The pandemic has given rise to a new wave of readers online seeking their content in digitised ways. Here's how they are using the platforms

With more time in hand due to altered work routines, people worldwide are displaying an increase in reading habits, causing publishers to innovate to fulfil the heightened demand for content. With the pandemic giving rise to individuals taking up self-care activities, personal grooming techniques, and several hobbies, Flipkart's Books category witnessed a growth of 1.5 times in the number of units sold in the first quarter of 2021, with medical books observing a 2-times growth this year, in comparison to last year, Flipkart told IANSlife.

Keeping up with the demands of the vernacular belts, independent publishing platform Notion Press has also recently announced the launch of 'Bynge', an app for serialised content where you can read bite-sized episodes of over hundred fiction serials from top writers in Indian languages. The app currently features new and original serials from writers that have significantly increased their reader base of late, including Geet Chaturvedi, Kunwar Narain, Hrishikesh Sulabh, Avdhesh Preet, Krishna Kalpit, Manisha Kulshreshtha, Chandan Pandey and Kunal Singh. Some of the eminent classical writers like Premchand, Jayshankar Prasad, Bhuvaneshwar, Aacharya Chatursen Shastris' work will also be available to read, it says.

With an ever-growing library of serials, Bynge's collection includes romance, history-thriller, fantasy, self-help, non-fiction, among other genres. It is currently available in Hindi and Tamil and will soon be available in other Indian languages.

According to writer Geet Chaturvedi, the app brings the reading and digital world together. It's like having a personal library available at all times. "I am excited to be associated with Bynge Hindi as a writer and I am sure it will be an enthralling experience for our readers as well."

Versatile writer Manisha Kulshreshtha says: "I am equally excited to connect and write for the Bynge app. The experience one can feel is more engaging and is the best way to reach millions at a click. When our readers are out there in the digital world, I guess it's high time we writers too reach them at their convenient place."

"Our mission is to make quality literature attractive and accessible to the smartphone generation. We believe that popular web novels of today will get adapted to feature films and web series in the future," says Naveen Valsakumar, co-founder and CEO of Notion Press.