Tips for troubleshooting "Book conversion failed" error message?

[kyriosity]

I've never seen it before, and I can't think of anything I'm doing that's different from what I've done hundreds of times before.

It also gave me this spreadsheet popup:

Obviously it could be a problem within Kindle Previewer, but I thought I'd check here first.  I'll try again with other files I know have converted OK in the past, but not tonight...time to throw in the towel and admit I'm not going to finish this project this week!

I'm using Windows 10, InDesign 14.0.2 x64, and Kindle Previewer 3.31.0.

[Derek Cross]

Presumably you're converting a Reflowable ePub 3.00  created in InDesign to a mobi doc?

Does the ePub validate?

EPUB Validator (beta)

[kyriosity]

Sorry...guess I wasn't clear enough. It's the coversion from indd to epub (3.0, reflowable) that failed.

[kyriosity]

A couple more bits of data:

1) This is the error message I'm getting from ID. I always get the "Custom Layout settings..." message, so it can't be that. The "External Text Anchor..." message might be the problem, but I have double-checked every link in the document, and they're all good.

2) After I click "OK" on the "Book Conversion Failed" dialog, Kindle Previewer opens this Excel file, which I've never seen it do before, and which I cannot comprehend, especially as it contains the contradictory message "Book conversion successful":

[kyriosity]

Stripped out all the hyperlinks, hoping that would solve the problem. No dice.

[kyriosity]

Saved to IDML and back to INDD. No change.

[kyriosity]

Opened the last INDD file I'd converted successfully to EPUB (which I checked yesterday to make sure it still converted), and recreated this one in there. Still not converting.

[kyriosity]

Since it WAS creating a file, though Kindle Previewer keeps saying the conversion failed, I tried opening it in Calibre. THAT WORKED! Only problem is with the cover image. I had it properly selected in the EPUB export dialog box, but it didn't show up in Calibre. So I added it in Calibre, but when I export to MOBI from there, although it has a cover image in the file itself, that image does not show up as the thumbnail in my Kindle library. Anybody know a way to rectify that?

EDIT: Turns out that's a friendly way Amazon has of forcing you to use their tools and sell on their platform. So I'm just going to cross my fingers that when the client actually uploads it to Amazon as usual, some magic will occur to make the thumbnail function properly.

[Derek Cross]

It might be worth getting a month‘s worth of Flightdeck for $15 to try and discover what’s going on. Crossing fingers is not recommended, though we’ve all done it at sometime!

FlightDeck

[kyriosity]

Alas, the finger-crossing didn't work!

[Derek Cross]

What error messages do you get when you use the IDPF validator?

EPUB Validator (beta)

[kyriosity]

Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!! That pinpointed the issue--a corrupt cover image file. Replaced that, and everything magically worked. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!