06 Apr Books and Twitter: bibliophelia in 140 character or less

Like most people who are immersed in the world of the Interweb, I am on Twitter. Maybe you already tweet, and therefore will accept what I’m about to tell you with a wise nod, otherwise, you’ll probably raise a skeptical eyebrow and mutter something about the inanity of the web.

Despite its silly name, Twitter is fast becoming my go-to source for information of a literary persuasion. Publishers @RaincoastBooks, @RandomHouseCA, @PenguinCanada and @HouseofAnansi are all active Tweeters; most using the channel to host giveaways (who doesn’t like free books?), promote their authors (many of whom are Canadian) and of course, connect with readers (like me!) Thus far, I haven’t won any free books, but you’ll be the first to know about it if I do.

I also follow the book sections of the Globe and Mail (@globebooks)and the National Post (@npbooks), both dispensers of delightful book-related tidbits. It was through @globebooks that I discovered the terms twiterature and poetwy. These words make me cringe.

There are lots of small magazines using Twitter, and getting news from these folks helps remind me to drop by their sites for more in-depth content. I follow publications such as @Wornjournal, a fashion mag with a delicious dash of attitude (and a recent discovery of mine), @MegaphoneMag, a publication “sold on the streets of Vancouver by homeless and low-income vendors,” and @walrusmagazine, an old favourite of mine. There are a lot of great Canadian magazines, publishers and wordy folks to follow – just search Twitter for more, or leave a comment if you have any must-follows for bibliophiles.