New York - Break out your iPods: Harry Potter is going digital.
JK Rowling, once publishing's greatest holdout against the computer age, has made all six Potter novels available for audio downloads.
In a message posted on her website on Wednesday, Rowling said she was concerned about online piracy, including bootleg editions in which the original text was altered.
"Many Harry Potter fans have been keen for digital access for a while, but the deciding factor for me in authorising this new version is that it will help combat the growing incidents of piracy in this area," Rowling wrote.
"There have been a number of incidents where fans have stumbled upon unauthorised files believing them to be genuine and, quite apart from the fact that they are illegal, the Harry Potter content of these can bear very little resemblance to anything I've ever written!"
The digital audiobooks are being released by the Random House Audio Trade Group, her audio publisher. - Sapa-AP