Could your Tumblr win a book deal?

The book publishing industry, a notorious slouch when it comes to emerging trends on the internet, is not going to let this Tumblr thing come and go without earning a buck or two. Chronicle Books, based in San Francisco, has announced on — where else? — Tumblr that it is accepting submissions for its Great Tumblr Book Search.

The winner will receive $300 worth of Chronicle books and a "feedback session" with a Chronicle editor, while the Tumblr itself will be "considered for publication." Lest you think that last reward sounds like not much of a reward at all, Martin Rouse at Melville House points out that Chronicle did agree to publish last year's winner:

Paul Laudiero’s Sh*t Rough Drafts (based on his Tumblr of the same name) will be published on April 15th, and is available for pre-order on Amazon — clear evidence that he has #madeit and is #livinglarge. [Melville House]

The industry has had a spotty record converting popular internet sites into publishing gold, mostly because it is charging for something that everyone can get for free. However, there have been some successful crossovers, including Stuff White People Like and the recent Humans of New York. Our nominee for the next Great Tumblr Book is the NYC Crying Guide: The Best/Worst Places to Cry in New York City.