With the release (finally!) of the digital editions of the Harry Potter books, and the last movie, it feels like I’ve come full circle. I first heard about Harry from my son’s homeschool group.
I looked them up online and was a bit dismayed to find them a) only available in hard cover and b) expensive. I had already been buying books from amazon.uk so I popped on there and found not just the first two books for a better price, despite exchange rate, I found a third book not currently available in the US.
My son devoured all three books and told me that he thought I’d like them, too. He told me “they started slow” but got better pretty fast after the first chapter or so. So I pressed forward until I got hooked and couldn’t stop.
About that time I’d also started reading more and more digital books. This was back before digital was so popular. I was frustrated with Rowling declined to release her books in digital format. I mean, they’re just so BIG.
When Rowling announced Pottermore and the upcoming release of the books in digital, my first thought was that it was too late. She’d missed the boat. And that might be the case. I don’t know how many sales she’ll make. Pottermore was supposed to open last November and so far, just the store has opened. But….
Yeah, I decided to get go for the digital deal. At first, I went in just to look. The prices are a bit high, but not excessive like so many New York publishers. They are lower than the print price and there is pretty nice bundle price. Plus, the books aren’t hampered by DRM. Instead they are watermarked to discourage piracy. AND–and this is a huge and–you can pick your format. You get eight downloads and can shift the books to a new device as long as you’re within your eight downloads.
That’s pretty dang, reader friendly. Okay, so I paid the money and downloaded the books, wondering what the books would look like in digital format. Too many big publishers skimp on conversion. The interiors are at best “decent” and at worse, a mess.
I opened the first book and…wow.
Rowling (no surprise) has totally respected the reader and the content of these books with this digital release. If this is why they were late with the release, then good for her. Right choice to wait and get it done right.
Wish other publishers would get a clue and follow suit. My wish list:
- No DRM (watermark not a problem because I’m not a pirate.)
- Portability between devices
- Ability to share with immediate/in house family members
- Top notch formatting and conversion to digital
- Reasonable pricing structure (i.e. LESS than print)
Rowling ticked all my boxes, making her both a great author and a savvy business woman who understands and respects her readers.
I very much enjoyed the movies and yeah, I own them all, but to get the full experience you have to read the books. They just left so much out! And now the books are finally portable! Thank you, JK Rowling! And good luck with your next book!
What’s on your wish list for digital releases? Planning to check out the digital Harry Potter books? Or do you only get your Harry by dvd?
Perilously,
Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones is the real name of a real author and a real reader. You can find out more about her at www.paulinebjones.com
