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Some say that the Internet is destroying publishing. And that Tumblr
is made for adorable gifs of cats. And partly, yes, that is true. E-books are all the rage and downloading the copy of the newest books illegally has never been easier. And who doesn't follow Get Out Of Here Cat (http://getoutoftherecat.tumblr.com/)? But hidden beneath the cute animals and the news about the newest Kindle, a community that truly enjoys and wants to foster the love of books can be found.
This community can be found on Tumblr. Tumblr is a blogging website where you can post text, photos, quotes, links, audio, video, and more. On Tumblr you follow and are followed by other blogs. You see each other’s posts on your dashboard and with the handy “reblog” button found on all your Tumblr posts, your content can spread quickly across thousands of blogs with just one click.
A quick jaunt to the explore page on Tumblr, which leads to you to various notable blogs to follow, shows a world of publishing houses, book stores, and authors taking to the mircoblogging site. However many strong, they are a presence on the site by reblogging pictures of books, literary quotes, and general appreciation for the art of writing.
While the website barely makes it into the top 10 most popular social networking sites, nor is it a household name, there's something that feels different about being on Tumblr than there is about being on Facebook or Twitter. Tumblr feels secret and hidden away, like your favorite nook of the library. Facebook and Twitter are, let’s face it, simply marketing tools. They are aggregators of links to news about books coming out, interviews with authors, Amazon pages, etc. With a user’s ability quickly scroll through their dashboard, a link on Tumblr is not going to get you far. But a classy picture of some books? That’s sure to get some notes attached.
I am not foolish and think Tumblr isn't a marketing tools as well, but it is less about selling products, than selling the brand and the idea of reading. They are selling you the love and beauty that is books, and in turn selling themselves. If you see a quote from Edgar Allen Poe show up on your dashboard and you're a fan of his work, you'll check out the source and maybe that source will just be Penguin Books or author John Green. And then maybe you'll just be more inclined to follow them.
The Publishing Tumblogs You Should Be Following:
http://bookmania.me – the title says it all. All about books. All the time.
http://millionsmillions.tumblr.com/ - the Tumblog of The Millions online magazine covering books, arts and culture
http://classicpenguin.tumblr.com/ - The Tumblog of Penguin books
http://duttonbooks.tumblr.com/ - The Tumbog of Penguin imprint Dutton
http://randomhouse.tumblr.com/ - The Tumblog of Random House
http://crownpublishing.tumblr.com/ - the Tumblogof Crown Publishing
http://writersandkitties.tumblr.com/ - I had to include one cat one. Famous writers, hanging out with feline friends.
Written by Ashley Alongi
