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July 21st, 2011, 13:46 GMT · By

Harry Potter eBooks Will Be Available on Google eBooks Devices and the Web Reader

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You'll be able to read Harry Potter via Google eBooks
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Google has announced an interesting partnership that should give its eBooks store a boost in the eyes of potential users, future customers of Pottermore, the Harry Potter-related website which will be the only place to buy digital versions of the very popular books, will be able to get their books in a format supported by Google's eBooks effort.

What's more, Google has been able to secure Google Checkout as the only payments provider for Pottermore.com, when the site goes live this fall.

It is very likely though that the books will be offered via other platforms as well, Amazon says that the Harry Potter ebooks will be available for its Kindle device.

"When the series of Harry Potter ebooks launches on Pottermore.com in early October, these bestsellers will be available in the U.S. via the open Google eBooks platform," Google announced.

"When you buy a Harry Potter ebook from Pottermore, you will be able to choose to keep it in your Google Books library in-the-cloud, as well as on other e-reading platforms," it explained.

What this means is that you'll be able to read the books via the Google eBooks reader which is available online via any modern browser.

Since the book is backed up in the Google cloud, it will be available on any device anywhere via the site.

This means that you'll be able to start reading on your laptop, then move on to your tablet with no friction.

The books will also be readable on more than 80 physical ereaders that support Google's standard ebook format.

Google also revealed that Checkout, its beleaguered payments service, will be the only option on Pottermore, though customers will be able to pay via debit or credit cards.

"The Pottermore team also plans to use YouTube for global video broadcasts in the future, as they did for JK Rowling’s announcement of Pottermore in June," Google announced.

"Stay tuned for more Pottermore and Google wizardry on the web this summer, leading up to when Pottermore opens," it said.

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READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: Harry U.K. Bonds on 01 Sep 2011, 19:12 UTC reply to this comment

Not specifically directed at Google but this time at Dame Rowling herself, and what a flippendo sellout she is.

For years she refused to allow the rights to the Potter series to be marketed as ebooks. All of a sudden when the ebook market seemed lucrative and it became apparent that the Kindle et. al. wasn't going the way of the eight-track player (sadly), she (ahem) "magically" changed her tune.

Right now the Potter ebooks are only available on the Pottermore site itself, but it's only a matter of time before they end up on Amazon and (gasp) The Pirate Bay. Then what will she do, sue for infringement? She opened this can of screeching mandrakes, and as far as I'm concerned, I hope Anonymous takes down Pottermore with a little black hat magic of their own.

Ebooks will surely be the death of quality literature and the rise of more hacker hacks who learned English from the "Twilight" zone. A pox on you, Ms. Rowling; note also that these Britishisms arrive from a devoted Potter fan, aspiring novelist myself, and fervent ebook opponent in the good old recession-prone safe harbor for capitalist cheats and Silicon Valley shill sites, the U.$. of A.

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