ePub validation error: 'element "span" not allowed here'

[nannygoats]

Hello!

I'm trying to get a book published through Smashwords. I uploaded my MS Word .doc file and they spit back out an .epub file that I then ran through threepress.org's ePub validator, which produced the following 2 errors:

ERROR: sticky-readers-how-to-attract-a-loyal-blog-audience-by-writing-more-better(1).epub/tmp_0ef15818eaef2a2b1275c26c15e54ab4_U5NhAs.ch.fix ed.fc.tidied.stylehacked.xfixed_split_010.html(138 ): element "span" not allowed here; expected the element end-tag or element "address", "blockquote", "del", "div", "dl", "h1", "h2", "h3", "h4", "h5", "h6", "hr", "ins", "noscript", "ns:svg", "ol", "p", "pre", "script", "table" or "ul" (with xmlns:ns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")

ERROR: sticky-readers-how-to-attract-a-loyal-blog-audience-by-writing-more-better(1).epub/tmp_0ef15818eaef2a2b1275c26c15e54ab4_U5NhAs.ch.fix ed.fc.tidied.stylehacked.xfixed_split_010.html(139 ): text not allowed here; expected the element end-tag or element "address", "blockquote", "del", "div", "dl", "h1", "h2", "h3", "h4", "h5", "h6", "hr", "ins", "noscript", "ns:svg", "ol", "p", "pre", "script", "table" or "ul" (with xmlns:ns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")

So my question is, how do I locate lines 138 and 139 and in which file, so I can see the HTML they are talking about? I'm assuming they are referring to the xfixed_split_010.html file that I don't have access to. Or do I?

Thanks,
Margaret

[shaina]

try opening your epub with some epub editor like sigil or there many more there u may be able to see these htlm split chapters.

[nannygoats]

Hi Shaina,

Thank you so much for your response! Just before installing the Sigil software, I learned that an ePub file is simply a zip file. I was able to rename the .epub to a .zip extension, opened it and voila! Those split filenames were there and I saw where the problem was. I will definitely keep Sigil on my radar for the future though. Thanks again!

- Margaret

[Toxaris]

Please be aware that you have to re-zip with care. The zip has some special characteristics.

[shaina]

most welcome nannygoats and goodluck with ur book.

[JSWolf]

The problem you have is with the errors. You can't download the ePub from Smashwords, fix the errors and upload it back. You have to make any fixes in the Word document, upload that and hope it validate after converting.