Susan Patron talks Lucky

Simon & Schuster, in tangent with Internet video company TurnHere, has launched a video channel featuring S&S authors and sneak previews of new releases, reports WebProNews.

The branded videos will feature authors from the Adult, Children's and Audio divisions of the publishing group. Content will include behind-the-scene stories of authors' lives, inside information about books or inspiration for new releases. Community features, like content-sharing and Video of the Week - which hits subscriber e-mails on a regular basis - will also be included.

Authors slated to appear in upcoming videos include Jennifer Weiner, Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Higgins Clark, Ursula Hegi, Vince Flynn, and President Jimmy Carter. One recent video highlights Susan Patron's children's book, The Higher Power of Lucky, which generated some criticism for use of the word "scrotum."

The Simon & Schuster video channel will appear on YouTube and Bookvideos.tv.