When Amazon promised to introduce its Kindle format to public libraries earlier this year, the company would only say that it would come before the end of 2011. There’s still been no official announcement, but now OverDrive’s own CEO Steve Potash has dropped a not-too-subtle hint that September is the launch month:

Throughout the conference, CEO Steve Potash, looking like a kid with a delicious secret, kept saying “soon” and, “I’m not allowed to announce a date yet.” During the final session, he delivered a broad hint, by summarizing the main points of his “Crystal Ball Report” :

Streamlining (both downloading and ordering)
Explosion (we have gone from two reading devices to 85 and more are coming)
Premium (the library catalog as the most premium, value-added site on the Web)
Traffic (enormous growth coming by year’s end)

Even without this clue, it makes sense that Amazon would roll out library lending when Pottermore starts selling the Harry Potter books on October 1st, since OverDrive will be responsible for distributing the Kindle format of Rowling’s books via its WIN platform.

Via paidContent

(Photo: kodomut)

1 COMMENT

  1. I think some wording got tangled up at the end of the article. WIN is an update to OverDrive’s public-library lending service. Pottermore presumably will be using OverDrive’s MIDAS e-bookstore service.

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