Colombia

In a new report, German ebook distribution platform Bookwire forecasts that digital sales will represent between 10% and 15% of total sales in the Latin American markets by 2020. Today, it represents 1% across the whole region.

The Spanish-language markets represent over 500 million Spanish speakers mainly living in Latin America and Spain, along with the US, where the latest census counted over 50 million people of Hispanic or Latino origin, including nearly 40 million who speak Spanish at home.

You might not remember back that far, but ebook subscription services have been around for since the turn of the millennium. The Madrid-based company 24symbols was, arguably, there first-well before anyone else-and they launched in the midst of a terrifying financial recession that left nearly half of Spain's youth unemployed and the publishing industry in a free fall.

Now, four years later, they are still here, and co-founder Justo Hidalgo is busy hustling his small team around the globe to work on new partnerships and launches, trying to outpace Kindle Unlimited, Scribd, Oyster, Bookmate,

You walk into the bookstore, past the tables of "Books for This Month's Holiday," and find your way to the Foreign Language section. Bring up your bébé in French; speak Chinese like a Tiger Mom; have a conversation in Russian that would warm the cockles of Putin's heart—it's all here. And if you already know a foreign language—Spanish, say—you'll also find novels and self-help books right next to "500 Spanish Verbs."