If it's an how-to book and not a work of fiction, you don't want to create a pdf e-book anyway. Here's why:
* Low perceived value. People know how to create pdf e-books. Just choose ‘Save As’ in MS Word. So it has a low perceived value. Much lower than the $13 real book you can buy from Amazon. This means you cannot charge a high price for your pdf e-book.
* They’re static. Once they’re out there, they’re out there. You cannot add stuff, correct material or fix typos.
* As you mentioned, they’re (way) too easy targets for piracy.
* Lots of people don’t want to read anymore. They want to watch videos instead. So might as well add some video.
* No analytics. Which chapter is most popular? You will never know.
* No interaction. People read a chapter in your e-book and have clarifying questions. But alas – no interaction is possible.
So that's why I think online courses are the way to go.
How to create an online course and sell it? This is what my startup does: http://traindom.com