J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are not yet available digitally, but when they are, they will be distributed in ebook and mp3 formats to public and school libraries through OverDrive. The agreement covers the books in over 18,000 libraries.
The announcement was made by Pottermore, the project by J.K. Rowling in partnership with Sony that will be the online experience and home for all things Harry Potter when it comes out of private beta.
Those who wish to purchase these versions of the seven Harry Potter novels are still waiting for them to go on sale at Pottermore, which will be the exclusive retailer. The release date was set for late 2011, but the most current site information does not offer an alternative date.
Pottermore has a deal with Google that means the books will use the Google ebook format and be sold using Google Checkout. Initially the ebooks and digital audiobooks will be available in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with more than a dozen other languages set to be added.
The Harry Potter series has sold over 400 million copies. “J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is a once-a-lifetime phenomenon and has been an extremely significant catalyst for reading and literacy for current and future generations,” said OverDrive CEO and president Steve Potash. “We are honored to bring this beloved storytelling experience digitally to public and school libraries worldwide.”
Related links:
http://insider.pottermore.com/p/pottermore-site-updates.html
