Mobile reading app Saga Fiction forays into printed books

In an attempt to revolutionise digital reading and storytelling in the Indian subcontinent, Bombay-based avid readers and best friends Aakriti Patni and Pranika Sharma had launched Saga Fiction in 2020.

Throwing their hat into the print-publishing ring, Aakriti Patni said: “When we first launched Saga Fiction, we went ahead with a digital-first approach. But nothing is more poetic than the feeling of paper in your hands. Being an avid reader, it was always a dream to publish a paperback I could cosy up with. While the pandemic has put a spotlight on everything digital, I think the book industry has taken a step in the other direction and rejuvenated the print market. Hence, I'm elated to announce that we too are stepping into the print market. Our first novel to be out in print is The Only Way Out Is Death by Varun Gwalani. We're starting this journey with a crime thriller, but we have multiple titles from across genres that we are excited to publish in print.”

“Being in publishing early on, I got the opportunity to explore my passion of reading, writing and editing, but with Saga I came into so many more avenues such as app development, marketing and now distribution, some of which are completely new to me. There are a lot more excel sheets than word documents to be looked at sometimes and more numbers than words but ultimately, it's the stories that matter the most to me. At Saga, our goal is clear; to give readers entertaining and well-written stories and give writers the satisfaction of working with a publisher who can handle their manuscript with care. We understand how daunting traditional publishing can be but with our editorial and marketing services we hope to make the author’s life easier and give our readers some of the best of the undiscovered stories,” Pranika Sharma said.

From their diverse list of titles, the publisher plans to release the following books in the coming season: romantic comedy Eternally Single, Rosa Alvarez by Neerja Pawar, philosophical fiction novel Turtle A by Ellie Martin-McKinsey, and thriller mystery Power of Nature by CL Peache.

The app currently hosts novellas and short fiction ranging from romance, mystery, erotica, young-adult fiction, historical fiction, and bone-chilling thrillers. It champions various genres within commercial fiction and compacts these original stories into an episodic format for quick and easy consumption. 

Saga has grown to publish veteran and debut authors like Jonita Davis, CL Peache, Ankita Kulkarni, Elle Martin-McKinsey, Hope Bolinger, and more. The app also offers editorial, publishing, and marketing services to first-time authors.

The unique features of the app include curated reading list for every genre; also including the much-demanded K-pop inspired books; bite-sized episodes for readers on the move or experiencing a block; customised push notifications with alerts on new episodes and exciting new authors; readers can resume reading where they last left off and customisable interface where a reader can bookmark, highlight, change fonts and the background colour.

Pranika Sharma obtained a Bachelor's in English Literature followed by a Masters in Creative Writing from Loughborough University, UK, before working extensively with top publishing houses.

Aakriti Patni worked as an independent mass media professional and then pursued Masters in Magazine Journalism from City University, London. She has been part of newsrooms and brings to Saga Fiction strong editorial and digital marketing experience.