Potter…more?

It always makes me laugh the reaction from my friends when I say that I haven’t read all the Harry Potter books, the look of sheer outrage on their faces! As a child I didn’t really read fiction. I was a die-hard ballet girl so read the autobiographies of famous dancers/ performers. I vividly remember reading the biographies of Margot Fonteyn, Darcy Bussell, Rudolf Nureyev, Audrey Hepburn. I am now making up for lost time.

When the Harry Potter movies first came out I wasn’t that bother as I didn’t know what they were, but after seeing the Prisoner of Azkaban, I became interested. I have now read the first three books and have full intentions of reading the other books this summer.

I have seen all the movies so far (and loved them) and am seriously looking forward to the last instalment Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows: Part 2.  The trailer is awesome and if you haven’t seen it:

What has sparked this blog is the announcement from JK Rowling of the new website: Pottermore.com

Pottermore will be a new website, where the Harry Potter books will be released as e-books plus additional unseen material from JK Rowling. The new material will include further details and insight into the Harry Potter world. JK Rowling is releasing further information on all the characters including Professor McGonagall, The Dursleys and in-depth information about the construction of wands and the Hogwarts Houses (Gryffindor,Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff). The books will also be available as audio books. The e-books will be exclusive to the Pottermore site and so JK Rowling is smartly controlling the distribution of the books, as competitors such as Amazon can’t sell the books at different prices or with different promotions.

Apart from being a HP fan, what I find most impressive about Pottermore is the impressive marketing strategy behind it. Pottermore has been announced only a few weeks before the release of the last film, when the anticipation and hype is at its highest. The fans will be only too eager to sign up for the website as the film will leave them wanting more. JK Rowling has also added an element of exclusivity to Pottermore, with the first million subscribers maybe allowed access to the site on July 31st, Harry Potter’s birthday, whereas all other users will have to wait until October.

Moreover the site will be interactive allowing the user to create a magical name/ profit, and interact with site on features such as choosing their own magical name, choosing a house, earning house points and casting spells, just like Harry Potter. JK Rowling has stated that she has no plans to write anymore Harry Potter books but by creating the site, she is creating a buzz and further marketing an existing popular product.

Here is JK Rowling herself speaking about Pottermore:

Impressive stuff. Well as I haven’t read all the Harry Potter books, I can’t say which is my favourite yet, but I am intrigued to hear which is yours, please vote below: