preflight tool, like AvePDF Preflight PDF/X Validator, to confirm your file is print-ready.
2. Double-check trim and bleed
Make sure your PDF matches the size you selected in Books.by and includes the correct bleed.
Files that don’t align with the selected trim size may fail validation.
3. Review your cover
Check that:
There’s only one barcode on the back cover.
If you uploaded your own cover with a barcode, turn off the Books.by barcode inside the cover maker.
The ISBN on your cover matches the one in your dashboard.
Duplicate barcodes or mismatched ISBNs can cause uploads to fail.
4. Re-upload and resubmit
After checking everything above:
Re-upload your book’s interior and cover.
Click Submit for Publishing again.
Your book should move from “Preparing for Launch” to Published within minutes.
If it’s still stuck after re-uploading, contact us for help.
When to Contact Support
If you’ve followed the troubleshooting steps above and your book is still stuck after one hour, our team will investigate it for you.
When contacting support, include:
Your account email,
Your book title, and
Confirmation that you’ve re-uploaded your files.
We’ll escalate the issue to our technical team right away.
A Few Important Notes
The “Preparing for Launch” step always takes less than 10 minutes under normal conditions.
You won’t be able to edit or request proofs while your book is preparing for launch — wait for it to complete first.
Books.by does not offer refunds or compensation for publishing delays, but we’ll make sure your book successfully goes live.
Summary
Situation | What to Do | Expected Outcome |
Preparing for Launch < 10 min | Normal process | Book will publish shortly |
Preparing for Launch > 10 min | Re-export and re-upload files | Book should publish successfully |
Still stuck after re-upload | Contact support | Technical team will assist |
Need Help?
If your book is still stuck after trying the steps above, our Author Success team can help.
Email: [email protected]
Please include your book title and note that it’s “stuck in Preparing for Launch” so we can prioritise your case.