Google Docs and ePub files

by Google Tips

Posted on September 21, 2016

You like books? Do you have a book reader like an iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc?

The tip for this week is that you can turn your Google Doc into a book. The format for these digital books is called ePub and Google Docs has a "download as ePub" option under the File menu. So any Google Doc you create can be downloaded in the ePub format and then sent to anyone as an attachment. If you mail it to yourself, you can load it into whatever book reader application your device uses. 

I don't have a Kindle or Nook, but on my iPhone and iPad it works like this: when I open the email that has the ePub file attached my device asks me what I want to open it with and I just choose "iBooks". Then the file is on my bookshelf. 

It may be that you don't see this as as being very useful, but file it in the back of your mind and it could be a real jewel later on. Maybe you have an iPad that your students use (Elementary teachers) or your students have their own phones and tablet and you have some important information that they may want to have handy when they're working on something out of your class. And what about that autobiography you've been working on?

Have you heard of Google Books? I just read about it today, but apparently you can upload your ePub files to Google Books. Anyway, just sayin', Google Docs –> ePub files. Be happy.