3 Ways Pottermore Could Change Book Publishing

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Well, new ones are being born everyday! She needs to come up with a Harry Potter, Womb Edition.

There is a segment of the population who felt they were too old for HP at the time, but now have kids who are becoming of age to start reading at the level of the books. Plus how many people did have the books when younger, but grew up and moved, and lost the books somewhere along the way. I know a bunch of the books I had when I was younger are packed in a box in my parents basement. Would it be easier for me to rebuy the books, or goto my parent's, find the box, unpack and locate the books I am after? For many people in the boat as me, the books may have been given away in some charity drive, or sold at a garage sale. "Well, Timmy and Jenny have moved out of the nest, they won't need their kiddy books and toys anymore."

Well, fair enough, but this is kind of what I mean about the books' price point being really relevant. If you're thinking about picking up Harry Potter for the first time, are you gonna get them for $1 at Half Price Books where they have a HUGE glut of the various editions, or online?

For $5 online, yeah okay. For $10 online, maybe, maybe not. For $15 online, heck no. Etc.

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

I disagree. She'll sell millions, just like the Beatles did when they were added to iTunes. There is a huge pent-up demand.

But that's MUSIC. Music is totally different. A lot of people will not buy a single book ever, but they love their CDs/Vinyls/etc. And if you can't read, what would books that you can't read do for you.

Originally Posted by ST-One

Okay, nobody is asking you to do that.

How much did you pay for the other 28 book, btw?

Let's see... About $20-25 for each... Easily over $100-150.

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

What about the new set of kids who haven't read them yet? I think she'll find new fans that will buy the ebooks if she prices them reasonably.

Most kids have already checked out all the books at school libraries and borrowed them from teachers. That's what my brother did. Even though he could have asked me for my copies.

Originally Posted by anamardoll

There are kids who haven't read Harry Potter yet?

But less facetiously, where are these kids coming from? If the parents are fans, then they probably already have the books on hand and my "conversion scenario" still stands; if the parents aren't fans, one wonders which is more likely: that they'll buy eBooks for baby from B&N, Amazon, Kobo, etc. or that they'll go to the personal website of an author they don't follow to download books they haven't read.

I think most will just hand their old copies over TBH.

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Well, new ones are being born everyday! She needs to come up with a Harry Potter, Womb Edition.

There is a segment of the population who felt they were too old for HP at the time, but now have kids who are becoming of age to start reading at the level of the books. Plus how many people did have the books when younger, but grew up and moved, and lost the books somewhere along the way. I know a bunch of the books I had when I was younger are packed in a box in my parents basement. Would it be easier for me to rebuy the books, or goto my parent's, find the box, unpack and locate the books I am after? For many people in the boat as me, the books may have been given away in some charity drive, or sold at a garage sale. "Well, Timmy and Jenny have moved out of the nest, they won't need their kiddy books and toys anymore."

Come on, this ISN'T a book that came out in 1972! And most people didn't become fans until 1999-2001 and 90% of them still have these books sitting on their shelves, including myself. I was 10 then, now I'm 22. I just NOW this last month finally tore all my posters and stuff off the wall to paint it.

This franchise WASN'T Twilight, Eragon, or A Series of Unfortunate Events which probably have loads of bought copies sitting in boxes or at a Half Priced Books. There used to be thousands upon thousands of fan sites. And most of us have easily spent $500,000+ supporting it for the last ten plus years it's been strong. It's a very, very, VERY strong community of intelligent people, not just a bunch of teenagers obsessed with Edward/Robert P.

A lot of us are really excited for Pottermore, but if it ends up being just a shop with stuff we already have, what was the point? We want an encyclopedia, NOT more special editions. And it's more important that she's catering to her EXISTING fanbase and not try and gain new readers. We're the ones keeping this alive.

[JSWolf]

There is a big different paying say $15 a pop over time as opposed to paying $15 each at once.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is a big different paying say $15 a pop over time as opposed to paying $15 each at once.

ESPECIALLY if it's a "conversion" and not "new material". Not everyone is obsessed with pbook-to-ebook conversion as I am.

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is a big different paying say $15 a pop over time as opposed to paying $15 each at once.

Exactly.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Come on, this ISN'T a book that came out in 1972! And most people didn't become fans until 1999-2001 and 90% of them still have these books sitting on their shelves, including myself. I was 10 then, now I'm 22. I just NOW this last month finally tore all my posters and stuff off the wall to paint it.

This franchise WASN'T Twilight, Eragon, or A Series of Unfortunate Events which probably have loads of bought copies sitting in boxes or at a Half Priced Books. There used to be thousands upon thousands of fan sites. And most of us have easily spent $500,000+ supporting it for the last ten plus years it's been strong. It's a very, very, VERY strong community of intelligent people, not just a bunch of teenagers obsessed with Edward/Robert P.

A lot of us are really excited for Pottermore, but if it ends up being just a shop with stuff we already have, what was the point? We want an encyclopedia, NOT more special editions. And it's more important that she's catering to her EXISTING fanbase and not try and gain new readers. We're the ones keeping this alive.

I understand, I think that in the annuls of time, Harry Potter will continue to be fondly remembered. 50 years from now, Twilight and the others won't be known, but HP will still be kickin much like the Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Even still, for as active as the community is, and for as hard core as people get for HP, various turns of events as people age will cause it so people will no longer have easy access to their original copies and end up buying new again. It is also one of those book series, that people will want to buy again, instead of going "Oh, I remember that, was kinda neat" like they will for the books you mentioned.

Pottermore will be more than just a store. As it stands now, JKR has written 18,000 new words for the site, and it is still months away from launching, and when it will launch it won't even have extras for books 2-7. Sorcerer's Stone was in the neighborhood of 75,000 words. Plus all the new art that has been commissioned, etc.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Pottermore will be more than just a store. As it stands now, JKR has written 18,000 new words for the site, and it is still months away from launching, and when it will launch it won't even have extras for books 2-7. Sorcerer's Stone was in the neighborhood of 75,000 words. Plus all the new art that has been commissioned, etc.

Not to be pedantic, but 18,000 words is really not very much at all.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

But that's MUSIC. Music is totally different. A lot of people will not buy a single book ever, but they love their CDs/Vinyls/etc. And if you can't read, what would books that you can't read do for you.

The point about the Beatles is that everyone who was interested probably already had their albums in every conceivable format. And music is *very* different from books in that *everyone* with a computer can convert a CD to an MP3 in a couple of minutes, with nothing more than a computer and iTunes. And this mp3 will be *just as good* (or better) than an MP3 bought from iTunes.

However, as mentioned above, the Beatles sold *two million songs* and 450,000 albums on iTunes during the first *week* they were offered for sale. Despite the fact that many people had these already, and the despite the ease of ripping a CD - even a CD checked out from the library.

So, yeah, I think that HP will also sell millions of e-books. Maybe not in the first week, but certainly in the first year. (And, actually, they will have probably sold that many by the end of the Christmas season).

A lot of us are really excited for Pottermore, but if it ends up being just a shop with stuff we already have, what was the point? We want an encyclopedia, NOT more special editions. And it's more important that she's catering to her EXISTING fanbase and not try and gain new readers. We're the ones keeping this alive.

Why do you assume she's not trying to get new readers? Of course she is - and new readers are being produced every day - that's a great advantage of kid's books! (Plus you can get parents and grandparents to buy the books for the kids). As for stuff you already have - see the Beatles.

[BearMountainBooks]

I've read them, but I don't own them. Thus I can't lend them or give them away. My neighbor, a big reader as well, has not read them. I know lots of people who have not read them. One day, they might get curious and wish to read them. Just because there are lots of them at half-priced books doesn't mean that someone with an e-reader won't go out, do a web search, find the site and think, 'oh good, I can download a copy and see what this is all about." Happens all the time.

And there is a whole new batch of kids that will hear about the latest movie. They may not have read the books either. That new batch of kids is more likely than the last to own an e-reader.

Let's just say I'm not worried about her sales. For a few years yet, Harry Potter will still be a recognized name and so long as it is bandied about there will be people checking out and buying the products--in various forms.