'Harry Potter' comes to e-books

'Harry Potter' books finally come to Kindle, Nook Author J.K. Rowling had feared online piracy of the beloved texts Rowling famously writes longhand on paper (CNN) -- Finally, fans of the world's most famous boy wizard can follow his fight against the evil Lord Voldemort on their e-readers. The entire "Harry Potter" series is now available in digital form at Pottermore, author J.K. Rowling's website for all things Potter, ending what was easi
ly the biggest e-book holdout in the literary world. The books come in a downloadable format that is compatible with all leading e-readers, tablets, personal computers and smartphones -- including Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. Readers seeking the e-books on Amazon or Barnes & Noble's site will be directed to Pottermore to buy them. "For years our customers have loved reading Harry Potter books in print, and have made them the best-selling print book series on Amazon.com," said Russ Grandinetti, Amazon's vice president of Kindle content. "We're excited that Harry Potter fans worldwide are now able to read J.K. Rowling's fantastic books on their Kindles and free Kindle reading apps." "By offering the NOOK editions of this popular series, long-time fans and first-time readers can experience the magic of Harry Potter in a new, exciting way and read what they love, anywhere they like," offered Jim Hilt, Vice President of e-books for Barnes & Noble. All seven books in the series will be available in English, at prices ranging from $7.99 to $9.99, through an agreement with Pottermore. Rowling didn't agree to make the books available digitally at all until last year, a full 14 years after the first, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," was published. (It was published in the United States as "Sorcerer's Stone" the following year). "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," the British author said last year in an announcement on YouTube. "I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have." The content side of the Pottermore site, which promises users an interactive journey through the Harry Potter universe, is still in beta testing. It's scheduled to go live in April. Not always a fan of the latest technology, Rowling famously wrote the Potter series by hand. Through the years, Rowling and her representatives expressed two reasons for being slow to the e-book world: a fear of online piracy and the desire for readers to experience her books the old-fashioned way. The Harry Potter books have sold more than 400 million copies and been translated into more than 60 languages. Tuesday's e-book launch is the second time Rowling has made news in recent weeks. Late last month, she announced that she's working on an adult novel -- rumored to be a crime thriller. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}