JK Rowling and Sony--It Lives!!!!!

[advocate2]

According to today's Wall Street Journal:

After years of refusing to release her boy-wizard books in electronic format, Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling is finally taking the digital plunge, launching an online store that will sell Harry Potter e-books directly to consumers and a social-networking site designed to keep the Potter magic alive.

The free-to-access site, known as Pottermore, launches for the first million users on July 31 and opens to the general public—with the online e-book store—in October. Once the online store opens, the full Harry Potter series will be available as e-books in multiple languages, compatible with any electronic reading device.

Sony Corp. has served as a primary partner in building the site. Once the online store goes live in October, Sony will be selling Pottermore branded products alongside the Harry Potter e-books, a spokeswoman for Sony said. Those could include Pottermore branded Sony e-readers, as well as other Harry Potter-specific electronics or software products.

[Shopaholic]

Yep! I said that.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=140229

[ilovejedd]

Great news!!!

I already have the 2 sets of hardcovers (one set bought as the books came out, the other set, the cardboard trunk containing all 7 books) and a set of dog-eared paperbacks, but I'll definitely be buying the ebook versions as soon as they come out.

[carpetmojo]

Having saved a venerable publishing house,Sony's ereaders could well be next !

I'm not sure how you guys see this as SAVING the Sony eReaders. Here's what an article on The BookSeller.com states:

The e-books will be released in October, and will be available only on the Pottermore website, but will be compatible across a range of devices, including Amazon's Kindle. The facility is being provided by the e-book vendor OverDrive, which also serves the Waterstone's and W H Smith's e-book stores, as well as being a major player in the library e-book lending market.

Complete article here.

I don't see how this remotely affects Sony eReaders any more than Kindles and Nooks and all the rest. I too desire to see the Sony line of eReaders continue, but I think you are pulling at straw to read anything into this announcement other than the fact that Rawlings is trying to make even more money from her Harry Potter Empire. She obviously, and smartly, wants to control the sales and distribution of her eBooks and avoid as much distribution costs as possible.

[sononkyo]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I don't see how this remotely affects Sony eReaders any more than Kindles and Nooks and all the rest. I too desire to see the Sony line of eReaders continue, but I think you are pulling at straw to read anything into this announcement other than the fact that Rawlings is trying to make even more money from her Harry Potter Empire. She obviously, and smartly, wants to control the sales and distribution of her eBooks and avoid as much distribution costs as possible.

Of course this will help Sony eReaders. If you have to go to the site to buy the book and you see a Sony eReader right beside it, it's the path of least resistance.

Will this convert Nook or Amazon readers? No, it's not a game-changing strategy and Sony is looking for first time e-reader buyers, not the "trendy" early adopter types who frequent this message board.

It does, however, have the potential to start a trend towards a platform-agnostic e-reader.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by sononkyo

Of course this will help Sony eReaders. If you have to go to the site to buy the book and you see a Sony eReader right beside it, it's the path of least resistance.

Will this convert Nook or Amazon readers? No, it's not a game-changing strategy and Sony is looking for first time e-reader buyers, not the "trendy" early adopter types who frequent this message board.

It does, however, have the potential to start a trend towards a platform-agnostic e-reader.

But surely if you are going to the site to get the ebooks you already have an eReader, so I can't see how it is going to persuade people to buy Sony readers.

Most people who are shopping for ebooks will have something to read them on.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by sononkyo

Of course this will help Sony eReaders. If you have to go to the site to buy the book and you see a Sony eReader right beside it, it's the path of least resistance.

Particularly if it's got a Harry Potter logo and some other image (wand, owl, hat, cauldron, broomstick, etc) etched on it.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

But surely if you are going to the site to get the ebooks you already have an eReader, so I can't see how it is going to persuade people to buy Sony readers.

Most people who are shopping for ebooks will have something to read them on.

Ah, but the Pottermore site is generic. It's an avenue to sell ebooks and audio books but that's not the only thing it offers. People who visit the site for the other content and have never heard of ebooks before may very well end up purchasing a collector's edition ereader containing all seven books.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Ah, but the Pottermore site is generic. It's an avenue to sell ebooks and audio books but that's not the only thing it offers. People who visit the site for the other content and have never heard of ebooks before may very well end up purchasing a collector's edition ereader containing all seven books.

I have never been to the Pottermore site so I was not aware they sold things other than ebooks.

As you say if someone stumbled across the HP ebooks whilst shopping for something else it might prompt them to purchase a Sony ereader if it were a themed product and they were HP fans.

[ilovejedd]

So far, the Pottermore site just has a coming soon message. From J.K. Rowling's video announcement, I think she sees it as an online community which offers interactive content to users, as well as more in-depth knowledge into the world of Harry Potter.

[porkupan]

Sony is involved with Pottermore on some level. But I agree with jswinden: people are totally grasping at straws when they make statements to the effect that Pottermore is somehow going to positively affect, save even, Sony Reader business. For all I know this development may have nothing to do with Digital Reading Division of Sony. Well, a Sony Reader with a HP skin perhaps... Yeah, like that is going to turn the tide.

If the Overdrive is providing the distribution facility, the books are going to be available on any ereader. What's there to encourage people to buy a Sony Reader? A nice decal? I remember when Sony used to offer special edition PRS-505's - did they sell well? I also remember Dooney & Bourke covers at $150 a piece. Yes, they were nice.

Which parts of Sony are involved with Pottermore project? Entertainment? Multimedia? Are the new Sony Android tablets being geared up for HP multimedia experience? Are we going to get a PRS-650 Deathly Hallows Special Edition with dragon skin cover included? I can only see speculation here.

[drdann]

Of course, they have been available in "unofficial" versions for quite some time....

[Leyor]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I'm not sure how you guys see this as SAVING the Sony eReaders.

C'mon mate, you're talking to a community that's currently getting excited about Sony possibly hiring one guy that might have something to do with Readers.

Grasping at straws is all we have left after Sony's brilliant business strategy where they apparantly are positioning themselves so well on the market that most people don't even know they used to make E-readers. Who knows tomorrow they may launch an entire new range of e-readers with exciting new features available to ehh us since everyone else has been buying kindles and nooks the last half year while Sony snoozed.

So let me dream of my Gryffindor engraved Sony Reader with Dumbledores authograph.

<--- Feeling a bit snarky today, sorry

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by porkupan

What's there to encourage people to buy a Sony Reader? A nice decal? I remember when Sony used to offer special edition PRS-505's - did they sell well?

This is Harry Potter we're talking about here. As a commercial product, it's a bigger draw than Sir Fleming.