JK Rowling's new magic as she reveals secret behind Pottermore website

Pottermore: JK Rowling launched her new website at the Victoria and Albert museum
12 April 2012

Harry Potter author JK Rowling today announced a massive online website to promote reading.

The best-selling writer who has become a millionaire on the back of the global Potter success has written extensive free new material offering the back stories and extra information on the characters that have become a staple of children's fiction.

Fans will be able to sign up to the site, called Pottermore, where they will be assigned a wand and entered into one of the four houses of Hogwarts School for aspiring wizards.

They will be able to explore the histories of everything from Harry's home in Privet Drive to the early love life of Professor McGonagall as well as learning tit-bits about JK Rowling's working process.

And readers will be able to upload their own comments, stories and drawings to the site.

Launching the project at the Victoria and Albert Museum today, Jo Rowling said: "Thirteen years after the first Harry Potter book was published I'm still astonished and delighted with the response the stories have met.

"I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years and to bring the stories to a new digital generation. I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have."

The author admitted that she thought the enthusiasm for the books would have dropped off by now but that she was still receiving hundreds of letters a week. The books have sold an estimated 450 million to date.

"Pottermore is a really great way to give back to the Harry Potter readership who have obviously made the books such a huge success," she said.

"It's the same story with a few crucial additions just as the experience of reading requires that the imagination of the author and reader work together to create the story, Pottermore will be built in part by you, the readers."

A message revealing her plans was broadcast on YouTube at midday.

And some fans are to be invited to help shape the development of the website. From today, they can register their name and on July 31 there will be a selection process to choose a million lucky readers who will get the chance to be more closely involved. Details of exactly what they will get to do will be revealed later.

JK Rowling said she had been working on the project with a digital agency called TH-NK (correct) for the last two years. The site was launched today in a string of European languages with Japanese to follow later in the year.

It will be fully functional by October when fans will also be able to use the online store selling digital audio and e-books.

www.pottermore.com

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