Your file was rejected. Here's what to do next.

The worst thing to do after a rejection is to fix the one thing it mentioned and upload again straight away. Rejections often come in rounds. Here's how to make the next upload the last one.

Quick answer

After a rejection: 1) look up what the message really means, 2) check the whole file for every problem, not just the one named, 3) fix the original file, 4) re-check the new PDF, including the spine if the page count changed, 5) re-upload and approve the new proof.

Want the answer for your book? Upload it and SparkPrep checks it against your printer's own rules.Scan my book free

Step by step

Read the whole message. IngramSpark emails often list several problems in one block of capital letters. Split them into separate items.
Decode each one. Use the message lookup. Write down the likely cause for each.
Check the whole file, not just what was named. Printers sometimes stop at the first few problems. Run the full preflight checklist or a SparkPrep scan.
Fix the original (Word, Canva, InDesign, Affinity), not the PDF. Fix page size first, then margins, then everything else.
Note your new page count. If it changed, your spine changed. Re-fit the cover.
Re-check the new PDFs before uploading.
Upload both files if the spine changed, even if only the interior was rejected.
Approve the new proof carefully. Look at every page in the online preview, then order a printed proof.

If a freelancer made the files

Send them the exact message and ask them to fix it. Many include one round of fixes; ask before you pay again.
Ask them to build to your printer's rules, not general ones. Name the printer, paper and page count.
Get the original working file (InDesign, Affinity or Canva link), not just the PDF, so you can make small changes later.

How to avoid round two

Don't change anything else while fixing. A late edit can move pages and change the spine.
Keep both files in step: interior page count and cover spine always match.
Keep a note of your printer's numbers for this book: trim, paper, page count, spine width.

How long it costs you

Each round means fixing, uploading and waiting for a new review, often a few days each time. Authors who go round three or four times lose weeks, and sometimes a launch date. SparkPrep's founder lost months to 18 rounds on his own book. The fastest route is finding every problem at once, which is what SparkPrep's scan does: every problem, in every file, in minutes.

Find out what's wrong with your files before the printer does

SparkPrep checks your cover and every interior page against the exact rules Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu use, tells you each problem in plain English, and can fix it for you.

Scan my book free See how SparkPrep works

The scan is free and shows how many problems your files have. To see every problem and where it is, the audit is $1.99 ($3.99 after January 1). The Advanced Audit checks every page, up to 300, for $9.99.

Questions people ask

Should I fix the PDF or the original file?

The original file. Editing a PDF directly often creates new problems. Fix the source, then export a new PDF.

Why was my book rejected again after I fixed it?

Usually a second problem that wasn't in the first message, or a fix that changed the page count and so the spine width.

More on this site

Book rejection messages decodedGot a rejection from KDP or IngramSpark? Look up the message, see what it really means in plain English, the most likely cause, and exactly what to do next.IngramSpark rejection messagesBleed, bookblock safety area, 240% ink, jacket layout, spine, template and ISBN messages.Amazon KDP file errorsMargins, bleed, page size, fonts, image resolution and spine text errors on KDP.Passed KDP, failed IngramSparkThe five rules that differ, and how to make one set of files pass both printers.Lulu and Barnes & Noble Press errorsThe rules Lulu and Barnes & Noble Press check, and how they differ.

Free help from SparkPrep

Book Preflight, ExplainedWhat book preflight is, who needs it and what gets checked before KDP or IngramSpark prints your book.Print File FixesStep-by-step fixes for bleed, margins, fonts, transparency, picture quality, color and spine problems.Print Cover SizesFull cover size charts, spine widths, barcode space and hardcover rules for KDP and IngramSpark.First Book GuideYour first print book, step by step: costs, timeline, words to know and the mistakes to skip.Free book toolsCover calculator, spine width, margins, DPI checker and page count, on sparkprep.legenddary.com.

Last updated 2026-11-01. Written by Joshua Davis, founder of SparkPrep. Numbers come from each printer's own published guides; always double-check your printer's current rules before you upload.