Harry Potter author JK Rowling has struck a deal with Google Books, allowing her novels to be released as e-books on the Google platform.
Last month, Rowling announced the Pottermore website, promising that it would soon include an online bookshop. Now, it’s been revealed that the books – which will be avaialble nowhere else – will be published in Google’s open eBooks format.
This means they can be accessed through the 80 or so ereaders that support the format, including Android or iOS devices, the Nook, and Sony readers, along with browsers and smartphone apps. While the Kindle is a glaring omission, Amazon says it’s working on that.
“Pottermore will be the exclusive place to buy Harry Potter ebooks and digital audiobooks,” says Larissa Fontaine of Google Books.
“You’ll be able to buy ebooks from the Pottermore Shop, push them to your Google Books library and store them alongside your other Google eBooks. Your other Google eBooks may be purchased from any of more than 250 independent booksellers or from Google directly.”
Google says that Google Checkout will be the preferred third party payment platform for all purchases made on Pottermore.com, and that in future the Pottermore team will use YouTube for global video broadcasts, as was done for the original Pottermore announcement in June.
The site‘s due to launch in October.