J.K. Rowling starts selling Harry Potter e-books
Author J.K. Rowling announced she will be selling Harry Potter e-books through her own online platform, Pottermore, retaining all electronic rights to Harry Potter. It is estimated that Rowling will make more than $160 million off of e-book sales through Pottermore.
The electronic versions of Harry Potter books went on sale Tuesday at Pottermore, J.K. Rowling's new web store.
In a move that breaks with current practices and could transform the eBook industry, the books are not locked down by encryption, which means consumers can move them between devices and read them anywhere they like, the Associated Press reported.
If "Pottermore," takes off, it could be a new way for authors and publishers and get around the almighty lock Amazon.com has had on the e-book market, AP said.
More from GlobalPost: New J.K. Rowling book for adults announced by publisher Little, Brown
"You can only purchase the books from the Pottermore site, this is really unusual," wrote Joshua Gans on Forbes.com. "On Amazon’s page they actually push you there. There is no other Kindle book sold in this way. It is a big deal."
Big deal indeed for both Potter fans, who can now get their favorite books in digital format, and Rowling who will now see enormous profits from her book, in a way no author has previously in the digital age.
Entertainment Weekly said the the first three books sell for $7.99, while the last four are $9.99.
Charles Redmayne, CEO of Pottermore, told the AP "we believe that people should have the right, once they've bought the book, to read it on any device that they chose to."
More from GlobalPost: Amazon to open first retail store in Seattle: reports
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.