New app provides short fiction for ‘Snapchat generation’

Los Angeles :An Indian-origin entreprenuer in the US has developed a new app which features short fiction for young adults who are hooked to their smartphones.

Prerna Gupta from California describes her app, called Hooked, as “books for the Snapchat generation.”

Hooked will feature short fiction for young-adult readers. Gupta said that 80 per cent of young-adult novels are read digitally. So the teen-set seemed like the most natural audience.

Each book will be roughly 1,000 words and is designed to be read in about five minutes. The stories will be told entirely through dialogue and read like texts. Messages show up on screen when readers click “Next.”

Gupta envisions the app as being like “Twitter for fiction,” ‘CNN Money’ reported.

Initially, the app will only feature content from screened contributors. However, eventually users will be able to submit content of their own.

The app is free to download and features one free story a day. Readers can unlock more stories with the subscription service.

There are currently over 200 stories and Gupta said more are added every day.

Stories are broken into categories such as “Dark & Stormy,” “Primal Terror,” and “Love as Deep.”

PTI