Pottermore launched at noon Thursday in England; eager fans quickly crashed the site’s email sign-up server.

“I’m thrilled to say I am now in a position to give you something unique, an online reading experience unlike any other,” J.K. Rowling says in the video announcing Pottermore. “It’s the same story, with a few crucial additions. The most important one is you.”

The site will open in October. “Just as the experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author and reader work together to create the story, so Pottermore will be built, in part, by you, the reader,” Rowling said. She has written 18,000 words on Potter for the interactive site, which promises to immerse users in her world of wizards, combining elements of computer games, social networking and an online store.

The site will also be the only place to buy Harry Potter eBooks.

Some users will be able to enter the site early; interested readers are encouraged to return on July 31st to learn more. As of 10:30am EST on Thursday, the site’s email registration server was still not working.