Figment, the online writing community for teens and young adults, has purchased Inkpop, a similar HarperCollins initiative. As of March 1, Inkpop no longer exists as its own site; the inkpop.com landing page directs users to transfer their profiles to Figment.
HarperCollins introduced Inkpop at the end of 2009, the first major U.S. publisher to launch such a platform. At the time of the deal, Inkpop had 95,000 users. Figment, co-founded by two Condé Nast veterans, followed in December 2010 and prior to the acquisition had built a community of 115,000, with little overlap between the two sites.
One of the hallmarks of Inkpop was the opportunity for writers to have their work reviewed by a board of HarperCollins editors. That feature continues with contests co-hosted by the publisher and Figment. The first, Defy the Dark, launches soon and offers entrants the chance to have their work published in an forthcoming HarperTeen anthology.
