What do you use to create your ebooks?

OpenOffice makes great pdf files and its free.

Right now, I am using MS Word and creating the PDF using CutePDF. At one time CutePDF was a free program, but I think it requires a payment of some kind, now. Anyway, I have Adobe Acrobat, and prefer using CutePDF, because it is quicker and easier to use. OpenOffice is a good choice, if you don't have the cash for MS Office or Adobe Acrobat. I haven't used ebook PRO. I don't see the point in buying a tool to do something I can already do with the software I have.

Linda

Yeah I have been using Open Office myself and like it. I just move the content from MS Word over to it and save it as a PDF file. You can even set security levels if you so desire, although if someone really wants to steal your content they can.

Open Office again. I love the fact that it can be used on both my linux box and my windows laptop. Plus you can't beat the price...

I use Ebook Pro and I wrote a full review about it here. I think it's great and I have no complaints. Protects your ebook and don't have to worry about your work being stolen.

There are lots of other threads on this topic around here as well.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about Ebook Pro.

We've used them all. Personally, I now use Open Office for most of the quick down and dirty fast to the market make a buck ebooks I do...However, ebook Pro turns out professional and protected work.

Last summer we created a profession ebook in Adobe, the reason was it was going to be printed as a hard copy. Downside to adobe is, it can be expensive if you don't have it (relatively) and it has a learning curve. The upside is, you can change things quickly, like the table of contents and all the links in a single push of a button and it affords rapid changes and updates.

eBook pro is good, especially as the review provided says, it's great for PROTECTION, something I've never worried about, but it keeps some people up at night.

DLGuard will do the job for you, my opinion, no need to have both, unless you are going to be creating a series of things or want to test certain things against each other.

Heck, you can create in Wordpad, or in Google Docs, and have it converted online for free to pdf...if you didn't care about links and all that.

So, it really depends on what kind of an ebook you are going to publish.

Mine are mostly "down and dirty", others, like my friend Dien's Rice book are polished and professional.

It depends, in my opinion, on WHAT you are going to do with it, who your audience is and if you are going to update or is it a one off thing?

ebook Pro is a good choice.

gjabiz

PS. I now dictate into a Sony digital recorder, open up Open Office, push a button and my dictation gets put into text. Small editing, push a button, VIOLA almost instant ebook. SWEET!

I just discovered that there is a free PDF converter with Microsoft Office 2007....just click File, Save As, and then look for the PDF option.

As for eBooks, I use free templates and word doc.

Cheers,
Terri

MS Word, but I'm moving over to Open Office too.

Acrobate Professional.

Photoshop.

Best -J

I use Word to create my ebooks and then just save them as PDFs from within the programme. I also use Calibre (free) to create proper ebook files so that people can read the ebook on a reader or an iphone.

There are many free and paid software options out there for PDF conversion and creation.

I like using Primo PDF which is the baby brother of Nitro PDF (Primo PDF happens to be a free tool) I hope this helps you out. I would post you the direct download link... but as I'm new around these parts... It refuses to let me.

The best I can do at this point is to refer you to your favourite search engine.

Primo PDF

I also use Open Office to create my ebooks. In fact, I love the program so much, and find it such a valuable resource that I've even written a couple of "how to" guides on it.

I have used MS Word in the past, and can find my way around that program well enough. I just find that Open Office gives me expanded freedom to accomplish more with the layout(s) of my ebooks. So much so that I even created pre-made ebook layout template packages for use with Open Office.

I think if you are proficient with MS Word, then switching over to Open Office is an easy process. It may take a bit of time to get just as proficient with it, but it's well worth it considering that Open Office is a free alternative combined with all the different layout combinations you can generate on your own. And, the "one click" PDF conversion included within the program just sweetens the deal. At least for me anyway

Personally, I don't think I'll ever switch from Open Office to anything else when it comes to creating PDF ebooks. It's just too good an option.


Tracy

Open office is the best office tool to create ebooks or egoods which is also a open source and available for free.Go for only opneoffice

I used Adobe Acrobat Pro - expensive though.

A pretty cool way to do it free is using Google Docs - Create your document then click File -> Download As -> PDF

Open Office definitely... If you don't
wanna go through the hassle of
downloading Open Office.

One method I have never heard
Anyone mention ever is Google Docs!

Write up your Microsoft Word Document
Save it onto your Computer; and upload
it to your Google docs as a PDF.

There you have it, simple PDF. Creation,
then you can download it from there,
plus you always have a copy of it,
because Google Docs is actually
Cloud Computing...

So it is really simple and effective!

Good call on Google Docs, Oliver. You can do the same thing with Scribd. Upload as a doc or even .txt file, they crunch it for you and then you can download it as a PDF. Easy.

For security reasons you may want to make your new PDF ebook unavailable to Scribd searchers once it is done - or delete it off Scribd altogether.

I use MS Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro for traditional type Ebooks and Powerpoint and Adobe Acrobat Pro for the whiz-bang multimedia ones with embedded video. The finished product opens full screen with a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio and looks awesome.

MS Word for its automatic Table of Contents (not sure if Google Docs/Open Office have this feature) + Adobe Acrobat Pro to convert to PDF. Works a treat!

I hear there are other free options for converting edited Plr raw files to PDF too, has any one got any info on any of these?

John.

Yall don't forget about WarriorPDF now... im surprised no one has mentioned it. Simple printer driver, of course there are no authoring capabilities but it gets it done and can be done from any app. of coure if you have acrobat or something you already have a printer driver but this one is free if you dont.



like most of you i really like open office, layouts in OOWriter are easy to make look good.



but if you need real authoring tools your going to need some pdf software for creating/editing PDFs and unforutnantly i have no suggestion. back in the day I used Acrobat ALOT (version 5.x) mostly technical documents, product manuals and stuff like that. back then there really was no comparison but it is nice to see you have a lot more choice now.