Digitization and business models in the spanish publishing industry

Abstract

This paper analyzes how technological change and digitalization in the Spanish publishing sector is challenging existing business models and encouraging publishers to modify their portfolios of products and competencies. A qualitative analysis (case study) of three Spanish publishers is carried out. The practical implications of the research are that digital products and services are still considered secondary to the analog book. On the other hand, the proportion of titles available in digital formats is still small. To all this, the lack of a common dominant design for digital publication is added, which represents an uncertainty for editors, to which must be added the lack of institutional support. For the time being, Spanish publishers are simply selling digital versions of their paper books on digital distribution platforms, trying to minimize risks by betting on positively contrasted works in the traditional paper-based business model.