Facebook buys e-book designer Push Pop Press

Facebook has purchased digital-book-creation startup Push Pop Press. So is this Facebook making a move into e-book publishing? Not according to Push Pop Press, which said that its technology would instead be used to enhance the social network's site. From Push Pop's About page:

"Although Facebook isn't planning to start publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories."

Push Pop Press is known for creating the interactive app for Al Gore's "Our Choice." In its press release, Push Pop Press described Facebook as the "world's largest book." On a side note, one of the co-founders of Push Pop Press is a former Apple designer.

Not everyone views the new pairing as a good thing. Wired's Tim Carmody points out that originally, Push Pop Press set out to create a publishing platform for interactive e-book apps that could be used by anyone, regardless of programming skills.

"So instead of an independent born-digital press, publishing next-generation multimedia novels (or magazines or textbooks or children's books or cookbooks), Facebook will probably get marginally better iOS apps," Carmody writes. He went on to add that independent innovation in digital publishing is needed, but that "most big media companies with plenty of capital and deep technical talent see few if any reasons to innovate or invest in books."

You can read more from Carmody at: This is why we'll never have innovative e-books.

Push Pop Press acquired by Facebook [Push Pop Press]
Facebook Buys iPad Book-Maker Push Pop Press [Mashable]

—Maggie Shader