JK Rowling Announcement

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by kalex

Its about freaking time. Now finalize your $$$$$$ contract and release them already.

Its been pirated in every possible way now and imagine how much money she could have made if only she'd embrace the technology

Sorry to be a bore, but I realised there was another that I wanted to reply to.

Kalex - can you not appreciate, or imagine, that JKR might not be too concerned about "how much money she could have made" ?
Firstly, I should think she is well aware of the financial implications for her, and has accepted them. I suspect, in any case, that any sums involved are, relatively speaking in her case, not vast.
And Ms Rowling has explained why - until now - she has not authorised e-versions, which seem to me genuine.
Finally, your implication that she's only in it for the money, as it were, hardly stands up to the way she has given large amounts of $$$$$$$ to medical research and child welfare, and the fact that she hasn't - as yet anyway, when the big bucks were there for the taking - launched into Terminator/Rambo/DieHard 27 syndrome.

So, and I hope this is sufficiently polite enough for our Moderators - please, grow up.

[Nahgem]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

BTW, they are childrens books in my eyes and I will never understand why a grown up wants to read it.

Because while the narrative style may be deceptively simple, the plot and world are actually quite complex. Nearly everything is connected somehow; there are tons of things referenced in the first book -- even the first chapter -- that become incredibly important to the series later on. The first two books seem like they're just stand-alone adventures in the life of this boy, but everything keeps building on itself to the point where nothing stands alone and you need all seven volumes to get the full picture -- and even then there are questions. They're simple and whimsical enough that very young children can easily understand the main plotlines and complicated enough that they kept adults entertained and grasping at clues for years while they waited for a new book to come out.


Back on topic: While I wouldn't be surprised to see the ebooks released in connection to this Pottermore project or the end of the films or whatever, I'm pretty sure that's not all the project is given the scope of the registered trademark.

[anamardoll]

*sigh*

Someday, somehow, we will have a mobile read thread that doesn't go off the rails over the pros/cons of piracy.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow...

[anamardoll]

Also: I don't even see how the later HP books are "childrens" books anymore than, say, The Hunger Games are "childrens" books in my eyes. (And, yes, I realize they are both marketed that way.)

The point at which your book is about society being overrun and all the sympathetic characters being in danger of brutal murder and horrific torture is the point at which I don't get the childrens' book vibe. But, then, I'm neither a parent nor a child.

I find the appellation "childrens" book useless, anyway. "Peter Pan" is still one of my favorite books, as is "Alice in Wonderland". Arguing that adults shouldn't/don't/couldn't/won't/etc. enjoy those because they are childrens' books would be a silly argument indeed, imho.

[carld]

The Harry Potter books are written in a specific manner to appeal to children in the beginning. If you read them carefully you can see that the writing style echoes back to fairy tales and folk stories. I think this is deliberate. As the books continue the writing becomes more sophisticated, and it's rather a different story at the end than it is at the beginning.

I read the books for enjoyment and have no shame for doing so. They're the modern equivalent of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

[vxf]

Nice to see a lively discussion emerge here. I have read it all, but I am swamped at work and don't have time for a proper reply - but will get there.

Just a couple of thoughts that came to my mind reading these replies:

1) Legality and morality are two separate issues. In my hometown (Oderzo, TV, Italy) it is legal to charge more for a coffee to non-residents. Which stands for non-whites. I would not call that moral, yet it is legal.

2) The issue centers on what it is we are paying for when compensating an author for copyright. Are we compensating the author for the hours spent writing (in which case, why should the medium matter?) or are we paying for the right to access her work in a certain format, at a certain time, in a certain geographic region? Certainly, the legal interpretation is the second - which negates my right to access an ebook version just because I own the hardcover. But is that the best model?

3) I think the parallel with music is very relevant. I think we all feel we should be able to listen to a song on an ipod when we buy the CD. Yet, for some reason, legislation treats music and books very differently.

4) I think authors need to be pragmatic. My textbook, my journal articles, are all available in electronic format. Because I know, if I don't allow my students to buy them electronically, they will just find illegal electronic copies. Not that they don't anyhow... but I will do my best to provide a legal alternative. Should I be forced to? No, in an ideal world. But fighting windmills doesn't get you far in life...

5) I see plenty of hypocrisy. How many people find it wrong to download an ebook version of HP while owning a printed version, yet would have not problem lending/borrowing a printed book? I know the former is illegal while the latter is legal - but which one is more damaging to authors, which one robs them of compensation for their work?

Finally, I do apologize to those running the boards - whoever those people are. While I do not agree with your stance, it is YOUR boards and I do realize I need to respect your wishes in terms of what to post and what not to post. I have gotten a lot of good info about e-reading here and for that I am thankful.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by vxf

3) I think the parallel with music is very relevant. I think we all feel we should be able to listen to a song on an ipod when we buy the CD. Yet, for some reason, legislation treats music and books very differently.

See, that's the thing. It is perfectly legal to make an ebook out of a paper copy. You can manually type it in, or use a scanner with OCR. That is perfectly legal, much in the same way you can legally make MP3s from a CD. What isn't legal is downloading a copy of an ebook that someone else made, just like it isn't legal to download MP3s that someone else made, regardless if you own a copy of the source. The illegality comes in when you give someone else a copy of something you do not own the rights to, or have permission to redistribute. The law is pretty clear, you can format shift, but you have to do the work yourself. The only time it becomes illegal to format shift, is if you have to break DRM, because breaking encoding or encryption is illegal under the DMCA.

Originally Posted by vxf

5) I see plenty of hypocrisy. How many people find it wrong to download an ebook version of HP while owning a printed version, yet would have not problem lending/borrowing a printed book? I know the former is illegal while the latter is legal - but which one is more damaging to authors, which one robs them of compensation for their work?

Lending a book doesn't create extra copies of the book though. For me it boils down to simply the legality of it.

Originally Posted by vxf

Finally, I do apologize to those running the boards - whoever those people are. While I do not agree with your stance, it is YOUR boards and I do realize I need to respect your wishes in terms of what to post and what not to post. I have gotten a lot of good info about e-reading here and for that I am thankful.

Their stance is pretty simple. It is illegal to redistribute copyrighted material without permission, and anyone who facilitates that is legally responsible. By not deleting any attempts to redistribute copyrighted works, mobileread would be breaking the law, and would also very potentially have their host terminate service to them. So, their options are stop anyone who tries to pass around pirated stuff, or get their servers shut down and have all sorts of legal trouble.

[Care]

I am not going to post on the subject of piracy since it can just keep going around and around.... But I would love HP ebooks!

Anyway, when I first heard about Pottermore, I was really hoping this would be an announcement about the HP encyclopedia. Coming after the final Potter film would be something that could help me out of my 'no more Potter' funk. I can dream.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Care

I am not going to post on the subject of piracy since it can just keep going around and around.... But I would love HP ebooks!

+1. Given how JK Rowling now views ebooks more favorably than before, I do hope that means we'll soon see her works in (legal) ebook form.

[amward]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Also: I don't even see how the later HP books are "childrens" books anymore than, say, The Hunger Games are "childrens" books in my eyes. (And, yes, I realize they are both marketed that way.)

The point at which your book is about society being overrun and all the sympathetic characters being in danger of brutal murder and horrific torture is the point at which I don't get the childrens' book vibe. But, then, I'm neither a parent nor a child.

I find the appellation "childrens" book useless, anyway. "Peter Pan" is still one of my favorite books, as is "Alice in Wonderland". Arguing that adults shouldn't/don't/couldn't/won't/etc. enjoy those because they are childrens' books would be a silly argument indeed, imho.

I used to work in a school library where I soon found out that if a book didn't interest an adult, it probably wouldn't interest a child either. Good writing is just that and while language and plots may be simpler for children they still have to engage the reader.

[wodin]

Between my wife, my stepson and myself, we own several copies of the series in both hardback and paperback. And I've read the entier series in epub format (never mind where I got it).

If Rowling should happen to decide to release it in ebook format, I would be more than happy to pay for it. In the meantime ... Arrrgh!

[porkupan]

Regardless the ebooks and gaming, I am hoping for a new book. I own all HP books in hard copy. Wouldn't pay for electronic copies now, too late for that. And I don't want my kids to be involved in even more online gaming (which may not end up being very high quality, even if blessed by the great JKR). I was somewhat disappointed in the HP theme sub-park at the Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando.

But a new book I would welcome. Doesn't have to be Potteriana - I will be happy even if it's the beginning of a totally different series altogether. Her writing is just superb for my taste.

[Hellmark]

We have a shelf of nothing but Harry Potter books here. Got them in hard cover, paperback, leatherbound, and even copies in Latin (et tu, Harrius Potter?). Plus there is the spin offs, the books of discussions about the books, etc.

As to the people who don't understand why adults would read them, well, it is more than just a simple kids story. One thing I noticed is that the reading level for each book was on par for the age Harry was at the time, with the final book being more dark and intense stuff that ordinarily would take it out of the children's literature genre. Plus even in the early books, there is so much there that would go over the younger readers' heads that more mature ones would pick up on.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

As to the people who don't understand why adults would read them, well, it is more than just a simple kids story. One thing I noticed is that the reading level for each book was on par for the age Harry was at the time, with the final book being more dark and intense stuff that ordinarily would take it out of the children's literature genre. Plus even in the early books, there is so much there that would go over the younger readers' heads that more mature ones would pick up on.

Yes, that's what I've noticed as well. And that's also part of why I like the series. Harry gets older and gets more adult. And so does the story. From a light-hearted book it evolves into a a much more sinister one (but still with lots of rays of light). And also the friendship between Ron and Hermione is something that you can see happing all around you.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by amward

I used to work in a school library where I soon found out that if a book didn't interest an adult, it probably wouldn't interest a child either. Good writing is just that and while language and plots may be simpler for children they still have to engage the reader.

Simply and excellently put.

(The reverse doesn't necessarily hold, in my experience ! )