Harry Potter eBooks Now Available on Amazon as Pottermore Ends Exclusivity

After some waiting, digital bookworms could finally purchase the story of Harry Potter in eBook format starting in 2011 – but with a small catch: instead of buying the titles directly from their favorite shop, they had to purchase the eBooks from Pottermore.

The website by J.K. Rowling held exclusive rights to sell the digital books, which was an interesting move primarily because of the use of soft DRM. Back then, this step was less common than it is today.

New Distribution Model

Update January 8, 2016: However, the distribution model is now slowly changing, as colleague Nate from The Digital Reader discovered: On the US site of Amazon, as well as at Barnes & Noble, fans of the young wizard (and those who still want to become one) have been able to purchase the eBooks directly since December 8, 2015. Although Harry Potter eBooks could already be borrowed for some time from the Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited, direct purchases were not possible. Instead, users were redirected to the Pottermore homepage.

German Harry Potter fans at Amazon.de are still redirected to Pottermore. The US site of the retail giant also redirects international visitors to the Rowling homepage.

Ultimately, this doesn’t matter too much because Pottermore is finally giving up its exclusive rights to eBook sales after almost five years. This is likely due to massive revenue declines. In 2015, the platform reportedly lost 6 million pounds – after making a profit of 14.9 million pounds in 2014.

One reason for the drop in revenue could be the end of the Sony partnership. The Japanese electronics giant evidently paid good money for the marketing rights.

Recently, there was a comprehensive redesign of Pottermore, during which the elaborate interactive community section was eliminated without replacement.

With DRM or without DRM, that is the question here

From a consumer perspective, the move to regular distribution is initially a welcome gain in convenience. On second glance, however, this is somewhat relativized: At Amazon (and presumably at Nook as well), the Harry Potter eBooks are protected with strict DRM.

Unlike the versions purchased at Pottermore, these files cannot be easily converted for other devices or used multiple times in a household (or only with the Kindle Library linking).

The fact that the eBooks were made available for direct purchase during the holiday season (!) so quietly is certainly an interesting detail. Amazon stated at the launch of Pottermore that they wanted to do everything to make the eBooks as simple as possible for customers to acquire. The reason: The book series has always been one of the best-selling products with the retail giant. Why the addition of the eBooks to the Kindle range was not specifically mentioned anywhere remains an open question.

The regular retail distribution may leave a sour taste for those Amazon critics who saw Pottermore as a chance for a decentralized eBook business to establish itself. In the US, the Kindle ecosystem is the undisputed number one in the digital market, which is why the search for competitive alternatives is of utmost relevance for many market participants.

But if even one of the most successful book series in the world can’t manage to stand on its own digital feet and instead goes the usual distribution route despite considerable publicity, what chance do other authors and books have?

Currently, there remains anticipation about whether the exclusivity will be lifted outside the USA as well. In Germany, as already mentioned, you still have to go through the Harry Potter homepage. For how much longer?

Update: I was made aware in the comments to the article that the eBooks are already available in German at Kobo. On December 27, the Canadian company at least sent a newsletter here pointing out the inclusion of the titles. I still couldn’t find the newly launched eBooks in other German shops (including Amazon.de).

Beta Access to Pottermore [Expired]

Report from August 2, 2011: Even during the presentation of the Harry Potter eBook plans and the corresponding website Pottermore.com, beta access was promised to fans of the book series. Officially, the portal is set to launch in October.

Alongside the seven eBooks and audiobooks, new additional material is also supposed to be released. It should encompass more than 18,000 words, which corresponds to about 40 book pages.

Since July 31, beta access has been granted and until August 6, you still have time to snag one yourself. This is how it works: Every day a question is asked that needs to be answered. If you find the answer in time, you can visit a webpage where images or interactive content are located. Here, you need to find and click on the “Magic Quill.” After that, you can register for beta access.

The previous two questions were as follows:

1. How many breeds of owl are featured on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign? Multiply this number by 49.
2. What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Multiply this number by 42.

For example, in the case of the second question: The requested book chapter is number 14. 14*42 = 588 – A visit then leads to the search page.

The process is not only unusual for an eBook but also for a book in general – but the advertising effect seems to be paying off: The rush is huge, the Pottermore homepage was temporarily inaccessible in recent days, and the questions also disappear fairly quickly. New question releases occur at different times – not always at the same time of day. So, you need to be quick … or wait until October.

Update 1

Day 3 of the Pottermore quiz has also come and gone. This means that all slots for the day were already filled within a time window of just 4 hours (or possibly less). Question 3 was:

• In the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, in Harry’s third year, how many points is Gryffindor leading by before Harry catches the Golden Snitch? Multiply this number by 35.

To help with upcoming questions, the service Yahoo! Answers is recommended. There, the current question is always discussed promptly, and potentially answered, and hints are also given about where the Magic Quill might be hidden.

Update 2

Question 4 is online and reads:

• How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry’s fourth year? Multiply this number by 28.

The correct answer is 112. The Sony homepage, which includes the Magic Quill search, apparently went offline due to high demand.

Update 3

The Pottermore quiz is now over. The questions were as follows:

1. How many breeds of owls were offered on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign? Multiply this number by 49.
2. What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Multiply this number by 42.
3. In the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, in Harry’s third year, how many points is Gryffindor leading by before Harry catches the Golden Snitch? Multiply this number by 35.
4. How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry’s fourth year? Multiply this number by 28.
5. What is the house number of the Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix in Grimmauld Place? Multiply this number by 21.
6. How many chapters are there in HARRY POTTER and the Half-Blood Prince? Multiply this number by 14.
7. How many Deathly Hallows are there? Multiply this number by 7.

For all those who could not register, there is no reason to be upset. Registration alone does not provide access to the homepage. Beta access is granted separately and so far only a few seem to have been lucky enough to receive one.

Pottermore: First Impressions of the Interactive Book World

Report from September 14, 2011: With over 500 million copies sold worldwide in 67 languages, the Harry Potter book series is one of the most successful ever. After the end of the book story and the film series, fans were deeply saddened, after all, the tale had been a constant companion since 1997 for many.

But it wasn’t meant to be the definitive end for Harry Potter & Co., as author J.K. Rowling announced she would dedicate a website to the world of Harry Potter. Of course, it wouldn’t be just any ordinary homepage.

The website called Pottermore is intended to provide an interactive retelling of the story – and incidentally be the only place to purchase Harry Potter books in eBook format.

Thanks to Pottermore beta access, I was able to get an overview of what is soon set to officially launch.

Pottermore begins with the first Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). By clicking on a chapter overview map that includes all the books, you select the first chapter of the book and soon find yourself on Privet Drive. From here, the interactive story unfolds in parallel with the book. From chapter to chapter, both the animated background and scenery change, as well as the objects you can interact with. Every chapter contains a short description of the main characters and items.

In each section, there’s also a three-stage zoom feature to shift the focus of the background image, potentially discovering objects to collect or unlock exclusive content. These exclusives are short descriptions of a thing or person, sometimes with additional notes from J.K. Rowling.

After finally receiving the acceptance letter to Hogwarts thanks to Hagrid, you find yourself shortly afterward in Diagon Alley. From here, the real interactivity of Pottermore begins: You have to open your account at Gringotts, purchase magic utensils, choose a pet, and finally get a wand. However, just like in the book and movie, you don’t simply choose it; you are assigned one by answering seven questions.

Taking the Hogwarts Express, you continue to the school. There’s another round of questions so the Sorting Hat can assign you to one of the four houses. Both the wand and the house are final, meaning you should consider your answers carefully! Once you’re in the right house, you earn house points from then on for the house cup. This is done automatically by collecting important items or unlocking information as you move through the chapters, or through mini-games like spell duels and potion brewing.

The interactive journey concludes at the last chapter of Book 1. After all, the beta version shouldn’t reveal everything. Overall, I really liked the design and storytelling approach. As a point of criticism, one might see the complete absence of any sounds, which could have lightened the atmosphere a bit. Personally, I expected a bit more text, but often descriptions and details about a thing are rather brief. However, I see a major advantage in the German translation of the website. Often, major internet services launch only with an English version – not so with Pottermore: The entire navigation and all content are already available in German.

Even though Pottermore is overall strongly PC-oriented, the website does give a good indication of where a simple book narrative can go. The digitalization of the story isn’t simply about creating eBooks – Pottermore lets you directly engage with and interact in the narrative. The beginnings of this transformation, enabled by the digitization of book content, are apparent. It seems that’s the direction things are slowly heading, and I’m looking forward to when I can influence the outcome of a story myself in the future.

Until then, anticipation for the remaining chapters of Pottermore is warranted, alongside the official launch in October.

Pottermore Gets Improved; User Registration Delayed Again

Report from November 2, 2011: In recent years, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling celebrated a massive success with the book series about the young wizard, following some initial startup difficulties and the early reluctance of buyers. Back then, she went the traditional route through a publisher to make her story accessible to the public – she didn’t have much choice. Today, however, there are other ways to publish a story.

With the end of the film series this year, the entire narrative has reached its preliminary conclusion. However, book and film aren’t the only storytelling forms to be exhausted – this seems to have been Rowling’s thought when she inaugurated Pottermore. The website aims to offer an interactive journey through the tales of all the books and connect Harry Potter fans worldwide in a social networking style. Also, the homepage will be the only place to purchase Harry Potter eBooks. We’ve already summarized a brief insight into the scope and type of interactivity in a short preview (including screenshots) above.

The website was taken offline today to make improvements and fix bugs. Additionally, it’s announced on the homepage that the beta phase will be extended yet again. Originally, the site was supposed to open gradually in October. The blog states, “After taking a closer look at the collected information, we have decided to extend the beta phase once more. This way, we can improve Pottermore before more people gain access. This means that the website will continue to be unavailable to new users in the near future, but we can assure you that as soon as possible, we will begin registration.”

“To make the necessary improvements to Pottermore, we will close the website for a few days starting November 2. We will use this time to implement some technical changes ‘behind the scenes.'”

The release of the Harry Potter eBooks and audiobooks has meanwhile been postponed to 2012. They were supposed to be available in October. Through the Pottermore partnership with Sony, the first book in the series was also supposed to be available on the Sony PRS-T1. However, all indications of this have disappeared from the Sony website and from retailers, and unfortunately, no voucher accompanies the readers.

Aspiring young wizards will have to wait a little longer for Pottermore and the Harry Potter eBooks. But 2012 isn’t too far off.

Moving Forward: The Chamber of Secrets Opens

Report from July 16, 2012: It’s probably one of the greatest experiments in selling a book series as eBooks: Pottermore. The Harry Potter site, initiated by the author herself, is responsible for the exclusive distribution of the eBooks. No other site holds the rights to resell the eBooks (although Amazon-USA has recently started lending them!).

Pottermore, however, is not just a mere eBook shop, but a website that allows the story around the young wizard to be interactively replayed. The narrative is presented chapter by chapter in images, enhanced with small animations and sounds. Slideshow-like, you can move through the settings, collect and use items. It’s fairly simple but allows fans of the completed book series to discover a few more contents, as J.K. Rowling also wrote several new texts for the website.

The site is definitely a success. In the first month alone, it generated a revenue of 3.72 million euros. For comparison: The entire German eBook market made 3.72 million euros in total for 2011.

The storytelling part of Pottermore, however, is still in progress. Just last week, the first chapters of the book “The Chamber of Secrets” were unlocked and can be played through. About 180 more chapters of the remaining books are still outstanding. This should keep customers entertained well until 2013.

Given the success, one might ask if in the future other successful authors might seek similar self-distribution routes for eBooks. What do you think? Is Pottermore just a flash in the pan that will eventually fade away, or a possible eBook distribution model of the future?