Suvudu Freebies

ASparrow · 12-01-2009, 04:31 PM

I've gotten some great large press Sci Fi and Fantasy ebooks from the Suvudu Free Library. They rotate new titles in every month.

This month they're featuring "Kiss of Shadows" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine Books) along with several other novels available for Kindle and Sony and PDF.

You can find them at: http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/

elsussman · 12-01-2009, 08:53 PM

these are actually the ones suvudu posted on nov 1..... they haven't posted the new ones for december yet

ASparrow · 12-02-2009, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elsussman

these are actually the ones suvudu posted on nov 1..... they haven't posted the new ones for december yet

Oops. I didn't make it over there last month so I thought this was the December crop. In that case, the new batch should be here any day?

Crusader · 12-02-2009, 01:31 PM

Speaking of Suvudu. I've been trying to convince them to make ePub files available for direct download. Perhaps some more voices might do the trick. Have your say in their forum.

Ocean · 12-02-2009, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

Speaking of Suvudu. I've been trying to convince them to make ePub files available for direct download.

They're popular enough without ePUD. Why would they add it?

koland · 12-02-2009, 11:51 PM

They don't make any ereader format without DRM available, so I doubt they would add epub (after all, you can get a DRM'd epub by getting the sony version and waiting for the store conversion; B&N is probably ereader, although I never checked).

At least the PDF's are DRM free and convertable with some work. Better than the nasty flash web read from shortcovers.

Crusader · 12-03-2009, 02:53 AM

Well, ePub is becoming the standard and not all of us want to sign up with the Sony store.

Converting the PDF works, but it's a hassle. Nothing to lose by asking right?

Lemurion · 12-03-2009, 08:55 AM

I'm finding Suvudu more and more of a hassle - every time I go to any Suvudu page it flips me to a really annoying login page and when I try to create an account I get an error.

ASparrow · 12-03-2009, 12:07 PM

NOW, the December titles are up. Looks like we have vampires and mages this month.
I think I'll pass.

A couple months ago I had the luck of finding the very book for free posted there (Perdido Street Station by China Mieville) that I had been hunting for without success in my local bookshops. No lightning this time.

NormHart · 12-03-2009, 01:38 PM

Wow, I am not sure they can claim to be a "free library" at all any more. Every ebook I got there is no longer listed. In fact other than this months unpalatable pair of new pop fantasies and that weird StarWars spin off they have been pushing there is nothing.

Not much of a library.

Ocean · 12-04-2009, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

Well, ePub is becoming the standard

Not until Amazon decides it is...most people who obtain ebooks still get them from Amazon. ePub is linux folks.

Just get a windows pc and be happy.

phenomshel · 12-04-2009, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ocean

Not until Amazon decides it is...most people who obtain ebooks still get them from Amazon. ePub is linux folks.

Just get a windows pc and be happy.

*Winces and waits for the war to begin*.

Crusader · 12-04-2009, 03:10 AM

What? ePub works perfectly on Windows so can't see why it has anything to do with Linux.

As for Amazon - they can stay in their cacoon of device lock-in and non-open standard formats. The Kindle is not the "One True eBook Reader" even if Amazon would like people to believe it is.

As long as other eBook stores offer open formats like ePub I'll support them even if it is more expensive than Amazon - at least I'd be able to take my books with me if I switch devices.

Gudy · 12-04-2009, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASparrow

NOW, the December titles are up. Looks like we have vampires and mages this month.
I think I'll pass.

No, no, no. They're Vampyres. Infected by a Vyrus.

SRSLY?!

*facepalm*

koland · 12-04-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

What? ePub works perfectly on Windows so can't see why it has anything to do with Linux.

As for Amazon - they can stay in their cacoon of device lock-in and non-open standard formats. The Kindle is not the "One True eBook Reader" even if Amazon would like people to believe it is.

As long as other eBook stores offer open formats like ePub I'll support them even if it is more expensive than Amazon - at least I'd be able to take my books with me if I switch devices.

You are confusing format with DRM support. Mobi works perfectly fine on many devices (and PC types) and is just as convertible as EPUB.

However, Amazon's DRM only works with their devices, the iphone and Microsoft based PC's (or emulators, which includes Mac and Linux) at the moment. With other devices to come, just not the Nook or Sony.

Sony will be selling epub in the future and so will B&N - neither do so far and both use their own proprietary format and DRM. Both have announced they'll do their own DRM when they do support EPUB. Nook will require a credit card to unlock and is incompatible with ADE until Adobe does an update; no word on how Sony will modify the DRM, yet, but so far they seem to want to lock you into their device and store, so suspect the new version will do the same (be limited to their software and their device).

The advantage Sony & B&N have is that they support generic EPUB DRM, while Amazon does not (not that they could not change this anytime they wanted to, since they own the company they license the DRM from, so could add generic Mobi to their device). Amazon could easily add DRM-free epub support, but adding another DRM format is more difficult, in that the licensing often has an exclusivity clause (if you do EPUB, you can't do any other; Mobi most definitely has this, which is why at least one device switched ... perhaps good for new users of that device, not so much so for those with larger DRM'd Mobi libraries that found them unreadable after upgrading).

True portability requires removal of DRM (as a whole, not the illegal removal of it by the consumer). This would then force stores to compete on price, just as they do with paper books. Here, Amazon is already a clear winner, but it would force Sony to at least join the game, just as moving to non-DRM'd MP3's has forced Apple to compete in the music field. Doesn't seem to have hurt their ipod sales much, but there is true competition there for hardware and content, unlike in the book industry.

12-01-2009, 04:31 PM	#1
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Suvudu Freebies I've gotten some great large press Sci Fi and Fantasy ebooks from the Suvudu Free Library. They rotate new titles in every month. This month they're featuring "Kiss of Shadows" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine Books) along with several other novels available for Kindle and Sony and PDF. You can find them at: http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/

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12-01-2009, 08:53 PM	#2
elsussman Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 1223962 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: kindle paperwhite, kindle voyage and android kindle app	these are actually the ones suvudu posted on nov 1..... they haven't posted the new ones for december yet

12-02-2009, 01:31 PM	#4
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Speaking of Suvudu. I've been trying to convince them to make ePub files available for direct download. Perhaps some more voices might do the trick. Have your say in their forum.

12-02-2009, 11:51 PM	#6
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,563 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	They don't make any ereader format without DRM available, so I doubt they would add epub (after all, you can get a DRM'd epub by getting the sony version and waiting for the store conversion; B&N is probably ereader, although I never checked). At least the PDF's are DRM free and convertable with some work. Better than the nasty flash web read from shortcovers.

12-03-2009, 02:53 AM	#7
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Well, ePub is becoming the standard and not all of us want to sign up with the Sony store. Converting the PDF works, but it's a hassle. Nothing to lose by asking right?

12-03-2009, 08:55 AM	#8
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I'm finding Suvudu more and more of a hassle - every time I go to any Suvudu page it flips me to a really annoying login page and when I try to create an account I get an error.

12-03-2009, 12:07 PM	#9
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	NOW, the December titles are up. Looks like we have vampires and mages this month. I think I'll pass. A couple months ago I had the luck of finding the very book for free posted there (Perdido Street Station by China Mieville) that I had been hunting for without success in my local bookshops. No lightning this time.

12-03-2009, 01:38 PM	#10
NormHart Semper Carpe Bufo Posts: 537 Karma: 21676 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Napa Valley, California Device: Kindle2 & Kindle3	Wow, I am not sure they can claim to be a "free library" at all any more. Every ebook I got there is no longer listed. In fact other than this months unpalatable pair of new pop fantasies and that weird StarWars spin off they have been pushing there is nothing. Not much of a library.

12-04-2009, 03:10 AM	#13
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	What? ePub works perfectly on Windows so can't see why it has anything to do with Linux. As for Amazon - they can stay in their cacoon of device lock-in and non-open standard formats. The Kindle is not the "One True eBook Reader" even if Amazon would like people to believe it is. As long as other eBook stores offer open formats like ePub I'll support them even if it is more expensive than Amazon - at least I'd be able to take my books with me if I switch devices.