Harry Potter Goes Digital With Pottermore

Now you had to know that when JK Rowling finally agreed to release the Harry Potter books in the digital format that they wouldn't just be simple e-books for your Kindle.  Naturally, we're getting something much cooler than that (although for you boring folks, the regular e-book versions are coming out this fall as well).  After weeks of speculation, the mysterious *new* Harry Potter project Pottermore was finally unveiled, courtesy of the soon-to-be-even-more-mega-rich-author herself:

Some more information on the new site from the official press release:

For this groundbreaking collaborative project, J.K. Rowling has written extensive new material about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories, which will inform, inspire and entertain readers as they journey through the storylines of the books. Pottermore will later incorporate an online shop where people can purchase exclusively the long-awaited Harry Potter eBooks, in partnership with J.K. Rowling’s publishers worldwide, and is ultimately intended to become an online reading experience, extending the relevance of Harry Potter to new generations of readers, while still appealing to existing fans. As the Pottermore Shop develops, it is intended that it should include further products designed specifically for Harry Potter fans, offering a potential outlet for Sony products and services related to Pottermore. In keeping with Harry Potter’s international appeal, the site will launch in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with more languages to follow.

In the new website, the storyline will be brought to life with sumptuous newly-commissioned illustrations and interactive ‘Moments’ through which you can navigate, starting with the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone. On entering, you choose a magic username and begin your experience. As you move through the chapters, you can read and share exclusive writing from J.K. Rowling, and, just as Harry joins Hogwarts, so can you. You visit Diagon Alley, get sorted into a house, cast spells and mix potions to help your house compete for the House Cup.

So, it sounds like not only will you be able to read the books digitally, but you will get to interact with the story online by being part of a virtual version of the wizarding world in the books, which also allows you to read additional material Rowling has written for the books.  That is pretty damn cool.  And I especially like how much it emphasizes reading the books as the most important part of being immersed in the Potter universe.  It's not just a video game, dammit...they're books, first and foremost.

The site is scheduled to launch in October, but you can enter your email address here for a chance to be an early beta tester for the site starting July 31.