Harry Potter Enters Digital Realm

Harry Potter will soon fly off pages and into e-readers with the launch of J.K. Rowlings new, long-awaited online store.

The digital plunge comes after years of the boy-wizard masterminds refusal to launch the series in an electronic format.

The store will operate through a free Web site dubbed Pottermore that gives Potter fans an online experience based around the seven-book series. The site will launch for the first million users on July 31, and will open to the general public with the e-book store in October.

The books, which will be available in multiple languages, will be compatible with all electronic reading devices, including Amazons (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle, the Sony (NYSE:SNE) Reader and Barnes and Nobles (NYSE:BKS) Nook.

The Harry Potter franchise has grown to a global phenomenon since Rowlings first book was published in 1997. More than 450 million copies have been sold worldwide, and Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) is about to wrap up an 8-movie series.