Then I realized I could convert the PDF to EPUB format instead. I uploaded my cookbook to a PDF to EPUB converter, waited a few moments, and downloaded the new file. It was now 8MB—small enough to email directly to Grandma's inbox without any probl


I've since converted several other internal documents to HTML format for our intranet. The training materials, policy documents, and even our team directory are all more accessible now. It's not that HTML is inherently better than other formats - it's merely that for our particular situation, it happened to be exactly what we needed. This accidental HTML conversion has become our standard for any document that needs to be widely accessible and easily searcha


It was around 10 PM on a Sunday. I'd had a extended weekend, I was physically tired but mentally wired, and honestly, I wasn't operating at my best. I sat down at my computer with my presentation PDFs unlock, ready to make backup copies. But somewhere between opening that file manager and selecting this files, I received confused about what I was do


It wasn't until the conversion was complete that I realized what I'd done. Instead of having backup copies of my PDF presentations, I now had HTML versions of everything. I remember staring at that screen, feeling a wave of irritation. HTML files? These are presentations - they need to be PDFs for this workshop. How was I supposed to present from web pa


What felt particularly rewarding was hearing from friends who actually employed this guide during their travels. One couple told me they'd followed my Hanoi street food tour recommendations and found their novel favorite restaurant. Another friend said my section on navigating Bangkok's public transportation system saved them from getting lost multiple times. That content was in the end reaching people the way I'd intended, without formatting barriers getting in the


On a whim, I uploaded that HTML files to a shared folder I now and then use for collaboration. I didn't genuinely have a plan - I only wanted to see what they felt like accessible from a link instead of simply as local fi


When we began this workshop, one of this remote participants questioned if there was any way to observe the materials more clearly than through the video conference. On impulse, I shared the link to the HTML versions I'd uploaded this night before. "You can follow along with these," I noted. "They're not in presentation format, but you can find out more should be able to witness everythi


Our organization had years of monthly magazines stored as PDFs, but nobody ever referenced them because they were so difficult to navigate. I was tasked with making this archive in fact useful. The project sounded straightforward sufficient - organize some existing files and make them accessible. But as I initiated exploring this archive, I realized why nobody was using


This collection represented nearly a decade of our organization's publications - hundreds of issues containing company history, industry insights, interviews with key figures, and documentation of our evolution over that years. This was valuable content, potentially a treasure trove for researchers, fresh employees learning about this company, or anyone interested in our field. Yet the digital archive sat virtually untouched, a graveyard of great intentions and poor accessibil


If you're thinking about compiling any kind of content into an ebook format, whether it's a travel guide, a collection of blog posts, or original writing, I'd strongly recommend considering EPUB over PDF. The difference in reader experience is remarkable, and it ensures that your work will look professional and be accessible regardless of what device someone is using. Your content deserves to shine, not to be hidden behind formatting iss


That photos were the biggest surprise. Instead of being tiny thumbnails scattered randomly throughout that text, they were now properly sized and positioned, appearing exactly where they made that most sense in relation to the surrounding content. That temple photos in this Angkor Wat section appeared right alongside that descriptions of each monument, exactly as I'd originally intended. This street food shots from Bangkok were large sufficient to actually witness this dishes I was describ


As we moved through the workshop material, I noticed something interesting happening. This in-person participants were following along with my live presentation, but the remote participants were working from this HTML versions in ways that turned out to be quite effective. They could easily scroll back to earlier slides if they needed to reference something, they could search for specific terms while I was speaking, and they could view this materials on whatever device worked best for t


What frustrated me most was that this was valuable content that needed to be shared, but the format was creating an enormous barrier between the material and this people who needed it. Every hour I spent manually reconstructing slides was an hour that could have been spent improving that actual training content or making it more engaging for learn