How to setup a document for tabloid and letter printing?

Question

Hello,
I need to make a brochure. It is 4 pages. We need it for two different end products:
1) Printed onto double-sided 11 x 17 tabloid in a landscape orientation. It will then be folded in the middle (so a 4 page brochure).
2) A 4-page 8.5 x 11 PDF, for clients to print out themselves.
I originally had a 2 page tabloid document (no facing pages). It worked great when I sent it to our printers, but I couldn't PDF it properly to 8.5 x 11. What I ended up doing was making a brand new 8.5 x 11 document, then laying out each individual letter-sized page.
When changes are required, I have to make changes to both documents, which is annoying and open to error/mistakes from me (e.g. change in one document not in the other).
Is there any way I can have a single document setup so that I only need to change output/export/print settings when making my two different end products?
My skill level in InDesign is beginner, so alot of terminology is beyond me.

Answer 1

Did you know that you can place an InDesign document into another InDesign document?
Start with your letter-size version, and make sure it's up-to-date. Save it, close it, then start a new empty tabloid document. Go to File -> Place and place the four pages of your letter-size document into your tabloid document.
When you need to update both docs, then make the text changes in the lettersize doc. Save and close, then open up the tabloid doc and update the links. In fact, unless you've changed the way your install of ID is set up, then the moment you open the tabloid doc, it should ask you if you want to update your out-of-date links.