What if I told you the next story you read could be in text message format?
Hooked is transforming reading fiction in the most relatable way possible to millennials – through text messaging. That’s right, Hooked is making reading no more difficult than texting a friend. Founded by power couple, Parag Chordia and Prerna Gupta, Hooked was created in order to place a new spin on both the publishing industry and the reading experience.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Gupta said, “We don’t think fiction’s dying.” However, he added that there’s certainly a better way to build upon “the way it’s currently presented and produced.”
Their solution: read a book just how you would read incoming text messages. Hooked consists of short stories in the form of text message conversations. Instead of turning a page, you just tap the screen and the next portion of the story appears.
But what’s the advantage of Hooked compared to a book or an e-book? You’re still reading, right?
Well, yes, your mind is still engaged, but you’re not faced with a daunting, continuous block of words on a page or screen. Chordia remarked in the interview with TechCrunch that reading an e-book on your phone “just doesn’t have that natural feel on your phone that a casual game does.” An advantage of Hooked is that readers can enjoy small bits of a story, say while waiting in line or for the bus. The app offers a limited number of free cliffhanger stories, but charges a subscription fee of $2.99 a week for unlimited access.
The point of the stories is just what the name of the app is, to keep you hooked. By reading bits of a story, you’re continuously striving to get to the next bit to see the solution to the mystery. Chordia says that, “Every message is a cliffhanger.”
Though there are popular alternatives to traditional fiction like Wattpad, Hooked provides readers with a whole new way of appreciating a story. This millennial friendly form of reading is an incredible new approach to fiction, but it ultimately seeks to do just what a book does: allow the reader to escape and enjoy moments in a created world.
I would not be surprised if in a few years Hooked has completely redefined the publishing industry.