'Harry Potter' ebooks debut with Kindle and Nook support

"Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling can expecto more money now that all seven entries in the immensely successful series are finally available as downloadable ebooks. Rowling listed the individual books, along with a complete collection, at her Pottermore Shop website on Tuesday. That same day, Amazon and Barnes & Noble both announced partnerships with the author's site which allow Kindle and Nook owners access to the titles through the companies' online shops.

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The deals don't actually offer the ebooks through the online stores, however. Kindle and Nook owners can only browse. Once they've settled on which books(s) they want to download, the online shops redirect them to Pottermore, where they enter their credit card information and shipping details. Books one through three cost $7.99 each, while books four are slightly higher at $9.99 apiece. The complete set is $54.54.

Mike Shatzkin, head of digital publishing consulting firm The Idea Logical Company, called the arrangement "amazing," noting how the companies have essentially been turned into middle men.

"They are [Rowling's] customers now," Shatzkin told The Montreal Gazette. "She knows about them because they have registered with her site. It's a huge concession."

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So far, Amazon has only added English language versions of the titles, though promised the foreign language versions are on the way. The delay won't be as long as, say, the wait for the books themselves. Rowling originally hoped to publish the novels electronically last October, but her plan hit a snag when incredible early demand proved Pottermore's beta was incapable of handling a true launch.

Apple has yet to ink a similar deal with Pottermore, though iPad owners can use either Amazon's Kindle app or Barnes & Noble's Nook reader app to download the ebooks.

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