Facebook Acquired Digital Publishing Company

[*Genius*]

Facebook, the worldwide-known social networking giant, has purchased a digital publishing company named Push Pop Press. Surprisingly enough, this doesn't mean that Facebook is getting into the publishing business. In fact, it's precisely the opposite: Push Pop Press is getting out! The company in question is engaged in developing technology in order to help make interactive books optimized for Apple devices like iPad.

The statement, released by Facebook, said that the company was thrilled to confirm their acquisition of Push Pop Press, which they call “a startup whose groundbreaking software changes the way we publish and consume digital works”. In fact, the publishing company Push Pop Press was co-founded by two former Apple employees: Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris.

In addition, Facebook had teamed up with ex-US vice president Al Gore in order to create a digital version of his book titled “Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis”. As for the publishing company, Push Pop Press also released a statement to say that although Facebook is not planning to begin publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind the publishing company will be integrated with social network, thus providing people with even richer ways to share their stories.

Indeed, taking into account the fact that millions of people are publishing to Facebook on a daily basis, the social networking giant will be a great home for Push Pop Press. Meanwhile, financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed by the co-operating companies. Earlier this year, Facebook purchased a number of other entities, including group messaging app Beluga, software design company Sofa, and the talent behind the recruiting network Pursuit.

At the same time, some in the industry started to complain about the deal, saying that instead of an independent born-digital press and publishing next-generation multimedia novels, Facebook will just get marginally better iOS applications, while the industry desperately needs independent innovation in digital publishing. People point out that the country needs talented people willing to try things, while all of the money, attention and technological skill is going in the opposite direction. Nowadays, major part of big media entities having capital and deep technical talent can see no reasons to innovate or invest in books.

 

[RomaKairon]

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