J.K. Rowling is taking her Harry Potter franchise digital with e-books sold directly to customers and a new social network site called Pottermore (via Atlantic Wire). Pottermore is a full Harry Potter online universe that allows readers to join a Hogwarts house and travel through the first Harry Potter book, while collecting points and playing games. Rowling will also release her popular stories on e-books and has opted to keep the e-books DRM-free, meaning that they are not locked into one device or platform. She is instead opting for digital watermarking that links the identify of the purchaser to the copy of the e-book, blogs Underwire. Although there is no word on any new Potter stories or spin-offs, Rowling did admit that she's got "additional information" that she's "been hoarding for years about the world of Harry Potter" - so expect plenty more background tales and information on your favourite characters writes Pocket-lint.

There will be games and virtual spaces to explore, and more than 18,000 words so far of new Potter-related content, blogs Teleread. Pottermore is set to launch in October, just in time for Halloween.