Pottermore

Pottermore is a website of JK Rowling, developed by TH_NK and sponsored by Sony. It describes itself as a " unique online reading experience " including sales platform for E -Books and Audio Books of the seven Harry Potter novels.

Pottermore allowed 31 July 2011, the birthday of JK Rowling's ( and the main character Harry Potter), a week a million fans an early registration. After a long beta phase Pottermore is open to the public since April 14, 2012. It's free.

Idea

The user can enjoy the interactive books and the protagonists 'follow' through the chapters, starting with the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Among other things, you can visit Diagon Alley, where you can buy various items with virtual money ( ' Galleons ') and receives a magic wand. In the further course of the players in one of the four houses of Hogwarts ( Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw ) is divided, learn spells, can duel with other users of the platform and brew potions.

Each book chapter has been broken into this so-called " moments " - scenes, games or other interactive implementations of the most important scenes of the chapter, which offer often with hidden rewards (in the form of potion ingredients or exclusive material from JK Rowling ). A total of over 18,000 words so extra content and previously unknown background information and notes of the author are provided.

Currently, the first three volumes and parts of the fourth (December 2013) are available, little by little, the other books will follow. By acting in the moments, but also interactions with other users in the " virtual Hogwarts," you collect house points and galleons. Twice a year the House Cup is awarded and then canceled the home score again. So Pottermore is now developing more and more in the direction of a social network ( including the ability to post messages, upload photos, and messages and objects to "like" ). A big difference from the known social network, however, is that user names can not be a real name, but will be awarded at random.

Shop

The Pottermore Shop was opened on 27 March 2012. He is an independent platform for which also Pottermore users must register again. Here you can purchase eBooks and audio books in different languages. The Pottermore Shop is the exclusive seller of the Harry Potter books, as well as forwards Amazon at an appropriate query on Pottermore on.

History

Pottermore was developed two years. A website that announced the project, was released in June 2011. This website contained a link to a YouTube channel, which contained a countdown. As of June 15, several Harry Potter fansites published geographic data on a JK Rowling created and could be entered in Google Maps integrated side and so betrayed the letters of the name of their new project. On June 23, Rowling revealed details about Pottermore in a Youtube video.

In the week between July 31 and August 6, 2011 There was the possibility to register as a beta tester before the official launch. Every day it was announced a puzzle on the page of Pottermore, after every which concerned the order of one of the seven volumes. The puzzle always appeared at a different time, and every day had about 143,000 fans the chance to be one of a million beta testers.

Originally announced in October 2011, the launch of the full version of the site was repeatedly pushed back. As of 2 November 2011, the site for an indefinite time went offline to fix bugs and improve the site. The site went back online 14 December 2011, with the change that now dueling is possible. On April 14, 2012 Pottermore is open to all users.

Reception

Since the date of the first announcement, the project Pottermore learned worldwide attention. The Wired magazine called the publication of the website a " Radiohead moment" and was referring to the band Radiohead, which released their album In Rainbows without a record label in the Internet 2007. In a similarly revolutionary way Rowling did regardless of their publishing, which could be a forward-looking concept for authors. Since the announcement of the site is therefore discussed the impact this type of e-book publishing to the publishers Bloomsbury Publishing and Scholastic, the Group Warner Bros. and sales platforms will have as Amazon.com.

The spokesman for the British bookseller chain Waterstone's Jon Howells said "he was disappointed that we are foreclosed from selling the long-awaited eBook -Edition". The industry magazine of the German Book Trade, the financial newspaper, judged the trend towards self-marketing of digital content by authors, past the traditional sales through publishing and commerce, as critical. Qualification, adds Joachim Kaufmann, CEO of the Carlsen publishing house, in which the German Harry Potter editions have been published: " A success like Harry Potter is totally unique, and therefore unique is the strength of the brand and the associated possibility of a direct statement of the fans. ".

The British newspaper The Guardian analyzed the marketing strategy behind Pottermore and JK Rowling criticized attempt to represent the creation of a platform to market their products as a selfless act. Rowling had previously said that she would return by Pottermore their loyal fans something.