This morning JK Rowling attended a press conference about Pottermore and a report is now online with some quotes.
“I do have closure with Harry,” Rowling told reporters in London at the launch of pottermore.com. “I have no plans to write another novel. I’m pretty sure I’m done on the novel front…But it was fun while it lasted.”
“It is my view you can’t hold back progress,” Rowling said of the electronic launch. “Ebooks are here and here to stay. Later than a lot of people, I for the first time downloaded ebooks and it’s miraculous for travel and for children in particular. I feel great about taking Harry into this new medium.”
Rowling said that Pottermore was about giving something back to her fans around the world, who were among the first to create a large and influential online community. It was also about encouraging people to read more, she added. “We knew there was a big demand for ebooks, but…I wanted it to be something more than that,” the author explained. “I wanted to pull it back to the reading, to the literary and story experience…I’ve had a lot to do with virtually every aspect of it.”
This morning (at precicely 7am) JK Rowling Announced via her YouTube what Pottermore is. She says that “Pottermore is an online reading experience. It’s the same story, but with a crucial change – you.” You will also be able to download the Harry Potter audiobooks e-books exclusively through the site. JK Rowling will also be sharing additional information on the books that she has never shared before! Fans will be able to use the site starting in October (with a select few being able to use it earlier)
A transcript of the video is below:
J.K. Rowling: Thirteen years ago after the first Harry Potter book was published, I’m still astonished and delighted by the responses the stories emit. Even though the seventh book and the eighth film have now been completed, I’m still receiving hundreds of letters every week, and Harry’s fans remain as enthusiastic and as inventive as ever.
So, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, because no author could have asked for a more wonderful, diverse, and loyal readership. I’m thrilled to say that I am now in a position to give you something unique: an online reading experience unlike any other. It’s called Pottermore.
It’s the same story, with a few crucial additions, the most important one is you. Just as the experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author and the reader work together to create the story, so Pottermore will be built, in part, by you, the reader. The digital generation will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books. Pottermore will be the place where fans of any age can share, participate in, and rediscover the stories.
It will also be the exclusive place to purchase digital audio books, and, for the first time, e-books of the Harry Potter series. I’ll be joining in, too, because I will be sharing additional information I’ve been hoarding for years about the world of Harry Potter.
Pottermore is open to everyone from October, but a lucky few can enter early and help shape the experience. Simply follow the owl. Good luck.
There is also a rumor going around that there will be a press conference today.
A new interview with Emma Watson has appeared online along with some new photos from her photoshoot with Mariano Vivanco. The photos may be seen in the gallery.
Do you remember the experience of reading and anticipating the last book?
Definitely. It’s so funny, I was going on holiday the day that the last book was released. They were sending me a copy but I didn’t get it cause I wasn’t at home. So I was queuing in the airport for the book. I remember someone spotting me in the queue going “are you Emma Watson? Are you queuing for the Harry Potter book?” “Yes”. It was quite surreal really. I was dying…I couldn’t really wait until they send it to me. I just had to have it the minute I could get my hands on it.
What was your reaction when you read it?
I cried in a lot of moments. The moment that really got me was Dobby’s death. I was really weepy for that. I should have read it then going through it thinking “I’m gonna have to do this” but I didn’t. I just read it from a fan’s perspective. I really didn’t read it looking at it technically. I just read it as a fan. I just wanted to know what the ending was. I loved those books as well.
Details for the New York City premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II have been released this evening! The details of the event are as follows:
Date: July 11, 2011 Time: 5:00 pm Place: Avery Fisher Hall Who: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Helen McCrory, director David Yates, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and screenwriter Steve Kloves
Comcast have just emailed with a new press release detailing their Harry Potter Exclusives that will be available with finity On Demand and XfinityTV.com starting on June 24th!
Starting on June 24, Comcast will begin to offer Xfinity TV digital customers exclusive looks at the final Harry Potterfilm on Xfinity On Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the Xfinity TV app. In addition, customers can now rent the first seven Harry Potter films as well as watch more than 100 free extras including interviews, deleted scenes, costume fittings, the creation of new characters and trailers on Xfinity On Demand and XfinityTV.com.
“We are giving our customers a VIP pass to special looks at the final Harry Potter film and other features that can’t be seen anywhere else,” said Diana Kerekes, Vice President, Xfinity On Demand, Comcast. “We offer our customers the most-current selection of entertainment choices and make them available on the TV, computer and other devices, so they can catch-up and keep-up with their favorite movies and series – anytime and anywhere they want.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – the last adventure in the series based on the popular novels by British author J.K. Rowling and number one film franchise – premieres in theaters on July 15. Leading up to the film’s release, customers can watch three unique looks at the epic finale on Xfinity On Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the Xfinity TV app on the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®.
