Puja Sawarbandhe and Priya Singh, two wordsmiths, have not just found an avenue to express their passion, but also turned their art into a money-making opportunity. The icing on the cake is that the duo have tasted success just at the start of their twenties, thanks to Pocket FM and Pocket Novel apps. While the first is an audio platform with millions of listeners worldwide, the latter is its subset letting the likes of Sawarbandhe and Singh vastly reach readers.
Puja's background and how she got into writing
Hailing from the Karandala village in Bhandara district, Sawarbandhe, 20, a farmer's daughter, never imagined to be a writer with a fan base. As the saying goes that magic happens in a moment and that moment came in Sawarbandhe's life ten months ago. She came across an advertisement on YouTube, with links to Pocket FM and Pocket Novel. An intrigued Sawarbandhe downloaded the app and started listening to stories.
Delving a bit deeper, she found that anyone can write stories for the platforms, and so began her writing career with Pocket Novel's writer benefit programme. 'My Adorable Wifey', the translated adaptation from Sawarbandhe's Hindi work, was her first novel to get published on Pocket Novel. The second year BSc student was awestruck when she realised that her novel became so popular that Pocket FM decided to adapt it into an audio series. Her confidence was further boosted when the popularity came with monetary rewards, allowing her to cover her education expenses.
Puja Sawarbandhe |
Elated that her success has also brought income, she said, “I wrote my first story for fun and it was read by 1.5 lakh readers. I never thought that I would get money for it. Positive comments from readers made me feel very nice. I realised that I could write.” Initially, one has to write a 30,000-word story for Pocket Novel. If it reaches 100 readers then Pocket FM makes an audio series, explained Sawarbandhe. Her other works available on Pocket platform are 'I Am Obsessed With My Angel', 'Falling For Ex-Girlfriend' and 'My Hard Hearted Girl'. “If someone wants to be a writer then they have to start reading first. Only a good reader can become a good writer,” said Sawarbandhe.
Priya's success story
Another such success story is of Priya Singh. The 21-year-old B Ed and BMM student from Nalasopara, who also doubles up as teacher for kids, is thankful to her sister and YouTube for introducing her to Pocket FM. The daughter of a diamond company employee and a housewife, Singh has already earned a BA degree in English and Home Science and now writes stories in Hindi. Her work, 'My Heartless Lover' which revolves around the life of a mysterious girl and has elements like love, revenge and suspense, is available at Pocket FM.
Priya Singh |
“I have enjoyed writing since childhood. I particularly enjoy crafting suspense and horror stories. My other works, 'One for You' and 'Tere Ishq ki Deewangi', have also received appreciation, with plans for audio adaptations. My dream is to contribute to the Bollywood,” exclaimed Singh.
