Making PDF documents on a budget

These days it’s fairly easy for authors to self-publish a book without buying any special software. Book page layout is a no-brainer with Microsoft Word.

But printers will want a PDF file of the book, especially for Print-on-Demand (POD) jobs. Fortunately for authors on a limited budget, PDF files can be produced now without spending $200 or more for Adobe’s Acrobat software. Adobe’s PDF (Portable Document Format) is an open standard, so several software makers have come up with applications to convert any document to PDF.

Recently I tested five free PDF converters, and the easiest to install and use was PDF995, which allows creation of PDF files with advanced features. Ebook publishers can also benefit from three features not available to Acrobat users: automated security, text summarization, and PDF to HTML conversion. Using PDF995 generates a pop-up advertisement, which can be disabled by paying a modest $19.95 licensing fee.

Even when printers don’t require it, a PDF enables self-publishers to easily publish an e-book version of their book or sample chapters available for immediate download.




New in paperback: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site (by Steve Weber)