"When you do these things it's always full steam ahead,"chief executive and largest shareholder Tony Nash told Fairfax Media on Tuesday.
"There are no guarantees when you prepare for an IPO,but we are definitely doing everything to ensure if it looks like we can[float] we're ready."
Mr Nash plans to sell some of his shares in the family-owned company,but says most of the capital raised in the IPO will be used to fund expansion and supply chain and distribution improvements.
"There will be a small sell-down on my side,but mostly it's about the future,"he said.
The IPO is expected to value Booktopia at up to $150 million,based on sales of $80 million in 2016 and forecast sales of more than $100 million in 2017.
Gaining momentum
Its sales have almost doubled since the acquisition early in 2015 of its largest Australian competitor Bookworld,the online retail arm of publishing house Penguin Random House.