Oh dear, fun's over....

[carpetmojo]

I think we can safely say that an awful lot of readers of most persuasions are still enthusiastic about the travails of a bespectacled lad with a mutilated forehead.
Even without any new content (yet?).

The "furore on the Forum" rather took me by surprise - and I'm fairly certain got right up the noses of those superior beings who see nothing in the stories.
(But I'm sure we all agree it's a free world..)

They'll have to find something else to moan about now

Oh yes,it'll be about the whole process ruining electronic publishing, that'll do.................

[OtterBooks]

Doh. It's hard enough keeping up with three duplicate threads as it is.

[Hellmark]

I wouldn't consider this a duplicate thread, just people complaining about the threads where people are complaining!

[JSWolf]

I wouldn't consider this news. So why is it in news?

[montsnmags]

Moderator Notice
I have moved this thread to General Discussions. Users who wish to post in this thread may wish to consider whether the content of their posts would be more relevant in the prior News threads mentioned above.

EDIT: related links below

Harry Potter eBooks to be officially sold

Sony Reader Lives on with Rowling!

JK Rowling Announcement

JK Rowling and Sony--It Lives!!!!!

Harry Potter E-Books to be DRM Free.

Cheers,
Marc
Moderator

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

I wouldn't consider this a duplicate thread, just people complaining about the threads where people are complaining!

Well, a duplicate theme. I couldn't think of a good word for it. I followed some amusing debates but then lost track of which Harry Potter threads they were in.

[fjtorres]

There you go.
If you want a thread to complain about complainers' complaining drowning out real news this is the thread to complain in.

[Aladyleyna]

I honestly don't see why some people seem to be unhappy about the Harry Potter books becoming ebooks. I actually think it's great news, even though I'm not even a Potterfan in the first place. In fact, I haven't even read past the first and third book and have no intention of doing so, so I'm pretty much unaffected by the news. But if it was a series that I'm a huge fan of, I would be incredibly happy over the news.

It just means that people can now access the series on their ebook readers. Though unless people have already bought the paperbacks and are annoyed, then yes it's pretty understandable.

And to the OP, I don't see why non-Potterfans are superior to Potterfans. It just means they have different tastes in books.

[RichL]

A pixelated HP and his magical friends..... Think of the havoc they could raise running riot through the 0's and 1's or our e-books.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by RichL

A pixelated HP and his magical friends..... Think of the havoc they could raise running riot through the 0's and 1's or our e-books.

Yeah, the egoblins will be chasing after our egalleons.

[Nyssa]

Ohh a thread to complain...who doesn't like complaining?

My turn:

Someone mentioned Rowling "milking" the series...well DUH!?! Who wouldn't? Its her series.

"Milking" only becomes a problem when real lives/real situations are involved - like the many many people who tried to make money in various ways after 911; that was unethical.

As for Harry Potter - I'm a huge fan of the books, not so much a fan of the movies. I haven't seen past #4 - even though I think they wee brilliantly cast. I will happily sign my children up for the Lego Potter MMO, should they ever be interested in playing it, and I may or may not get the e-books. If I do chose to, however, I know that it will not happen anytime soon.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

As for Harry Potter - I'm a huge fan of the books, not so much a fan of the movies. I haven't seen past #4 - even though I think they wee brilliantly cast. I will happily sign my children up for the Lego Potter MMO, should they ever be interested in playing it, and I may or may not get the e-books. If I do chose to, however, I know that it will not happen anytime soon.

I'm a Potter fan. Read and have all the books, including Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find them, Quiddich Through the Ages, Beedle the Bard (all in hard cover and paperback), latin translations and discussion books on them. I played Lego Harry Potter until it had nothing left to hide. The reason I like the HP stuff, is because of the depth of the material. How often is something meant for children is given such attention to detail? While not all of the things included will be understood by younger readers, she never talks down to them (which is oh so common in childrens books, that oversimplify things), but rather has it as another layer that will become apparent as they mature. On all of the stuff that even the youngest reader will understand, the descriptions are so rich that you are able to easily imagine you're there in these fantastic places, just as if you're familiar with them already.

BTW, you may want to check out the movies afterwards, in my opinion they're more faithful and better done than the first 4.

[Ryvyan]

I don't know, can't blame people getting excited/irritated at material that has earned a gazillion bucks.

Originally Posted by Hellmark

BTW, you may want to check out the movies afterwards, in my opinion they're more faithful and better done than the first 4.

Lol no. I queued up for the Harry Potter books and watch the movies on premiere day, but none of the movies were ever "well done" despite the amount of money thrown during production. The story getting darker than the first few does not a good movie make.

My friends (Harry Potter book fans) and I curse ourselves after every movie, then proceed to go through the horribleness.

[fjtorres]

There is a pretty clear line between fan service and milking a franchise.
Fan service makes money supporting/extending the original experience.
Milking exploits, dilutes, and devalues the original experience.
Rowling has generally taken care to stick to spinoffs that add value; the movies and videogames let fans get a different look at the stories, the candy and the amusement park let them "enter" the fantasy world and live in it.
These are all things that have a justification beyond making money.
Not that there is anything wrong with making money off a quality product.

But some franchises do extensions and spinoffs with an eye to making money more than to enhance/extend the original product. Fan exploitation instead of fan service.

Don't need to go much further than PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN...
A clear money-grab from the beginning, the first movie at least had charm and wit and a fun story to go along with the stunts and scenery chewing. The sequels progressively amp'ed the stunts and effects at the expense of character and story until the latest decided to dispense altogether with the central narrative of the first trilogy.

Lots of movie franchises work that way, cranking out episode after episode all built on the premise that if people paid to see it once, they'll pay to see it twelve times with minimal window dressing.

Unfortunately, the premise is true.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

I'm a Potter fan. Read and have all the books, including Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find them, Quiddich Through the Ages, Beedle the Bard (all in hard cover and paperback), latin translations and discussion books on them. I played Lego Harry Potter until it had nothing left to hide. The reason I like the HP stuff, is because of the depth of the material. How often is something meant for children is given such attention to detail? While not all of the things included will be understood by younger readers, she never talks down to them (which is oh so common in childrens books, that oversimplify things), but rather has it as another layer that will become apparent as they mature. On all of the stuff that even the youngest reader will understand, the descriptions are so rich that you are able to easily imagine you're there in these fantastic places, just as if you're familiar with them already.

I couldn't agree more. It is an excellent series! We bought the first 2 out of curiosity, in paperback. We then bought book 3 in hard cover, purchased the first 2 in hard cover, and started pre-ordering from book 4 on.

Originally Posted by Hellmark

BTW, you may want to check out the movies afterwards, in my opinion they're more faithful and better done than the first 4.

Originally Posted by Ryvyan

Lol no. I queued up for the Harry Potter books and watch the movies on premiere day, but none of the movies were ever "well done" despite the amount of money thrown during production. The story getting darker than the first few does not a good movie make.

My friends (Harry Potter book fans) and I curse ourselves after every movie, then proceed to go through the horribleness.

I don't think the movies are horrible at all. They just don't give me that same "warm" feeling as the books. The books drew me in and held me, the movies did not. I will, however, now picture the characters from the movies (the main ones anyway), when I reread the books. Like I said, I think the casting was excellent (although Emma Watson was a bit on the forced/wooden side in the beginning).
There is also a side of me that does not want to see parts of the story played out on screen. I took Fred and George's storyline very hard while reading the books and I don't want to "relive" it on video.