Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions

PUBLICATION DELAYS

Why are the publication dates of certain titles delayed?

Our publication dates will move when we find that a book has editorial issues that need to be addressed. When the anticipated publication dates change we'll change that information on our website.

When publication dates change we'll let you know in an email if you’ve pre-ordered the book. One big benefit of ordering from us directly is that most pre-orders come with digital Early Access chapters delivered directly to your nostarch.com account as soon as they’re available (no matter where the hard copy is in the supply chain).

Question about the status of your order? If you can't find the tracking information you're looking for in your account please email [email protected]. Our helpful human customer support people will be glad to help you.

RETURNS

My address information was incorrect and the book was returned. What now?

If your order is returned to us due to an incorrect shipping address that was not due to our error, you may request that it be reshipped to you though there may be an additional shipping charge.

If I’m not satisfied with an order, may I return or exchange it?

We stand behind what we publish. If you are unhappy with your purchase of a print book for any reason, you may return it for a refund within 30 days of your purchase (minus shipping cost).

To arrange a return, please email us at [email protected] and provide your proof of purchase or order number. 

You must return the book in like new condition at your expense to:

No Starch Press
c/o PSSC Michigan
660 South Mansfield
Ypsilanti, MI 48197 USA

Please email [email protected] if you have any further questions about the return process.  

Sales of downloadable, published ebooks (those not in Early Access) are not eligible for refund or exchange.

You may exchange an Early Access book within 30 days for a similarly priced book in Early Access.

PRE-ORDERS, EARLY ACCESS, AND EBOOKS

If I pre-order a book, when am I charged?

When purchasing a print book as a pre-order, you'll be charged when you place your order.

What are Early Access files, and how do I get them?

We're eager to get our titles in your hands as soon as we can. That’s why when you pre-order most books on our website, you don’t have to wait for the print edition to start reading! When a pre-order comes with “Early Access,” you receive a PDF containing completed chapters as soon as they’re available. Check out the Table of Contents on the book’s landing page to see what’s ready for you to read immediately – the EA material will be marked by bold red font. As more chapters of the ebook become available, we’ll load them into your customer account at nostarch.com, and send you an email notification. Or, you can access them directly by logging in under your user profile (https://nostarch.com/user).  

My ebook download links aren't working—now what?

When you place an order, you'll receive an email with download links for the associated ebook files. You must be logged in to your nostarch.com account for the download links to function. Alternatively, you can always access your file library under the "Files" tab on the "My Account" page when logged in to nostarch.com. If you didn't create an account, don't worry—one was automatically created for you at checkout. Use this link to request a new password for your account, or email us at [email protected] for assistance. Anonymous access to ebook files is not permitted.

PAYMENTS

What types of payment do you accept?

We accept payment by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) and PayPal.

Do you charge sales tax?

That depends – do you live in California? If not, then no. We charge a 7.5% sales tax on orders that ship within CA, and 8.5% on orders that ship to addresses in San Francisco. We do not charge tax on digital items (ebooks) or international orders.

My payment was declined. Why?

First of all, sorry for the inconvenience! There are several factors that could be affecting our ability to process your credit card:

  1. If your address includes an international, non-ASCII character like an umlaut ( ¨ ) or similar mark, our payment processor's system may be unable to read it. Please re-enter your address using the same spelling but without any international symbols.
  2. Particularly large orders will be automatically declined due to our fraud prevention system, but we are happy to manually process the order for you. Simply email us at [email protected]. If you are having general issues with PayPal or a declined credit card, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.  

SHIPPING

Due to recent shipping restrictions, we are currently unable to ship to Ukraine and Belarus. We also cannot ship to Russia. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to resume service as soon as possible.

Which shipping carrier do you use?

Orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations. Learn more about this blended service (UPS and USPS and/or your country's local postal service) here: https://www.upsmailinnovations.com/.

Final delivery will likely be carried out by USPS and/or your country's local postal service, if outside the U.S. To track orders via an international postal service, use the Alternate Tracking number found on the UPS tracking page under "View Details."

How long will it take for my order to ship?

We ship most orders within 2 business days (excluding holidays).

How long will it take for my order to arrive?

Once shipped, orders within the U.S. typically take the standard 5 to 7 business days to be delivered. International orders typically take 14 to 21 business days to be delivered, but currently some countries are taking up to 6 weeks. Please reach out to [email protected] with specific questions about your order.

How much do you charge for shipping?

You pay for shipping what we pay for shipping, no more – we don't charge any sort of “handling” fee. Please be aware that recipients of international shipments may be subject to import taxes, fees, and customs duties levied by the customs office of your shipping destination.

Our shipping costs are as follows:

  U.S. Canada International
One Book $3.99 $16.99 $23.95
2+ Books $13.20 $40.95 $59.95


Due to our carrier's recent rate increases, we've adjusted our pricing for single book orders shipping within the U.S. and Canada. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your continued support.

*Please note: Several of our titles, including The TCP/IP Guide and The Linux Programming Interface, are very heavy and must be shipped at a two-book rate. As a general rule, if a book is over 1,000 pages long, it will ship at the two-book rate.

How will I know if my order has been processed?

Once your order has been shipped, you will receive a confirmation via email. Please allow 24 hours for your tracking information to become live. You should also receive another email with links to download your ebooks (if those were part of your order). Note that you will need to be logged into your nostarch.com account in order to access the download links. If you have additional questions, please email [email protected].  

CORRECTIONS / ERRATA

If I find an error in a book, how can I share that with you?

We have very high editorial standards, and we do the best that we can to make our books as accurate and up-to-date as possible. But we're not perfect. If you encounter an error in one of (whether it’s already published or in Early Access form), please email [email protected] and our editors will review/act on your comments. Thank you for helping us to always make our books better!  

DID WE MISS SOMETHING?

Ask us anything!

Email: [email protected]

Our Mailing Address:

No Starch Press
245 8th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3910