Suvudu

Suvudu was a genre site created by Random House, to provide additional content, such as author interviews, chats, chapter previews, reviews, previews, and news around science fiction, fantasy, comics, graphic novels, and video game guides and books published by Random House across all of its imprints.

Suvudu
TypeSubsidiary of Random House, Inc.
IndustryBooks, Publishing, Blogs
GenreScience fiction, Fantasy, Comics, Gaming
FoundedJuly 18, 2008
Headquarters New York City, USA
Key people
Shawn C. Speakman (blogger)
Matt Staggs (Blogger)
Websitewww.Suvudu.com

Background & history

Suvudu was launched on July 18, 2008, with the intent of featuring science fiction, fantasy, comics, graphic novels, and gaming titles and authors across all of Random House, Inc.'s, divisions and imprints. Authors and titles from Del Rey, Spectra, Pantheon Books, and Random House Children's Books are frequently featured.

In its introductory post, Suvudu stated it would be a "website catering to news from all sci-fi and fantasy creative media—books, audiobooks, gaming, manga, comic books and movies! Content will include podcasts, videos, reviews, interviews and original blog posts, all brought to you by some of the best talents in the sci-fi, fantasy, graphic novel and gaming industries." [1]

While the site is a property of Random House, Inc., and features titles published by that company prominently, Suvudu has featured authors and works from other publishing companies. Suvudu's staff is almost entirely in-house, featuring Random House employees across several disciplines, including editorial, art, publicity, and web production. Suvudu also uses content from a handful of freelance bloggers as well as posts by authors.

In February 2009, Suvudu was named one of MediaBistro's Six Stellar Publishing Company Blogs.[2] In naming the site, MediaBistro wrote:

"For science fiction and fantasy fans, Random House's Suvudu has grown into a fan-focused website with a fairly active comments section--a rare sense of community for a publisher blog."

Types of content

Suvudu offers several different types of content regularly, including live author chats, author interviews, and feature articles.

Live author chats

Authors who have appeared are:

Feature articles

Suvudu features a number of recurring feature articles and series. They are:

'365 Days of Manga' by Jason Thompson

Author and blogger Jason Thompson posts daily manga reviews under the feature headline "365 Days of Manga." When launched on September 16, 2009, Thompson wrote that the feature would be "the online continuation of (his book) Manga: The Complete Guide!"[17][18] The feature is planned to run one year and will encompass many different types of manga. The reviews are generally short, running only one paragraph, and conclude with each featured manga title being assigned a star value with a maximum of four stars possible for work deemed to be of the highest quality.

'New releases'

Posted every Tuesday, to coincide with the publication schedules for Random House, this post gives an overview of the books that will be newly available that week. The post also includes relevant genre release news for other books, movies, DVD releases, and video games of note.

'What I Learned This Week' by Betsy Mitchell

Betsy Mitchell, editor-in-chief of Del Rey books, contributes articles in this series relating various items and/or lessons related to her work. These have included details about forthcoming books and projects ("What Diana Gabaldon's Jamie Fraser really looks like!" [19]), tips on writing and publication ("A good cover letter is hard to find (part 1)",[20] "A good cover letter is hard to find (part 2)",[21] and "The Importance of First Sentences" [22] to name a few), as well as musings and ruminations on the science fiction and fantasy genres ("How hard it is to come up with a great title!",[23] "Why I Say No",[24] and "The Debate Over DRM" [25]).

Author interviews and readings

Suvudu routinely conducts author interviews, typically involving Random House authors, though occasionally including outside authors as well. Some interviews are quick, five-question pieces focusing on an author's latest project or writing advice, while others are more in-depth. Suvudu also uses personal video recorders to record video interviews with authors, typically at events such as author readings or conventions.

Additionally, Suvudu has recorded and posted readings from several authors including Terry Brooks, Steven Erikson, Brian Sanderson, Naomi Novik, R. A. Salvatore, Jacqueline Carey, and Dan Simmons.

Suvudu Free Story Library

Suvudu began a Free Library program on March 4, 2009.[26][27] The program offered the first book in a series by Random House, Inc., authors for free in a variety of formats, such as Stanza, Rich Text Files, and PDF files. Partnering with Random House in this effort, prices were also reduced to free on Amazon (for Kindle readers), Sony (for Sony Readers), and Barnes & Noble (Nook).

Over time, the Free Library also began to include original short fiction, including fiction from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction as the result of a partnership between the two entities.[28] On January 8, 2010, Suvudu and the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction announced their new partnership saying:

"An agreement between the two allows Suvudu's visitors access to one story from each issue of the magazine via Suvudu's Free Library, which also offers full-length novels from the Del Rey, Spectra, and other Random House lists."

References
  1. "Do You Suvudu". Suvudu.com. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  2. Boog, Jason (2009-02-02). "MediaBistro's "Six Stellar Publishing Company Blogs"". Mediabistro.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  3. Live Chat: Paranormal Roundtable (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Paranormal Roundtable". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  4. Christopher Paolini & Terry Brooks (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Christopher Paolini and Terry Brooks". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  5. "Suvudu Live Chat: Terry Brooks". Suvudu.com. 2009-12-08. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  6. R.A. Salvatore (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: R. A. Salvatore". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  7. Live Chat: Eoin Colfer, author of And Another Thing... (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Eoin Colfer". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  8. Live Chat: Naomi Novik and Scott Westerfeld (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Naomi Novik and Scott Westerfeld". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  9. China Miéville Author Chat (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: China Mieville". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  10. Peter Brett & Robert Redick Author Chat (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Peter Brett and Robert V.S. Redick". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  11. Live Chat RPG. "Suvudu's Live RPG". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  12. Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier Author Chat. "Suvudu Live Chat: Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  13. "Suvudu Live Chat: David Anthony Durham". Suvudu.com. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  14. Jason Fry and Dan Wallace Live Chat. "Suvudu Live Chat: Jason Fry and Dan Wallace". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  15. Harry Connolly, author of Child of Fire (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Harry Connolly". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  16. Live Chat: Nina Matsumoto (2010-07-25). "Suvudu Live Chat: Nina Matsumoto". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  17. "365 Days of Manga, Day 1: Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation « Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu.com. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  18. "Eisner-Nominated Manga: The Complete Guide to Relaunch with 1,825 Graphic Novel Giveaway on Suvudu.com". Anime News Network. 2012-06-24. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  19. "Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  20. "Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  21. "Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  22. american idols says (2009-04-10). "WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK: The importance of first sentences « Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  23. http://www.suvudu.com/2008/08/what-i-learned-this-week-how-h.html
  24. "What I Learned This Week: Why I Say No « Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu.com. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  25. "Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  26. "Visit the Suvudu Free Library! « Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu.com. 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  27. "Suvudu Opens Free First (e)Book Library". Tor.com. 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  28. Shawn Speakman says (2010-01-08). "Suvudu and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction join forces! « Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, Comics, and Games". Suvudu.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
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