How To Make A PDF eBook

How To Create A PDF Ebook For Free –

How to easily make a PDF ebook for FREE - step by step instructions for making a e-book.

So you want to make an ebook, do ya?  That is great!  Ebooks and pdf reports are great to give away to help build your email list or to sell for some online profits.

Info products online are big business and learning how to make a document into a pdf report with clickable links is super important to the success of your online business.
 
Let’s take a minute today to learn how to create a document and convert it into a pdf report – in simple PotPieGirl steps (yes, with pictures) and then we’ll learn how to sell an ebook with PayPal.

Note: I use this service to sell my eBooks with PayPal AND they automatically deliver my ebooks to my customers, too.

It’s WONDERFUL! Everything is done FOR me =)

 

 

If you want to learn ALL the “secrets” of making and selling ebooks from someone who makes a LOT of money doing it…

Read: How to Create and Sell PROFITABLE EBooks

 

 

How To Make An eBook – The Free and Easy Way

The BEST Way

Update for 2017: While I still love the method below under Option #2 for making pdf e-books, there is a MUCH easier way to do it now – and you do NOT have to download ANYTHING (and yes, it’s still totally FREE).

Simply open Google Docs and type your ebook content into the “Docs” option.

Note: you’ll need a free Google account.

When you’re done typing your ebook…

Click “File” at the top left…

Click “Download As”

And the choose “pdf”

Save it to your computer and you’re done!

 

If your goal is to SELL your ebooks…

You really need to read this information.

She makes GREAT money selling her ebooks… and walks you through every, single step of the process from idea to having your pdf ebook online and for sale.

See how she makes thousands with pdf ebooks here.

The instructions below show you how to make a pdf ebook with Open Office – this requires you to download the Open Office program (but it’s free, too).

Let’s Make an eBook – Option #2

While this isn’t the BEST way anymore, it IS an option…

Ok…. know how everyone says to start by creating your document in Word?  Well don’t do that.  Trust me on this.  You’ll see why in a moment.

Go to OpenOffice.org and download Open Office for free.  Open Office is kinda like MicroSoft Office.  It has a word processor like Word and it is very similar to use.

I know, I know… you are wondering why you have to download ANOTHER word processor when you already have one….  But trust me on this one, ok?

So, go to OpenOffice.org and click the “I want to download OpenOffice.org” button.  That will open up a green box that says “Download Now” – so click that and start the download.

download open office to make a pdf

Go ahead and let it download and then install it. It’s all pretty straight-forward. If you have any issues, just check at their site.

Writing Your eBook

Once Open Office is installed on your computer, you can go to your Start menu and click to open OpenOffice.org. You want to create a text document, so choose that.

opening-open-office

The program in Open Office that makes the text documents is called Writer – and it is really, really similar to Word.

Now, you write…or well, you type =)

I’m sure you have a terrific idea already for your digital ebook, so type away. Go ahead and add images or screen shots if you’d like – whatever you want and need to make your ebook complete.

As for putting links in your ebook….

This is one thing I LOVE about Open Office – all the links WILL work.  You don’t have to only make http:// type straight url links – you can make anchor text links, too.  They will all “take” and work great if you make your pdf ebook with Open Office.

How To Convert Your Document Into a PDF

This is the other thing I love about Open Office Writer.  Look at the top of your Writer screen….see that little PDF button?  Yep, you guessed it, when you are ready to convert your document into a PDF, all you do is click that.

convert-to-a-pdf1

Once you click that, Open Office Writer will ask you to give the pdf a file name. Do that and click “save”. (Note: I always choose to save my PDFs to my desktop so I can easily find them right after creation. I tend to lose things on my computer, so this trick has really helped me when working on PDF ebooks.)

After clicking “save” you will see Open Office do it’s thing and convert your document into a PDF file. As soon as it’s finished, you will find your new pdf report sitting right there on your desktop (if you save it to your desk top like I do)

pdf-converted-and-on-my-desktop

Just double click the pdf on your desktop and you can read your eBook!

Now, THAT was easy, wasn’t it?

Common Questions About Making an eBook PDF

Q.  What if there are errors in my PDF eBook?

A. NO PROBLEM!  You can go back in to your Writer document and correct, add, or whatever you want to do and then convert it into a PDF all over again.

Q.  Is my original Writer document gone after I convert it into a pdf?

A.  Nope – it’s all still there.  You can work on the Writer document as much as you want, and convert it into a PDF as many times as you want. Don’t forget to save your Writer document, too!

Creating a PDF ebook or report is very, very simple to do.  Try it – I bet you’ll love how easy it is, too.  It’s really great when you don’t have to download and install a separate PDF converter – especially one that doesn’t convert your links properly.  This process is all-in-one and works like a charm…..AND, the price isn’t bad either (free).

 

Next post: How To Sell an eBook with PayPal

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28 Comments

  1. what about security settings for the pdf. Are these free giveaway ebooks or what? thanxs

  2. I need to resubscribe to your blog updates via email – why is this link not on site?

  3. Thank you, Jennifer. Though there is nothing new to me, I’m glad to see how you care about others. However, I think you missed a very useful as well as very simple tip here. Headings. You know – Heading1, Heading2 etc. When you use those to structure your text, then PDF output produced will contain according “bookmarks” as well. Jennifer, please use it with your e-books! It will make them much more readable.

    Sergeys last blog post..How to cope with information overload

  5. I still prefer to use PDF995 and PDFedit995 (the free versions). Maybe I am just too stuck in my ways — or just too lazy to learn new ways to do things I already know how to do. LOL

    Newbie Profitss last blog post..Quick Google Indexing

  6. BTW
    Aside from OpenOffice there is also MS Office OneNote, which is capable to export to PDF too. Though I don’t know how to make PDF with bookmarks in OneNote it is interesting productivity tool, because of its hierarchical nature and integration with other MS Office programs (ability to make blog posts from notes, notes from email etc.)

    Sergeys last blog post..How to cope with information overload

  8. Often there are many different solutions to the same problem. Here is another option. I downloaded PrimoPDF to my work computer and four computers at home many months ago (it’s also free). I like working in Microsoft Office because I have it at work as well as in my private business. To convert documents to PDF format, all I do is click print, and then select PrimoPDF as the printer. I save the document to the same folder as the original document was in, resulting in both a word format document and a PDF document with the same title.

    PrimoPDF has been error free and very easy to use.

    1. PotPieGirl says:

      @ Dennis – The option to subscribe via email is right underneath the newsletter sign up form here – https://www.potpiegirl.com/potpiegirls-newsletter/

      @ Moldy Jon – I’ve used Primo, too (and CutePDF and some others). They all gave me issues with the links once the pdf was converted. While straight urls worked fine, the anchor text links didn’t work in the PDF.

  9. Sorry Jennifer – but Sergey???
    Are you saying that If I were to say put a chapter heading in my Open Office text doc. And I formatted is as a “heading”, then when I created the PDF file, it would put those “headings” as a sort of “Table of Contents”? In the frame to the left of the main reading area?
    Hope I am making myself understood, cuz that is my main problem – trying to get those “page links” in the pdf file for easy reader surfing.

    Thanks!

    Anne

  10. Anne!
    If I understood you question correctly. the answer is ‘yes’. But why to take anybody’s word? Just try it!

    BTW, I see now that Jennifer uses bookmarks in her eBooks. But not in every one.

    Sergeys last blog post..How to cope with information overload

  11. I must say that you are a God send. The things you do for each is beyond me.

    I my inbox is full of emails and your emails are the only ones that have something to teach. they all are pushing some kind of new product or telling to buy now.

    I am greatfull to have found you inside Wealthy Affiliate.

    Thank you because I have and Idea for an ebook and was planning to write it in word. 🙁 now =) I am thrilled to get this email from you.

  12. Jen ~

    You must have been reading my mind once again! I have been writing some notes for an ebook, and actually found that open office on my own a long time ago… but never really did anything with it. I was using Abi Word and Primo PDF… but will try anything new!

    One question (for now.. lol) do you have to “officially” publish it or just send the link out… I was looking at lulu.com and just wondered what is best.

    Thanks for all the goodies as usual! 🙂

  14. I really appreciate and admire of what you have given us a free tutorial. May God bless you.
    Regards.

  15. To Dagmar:

    PDF995/PDFEdit995 will allow you to convert any word or phrase into a clickable link. Two things to note though:

    1) If you want the link to be blue and underlined you will need to do that in Word before you convert it (you don’t have to hyperlink it in Word – just color and underline it)

    2) PDFEdit995 will convert EVERY instance of the word/phrase into a clickable link. This can be handy or it can give you too many clickable links (if that is possible). The solution is to use a very specific word or phrase and only use it once or typo the one you want to make into a link.

    Hope that helps.

    Newbie Profitss last blog post..Quick Google Indexing

  16. this is great jennifer — thanks! If you’re looking for an idea for your NEXT post — I would love to have a simple and easy explanation on how to include nifty screen shots (with arrows! lol) in my writing. Can you share what programs you use to make those graphics (or how you capture the screen?)

    I’d also love to know how to create the little videos you do that allow you to capture your computer screen as you are doing searches, etc.

    Thanks!

  17. Jennifer,

    Thanks so much for this post. I was searching for just this information for a couple of days on forums and google.

    The information was either to confusing or not what I was searching for.

    Perfect!

  18. Jennifer, are you able to protect the PDF with a password so that others can edit it?

    /Mikael

  19. PotPieGirl this post is amazing!

    I had a friend asking me the other day how to create a PDF. I was looking through all of the software that I have because I have a word to PDF program somewhere. I will definitely scrap my idea and send him here instead!

    Great information!

    Chris Jensen

    Chris Jensens last blog post..Top Ten Twitter Applications

  20. it has never been easier to make a pdf book online! top information as always 🙂

  21. I did it! I created my own report and converted it to pdf with open office – threw up an opt in form on my lens – what a breeze!

    The longest part to all of this was writing the report, followed by learning the autoresponder set up and opt in instructions.

    Other than the writing part, 30 mins. tops!

  22. Jennifer,

    I’d like to thank you for the info. It seems easy enough. I also bought OWM a couple of months ago – I’m hoping to read it this month. I keep getting side-tracked.

    Karen

    Karen Cioffis last blog post..And, the Winner Is!

  23. That looks so easy,
    i have never tried to create one but it looks easy to create in openoffice,
    would give a try to my old photoshop tuts and see,

  24. Thanks for the detailed guide. It’s going to be of great help to me! 😀

  25. To first time users of Open Office, to make an anchor text link, just highlight the text with your mouse and click on the hypertext button on the toolbar. It is a round greenish button with what looks like a chain link. A window will pop up and you enter your URL, click apply and you have a text link. The href stuff is done automagically.

  26. Hi,
    I hope you can help?
    I have wrote an ebook, and want to sell it through a website.
    Any recomendations where I can build my own website, which would support a paypal facility, and a download page link?
    And how do i make that link secure?
    I know im asking alot, but i just need pointing in the right direction (not the door!)
    Can you help, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee
    Walt

  27. Can anyone tell me how to do the screen capture like Jeniffer does here and on her websites?
    thanks!

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