JK Rowling realises there’s money in e-books and opens online Harry Potter store

JK Rowling, the author of best selling Harry Potter series has completely embraced the digital domain. Until recently, Ms. Rowling was reluctant to publish ebook versions of her work, in fear of mass copying. However, nowadays writers have to live with the fact that electronic copies of their books are easily made, so it is better to market a legitimate digital version, rather than leaving the digital domain open for unabated copying.

JK Rowling has set up her own Harry Potter-themed site, named Pottermore, which will offer ebook versions of all her books for a variety of platforms. Interestingly Rowling is distributing her work herself via the Pottermore platform, meaning she's mostly gone around publishers and booksellers, and has decided to go fully direct to fan (while she retains the rights, apparently she is giving her publishes some cut).

On top of that, it looks like she's really trying to add more value, as well. The site is going to have social networking features to connect fans of the books, and will also include extra (and new) content (both written and graphical), which apparently will continue to grow over time. The whole thing is set up as an interactive and immersive experience.

With the launch of Pottermore, Ms. Rowling sets an excellent example for authors that want to exploit their copyrights online. Perhaps the website can generate some revenues in its own right, if pageviews rise towards a number that appeals to advertisers. Arguably, this step is easier to take for an author that is allready immensely popular than for a beginning writer. Nonetheless, a website like Pottermore is undeniably a good way to connect (to) readers and offer additional added value to fans.

Source: Techdirt