
When the Harry Potter books finally went on sale in electronic form on March 27, it was as if Harry himself had cast the “Alohomora” spell on them—the one that unlocks doors: In a break with industry practices, the books aren’t locked down by encryption, which means consumers can move them between devices and read them anywhere they like.
If “Pottermore,” J.K. Rowling’s new web store, proves a success, it could provide a model for other authors and publishers and undermine the clout of Amazon.com Inc., which now dominates eBook sales.
“I think it’s a very large crack in a dam that’s going to collapse in the next nine to twelve months,” says Matteo Berlucchi, the CEO of an independent British-based online bookstore, aNobii.…Read More