This week, author and artist Miranda July joined Instagram, greeting fans with an unusually provocative twist on a fairly standard book announcement pic: her new novel posed between bare, spreadeagled legs. “The birth of my Instagram account,” she dryly captioned her first photo on the site. After just this one post, July already has over 6,000 followers.
While tweeting has become almost de rigueur among the literati, despite the some resistance from old-school authors such as Jonathan Franzen, Instagram’s more visual platform hasn’t caught on to the same degree. Perhaps that makes sense; Twitter may fracture our attention spans and distract us from reading Proust, but it also encourages writers to prune their overly wordy statements and use words more conscientiously. They can engage in bantering conversations with other authors, plug each other’s books and articles, and hop on to bookish hashtags.
Instagram, meanwhile, asks us to think aesthetically — a tall order for masters of the written word. (Plus, repeatedly instagramming photos of your new book on a table probably doesn’t seem like very effective PR anyway.) But we book nerds love a good visual as much as anyone, especially if that image includes our favorite things: books. So we’ve assembled a few of our favorite bookish Instagrams around, from big-time authors to publishers to general reading fun.
McSweeney’s
This indie publisher is willing to try some wacky stunts on their Instagram — for example, they’ve spelled out “Happy New Year!” over six posts that appear as a full message when you view their landing page on Instagram.
A video posted by McSweeney’s (@mcswys) on Dec 12, 2014 at 7:56am PST
Hot Dudes Reading
Eye and brain candy for those of us who enjoy looking at cute boys.
A photo posted by Hot Dudes Reading – Official (@hotdudesreading) on Feb 3, 2015 at 6:09pm PST
Riverhead Books
Publishers have been stepping up their Instagram games, and Riverhead is a shining example, featuring literary quotes paired with images, quirky photos of their new books, and more readerly fun.
We didn’t like the gloomy view so we drew a new one! Hope everyone is staying warm today ❄️
A photo posted by Riverhead Books (@riverheadbooks) on Feb 19, 2015 at 10:29am PST
Elizabeth Gilbert
If you love Gilbert’s writing and/or cutely illustrated inspirational quotes, her feed might be perfect for you.
A photo posted by Elizabeth Gilbert (@elizabeth_gilbert_writer) on Feb 9, 2015 at 12:30pm PST
826 Valencia
Dave Eggers’ writing project finds cool ways to feature its young students on Instagram, including these gorgeous visualizations of their short poems.
A great #8ku6 by one of our volunteers. Tell us what the season means to you in 8,2,6 syllables! ❄️
A photo posted by 826 Valencia (@826_valencia) on Dec 23, 2014 at 11:26am PST
Ernest Hemingway Foundation
Hemingway in 15 seconds? What else is Instagram video for? The Ernest Hemingway Foundation doesn’t update too frequently, but these videos are worth subscribing for.
A video posted by Ernest Hemingway Foundation (@ehfop) on Nov 17, 2014 at 8:06am PST
Cats Only Book Club
Cats+books=yes. Yes forever.
No Cats Allowed Book Club
Okay, some readers prefer dogs. Here you guys go!
JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER BEFORE BED I PROMISE
A photo posted by No Cats Allowed. (@dogbookclub) on Feb 4, 2015 at 7:26pm PST
Crown Publishing
Crown goes far beyond plugging their own titles to sheer book porn like this nighttime library shot.
A beautiful #library spotted from the street in #nyc last night #latergram
A photo posted by Crown Publishing (@crownpublishing) on Feb 19, 2015 at 9:11am PST
The Paris Review
The Paris Review’s vast trove of in-depth interviews with authors is unparalleled, and using their Instagram account to resurface interesting quotes from them — as well as poems — is a brilliant use of the medium.
A photo posted by The Paris Review (@parisreview) on Feb 17, 2015 at 12:45pm PST
Cheryl Strayed
There are a lot of Strayed-in-Hollywood pics on this feed right now, but if you’re a Wild superfan or have loved her since “Dear Sugar,” her account is worth the follow.
A photo posted by Cheryl Strayed (@cherylstrayed) on Jul 31, 2014 at 2:58pm PDT
Subway Book Review
Lovely photos, lovely thoughts on literature from all sorts of subway travelers.
A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on Jan 23, 2015 at 3:55pm PST
Spoonbill & Sugartown
Bookstore cats and a knack for ferreting out unusual and lovely cover art distinguish this Williamsburg bookstore’s Instagram.
In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan. #richardbrautigan #Brautigan
A photo posted by Spoonbill Books (@spoonbillbooks) on Feb 12, 2015 at 10:52am PST
Kate Gavino
These quirky illustrations of author quotes are a must-follow.
Katherine Heiny at @mcnallyjackson, 2/11/15
A photo posted by Kate Gavino (@lastnightsreading) on Feb 12, 2015 at 6:14am PST
Strand Books
Bookshelf porn and a bookstore puppy. Yes.
A photo posted by Strand Book Store, NYC (@strandbookstore) on Jan 27, 2015 at 8:39am PST
