When it comes to digital publication, there is often a lot of misunderstanding. The risk for publishers is that they may miss out on the immense opportunities it presents. We’ve attempted to analyze all of the most intriguing ones below.

We have once again grasped the importance of book publication in these trying times. Books have kept us company, and throughout this time of forced closures, books have been viewed as a “fundamentally good” that has introduced us to other worlds.

Our legislative bodies have attempted to respond to this knowledge by enacting legislation to protect bookstores, even the smallest ones. These activities may be improved and expanded upon, but they send a strong message nonetheless.

The data on the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on the industry, on the other hand, sends a clearer message.

In the following paragraph, we’ll take a look at this information. Pay carefully since this is a fascinating topic.

A very unexpected grip. Mostly because of digital

Let’s start with the most startling statistic: the publishing industry’s total turnover increased by 2.4 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. This outcome is even more impressive when we consider that the sector’s turnover fell by a whopping 20% between January and April.

As early as June, the economy began to improve: it was down 11% from the previous year.

Year-over-year losses had dropped even lower by September, at -7 percent.

In a very difficult year for all sectors, the industry ended the year in positive territory (+2.4 percent), owing to sales during the Christmas holidays (and there is no need to dwell on this).

But let’s try to delve even further into this data analysis, to extract a few particularly poignant points that pertain to the article’s core theme: digital publication. Or, to put it another way, publishing and digitization.

We’re talking about online book sales, which accounted for 48 percent of overall sales from January to April (note: against an average of 27 percent for the entire previous year). Naturally, bookstores were closed for the majority of this time. However, if we go forward to July (when bookshops have already been open for a few months throughout Italy), the tendency is still evident: online sales accounted for 44% of total sales.

So, are brick bookstores doomed? We don’t think so.

However, we believe that bookshops (both chain and independent bookstores) must have the flexibility to connect the physical and digital worlds.

It’s not just a matter of adapting to the realities of the times; it’s also – and perhaps most importantly – a matter of the enormous opportunities that this integration and interaction between the two sides opens up (which includes, of course, sales methods, but also crucial aspects of marketing and communication… which we’ll return to shortly).

Another important fact about digital publication is the following.

In comparison to 2019, ebook sales increased by 27% in 2020.

Despite the high expectations that surrounded it, the ebook struggled to expand much after that — for years (often, however, based on comparisons that were not based on trends, for example, of the record market, which passed from physical media to online very quickly and abruptly).

And keep an eye out for podcasts and audiobooks, which are frequently enjoyed through subscription-based platforms: the increase in this branch from 2019 was 94 percent. To wrap up this paragraph, it’s worth noting that the same upward income trend seen in Italy is being replicated in countries like the United Kingdom (+5.5 percent for the publishing sector in 2019) and the Netherlands (+7% over the previous year).

Is there a European country that is defying the trend?

Due to the slow development of e-commerce and, more broadly, the integration of digital into the book supply chain, Portugal has seen a significant reduction in sales (-19 percent overall). and that speaks a great deal (ilpost.it).

Digital publishing: a necessity with a plethora of possibilities

The key to the world in which we all live is digital transformation. It’s a process that began many years ago but has accelerated dramatically as a result of the pandemic’s emergence. The problem is straightforward: digital has protected our economies and manufacturing systems, limiting the harm; it has saved schools; and it has allowed us to maintain a certain level of social interaction (a “necessary good” in itself).

In an emergency, digital has helped us; but, this boost will not cease with the end – which we all hope – of this difficult era.

This is also true of the book industry, which, because to its inherent structure, evolves and changes more slowly than other industries that are more streamlined and have fewer centuries of significant history.

In a nutshell, the way we read is evolving and will continue to evolve. Above all, it will alter our perceptions of books and everything that surrounds them.

A center point can be found here. It’s also worth asking: what is digital publishing? What does this imply? (The solution appears to be self-evident… However, this is merely at first look; we’ll return to it later.)

This has already been mentioned. Let us avoid making premature parallels to other industries or cultural goods. Too many times, we’ve read or heard forecasts about the paper book’s impending demise and obsolescence. Prophecies that aren’t founded on facts and are easily refuted by facts (and data).

However, if we shift our perspective, we can see that the most significant changes have occurred (and continue to occur) above all around the book itself.

As a result, we’ve decided to wrap up this essay by focusing on the four most intriguing trends in digital publishing.

We’ll address them in a timely and concrete manner, and we believe they’ll serve as a beneficial guide for individuals in the sector.