Google Books to distribute Harry Potter e-books

By Andrew Couts July 20, 2011

Pottermore — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last month, author JK Rowling announced the launch of Pottermore.com, a website devoted to the expansive world of Harry Potter. But the most significant revelations from Rowling wasn’t the website — it was that her Harry Potter series would, for the first time, be release in e-book format. And today, we’ve found out how exactly that will happen

First, Rowling has decided to shun the publishing industry by self-publishing the e-book version of the Potter series, and selling the books directly to customers, through the Pottermore website. To achieve this controversial goal, the Harry Potter series will be distributed through Google Books, starting this fall. Digital audiobooks formats will also be available.

For customers, this means that “[w]hen you buy a Harry Potter e-book from Pottermore, you will be able to choose to keep it in your Google Books library in-the-cloud, as well as on other e-reading platforms,” the statement on the Inside Google Books blog reads. In other words: Harry Potter e-books will be DRM free, and you can use them on pretty much any device you want, including Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. (It’s not yet clear, however, whether the books will work on Amazon’s Kindle.)

Google says it will also handle all the financial transactions associated with the e-book sales, as well as any other merchandise purchased through Pottermore, using its payment platform, Google Checkout. YouTube will also be used for “global video broadcasts” associated with Rowling and Pottermore.

In addition to serving as a storefront for Rowling’s digital Harry Potter editions, Pottermore is intended to be a central hub for Potter fans who wish to delve deeper into the series’ magical world. Rowling will also use the site as a platform to release additional Harry Potter material that she’s written — not another book, mind you, but tangential material, more than 18,000 words-worth.

Pottermore is expected to officially launch in October. Fans can register their email address now to receive updates.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Mobile

AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Mobile

Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today

Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally.

Mobile

The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024

A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad