It's been six years since we first wrote about JK Rowling's confused refusal to offer an ebook, claiming she was worried about "piracy." Of course, as we explained back then, the argument made no sense, since others had already digitized her books, and the only choice for those who wanted ebook options was to go with an infringing copy. In other words, her moves actually encouraged a lot more "piracy." And while there have been rumors in the past of her growing recognition that ebooks aren't evil, she's now decided to embrace them in a huge way. She's setting up her own Harry Potter-themed site, Pottermore, which will offer ebook versions of all her books for a variety of platforms -- all direct from her. In other words, 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). Wow. Oh, and no DRM (though it will have an identifying watermark).
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. Basically, she's very nicely realized that she can do more beyond just the book. While I've had my problems with Rowling's approach to the online world in the past, this seems like a huge leap forward. And, yes, she's in a different position than most authors, but I think any author will be able to learn from this, if just to recognize that you can do more to connect with fans outside of just the straight book experience.
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