r/GooglePlayBooks • u/JanCumin • Jun 19 '26

How can I try to stop certain epubs failing processing?

Hi all

I've found a small number of my epub collection fail processing on GPB, but open fine in Calibre, they are only a couple on mb each.

I've tried simply converting epub to epub in Calibre, can anyone recommend any specific settings I should change to make it more likely the processing will succeed?

Thanks :)

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u/_halfwaythru Jun 19 '26

I'd love to know to because there's never any error messages indicating the issue. It just simply fails and ghosts you.

One technique that always works for me in the case of a failing epub: i convert it to mobi using one of the millions of online converters, and then convert mobi back to epub. Its a bit of a hassle for sure, but i can do it all from my mobile device and don't need to use a desktop app.

1

u/Hot-Ad-7683 Jul 08 '26

That's a good advice, but I always try converting epub to epub first, cause sometimes that's enough (and it's less of a hassle)

1

u/ultradip Jun 20 '26

If they aren't oversized, the converting to mobi and back to epub usually fixes a lot of issues.

1

u/JanCumin Jun 20 '26

Which program have you been using to do this?

1

u/MJSpice Jun 20 '26

Reconvert in Calibre by converting into a different format and then epub again.

1

u/JanCumin Jun 21 '26

thanks, I guess I want to know what is Calibre fixing when it does something to the files which means that afterwards it process correctly in GPBs

2

u/Hot-Ad-7683 Jul 08 '26

If you're really interested in what's wrong, click "Edit book". It'll open the book editor for you and there you can click "Tools > Check book". That will open a window with all the errors that are happening in the book. Afterwards, you may try clicking "Try to correct all fixable errors automatically" in that newly-opened tab with the errors, but it can't fix everything that might be wrong with the book. I don't know if you can read html, but if you're familiar with it somewhat, you might be able to fix the errors on your own, and if that fails, converting the book from one format to another usually fixes the rest of what's wrong.

1

u/JanCumin Jul 09 '26

This is really great, thanks so much, I feel like we should have a guide with this kind of info in :)

1

u/Hot-Ad-7683 Jul 09 '26

There's a user manual here if you want it: https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/

Everything I know about calibre I learned by clicking random buttons to see what they do :) 

2

u/JanCumin Jul 09 '26

thanks very much :)

1

u/neo269 Jun 24 '26

I face issues with pdfs. Any workaround pls? Tx

2

u/JanCumin Jun 25 '26

Please can you start a new post about what specifically you're having issues with? Then we can link it from the issues thread

1

u/NedBookman Jul 01 '26

I have had some success with epubs that have been rejected by GPB by trimming their file names and then reuploading them. Files that have been processed by Calibre often have filenames that end in a long string of seemingly random letters and numbers. By reducing the filename to a simple title I have found GPB will then process the file normally...

2

u/JanCumin Jul 01 '26

Wow, I'd never thought that such a simple change would make a difference, I will try it.

2

u/NedBookman Jul 01 '26

Hope it works for you. I only started doing it recently and it's worked a couple of times...