The Associated Press reports that to no one’s surprise the final Harry Potter book will not be available in an e-book version.
According to the AP,
Rowling has cited two concerns over the years: concern about online piracy . . . and the desire for readers to experience the books on paper.
The paper claim is nonsense given the numerous audio versions of the books. And, frankly, Rowling’s obsession with how people read her book is a bit odd (you can imagine some composer saying there’s no way in hell people are going to listen to his music on some vinyl record when the only way to truly appreciate it is in a live performance).
As for piracy, not releasing an e-book version guarantees that it will be widely pirated. All not releasing an official e-book version means is that rather than buy a legitimate electronic edition the day the book comes out, fans will simply have to wait a day or two after the release to download a warez version of the book. It takes about five minutes to locate and download the various unauthorized electronic editions of the Potter books online.
So a large number of people are already defying Rowling’s paper passion — she’s just not benefiting from it.
Source:
Rowling: No E-Book for Harry Potter VII. Hillel Italie, Associated Press, February 5, 2007.