Free e-books bring readers solace during lockdown

Firms like Juggernaut Publishing, Amazon Kindle, Novel Free Read Online, Magzter, among others, are now offering free ebooks, audiobooks and magazines to reach more readers. Chennai-based Notion Press has even started a free platform, urging budding writers to become published authors.

Naveen Valsakumar, CEO and co-founder of Notion Press tells DT Next, “In this time of great uncertainty and social distancing, creativity and creative expression in any form can be quite cathartic. All you need is your smartphone and you are ready to create something and share it with the world. We wanted to provide a platform for our authors and their readers to spend a minute or two forgetting about everything around them and indulge in the shared creative experience through these stories or poems.”

Since launching the platform, the company has witnessed immense traffic. “We have crossed over 1,300 stories posted on the platform so far in just less than five days. We have also had over 2,10,000 readers reading and liking these stories,” Naveen says, adding, “More than the numbers, what excites us is the few minutes break we can provide people from the constant barrage of content related to coronavirus.”

While it is easier for a bookworm to start reading, a person trying it for the first time may find it hard. So we asked fiction lovers about how one can begin. Aabrez, book lover and a general surgeon, believes that people usually relate reading to studying.

“They are missing out on one of the biggest pleasures of life, not to mention the improvement in vocabulary and spoken language. It is better to start with comics or short stories.

During these times of crisis when you have nothing to do but sit before the idiot box or mindlessly scroll through social media on your phone, give yourself a chance to pick up a book,” shares Aabrez. City-based author and teacher Vidya points out that when one reads they are not isolating themselves nor do they distance themselves socially. “Reading is an activity that you can do with yourself, or with your family, thus contributing to some quality family time. Through reading, you are connected to worlds that are often beyond one’s reach and ability,” the writer signs off.