The Spotify of Books … How Gelato is reinventing book publishing in a digital world … think platforms not factories, empower creators anywhere, deliver on demand anytime

July 30, 2025

In an era when the boundaries between physical and digital are blurring, the publishing industry stands at a crossroads. For centuries, it has been dominated by linear supply chains: authors write, publishers print, distributors ship, and retailers sell.

Yet, despite technological advances, many publishers still operate on a model that is inherently speculative — printing tens of thousands of copies and hoping they find their readers. Unsold books are often pulped, shipping emissions balloon, and the costs and inefficiencies pile up. Enter Henrik Müller-Hansen and his company Gelato, a Norwegian-born entrepreneurial force whose vision for the future of publishing could be summed up in one phrase: “The Spotify of Books.”

A New Vision for an Old Industry

Müller-Hansen is not your typical tech CEO. With roots in Norway and a professional background starting with Tele2, digital services, and logistics, he has always been fascinated by platforms and networks — systems that connect supply to demand in ways that are efficient, scalable, and intelligent. In 2007, he founded Gelato with a bold ambition: to reimagine how physical products are created, distributed, and consumed, starting with print.

The problem Henrik identified was simple yet profound. Traditional publishing is linear and centralised. Large print runs mean wasted materials, costly warehousing, and logistical headaches. Authors and publishers are forced to gamble on demand, and small-scale creators often have no access to global distribution. Henrik saw an opportunity to apply the principles of the digital age to the physical world, turning printing into a platform-enabled service that is local, on-demand, and data-driven.

“The future of production must be local, on-demand, and zero inventory,” Henrik says, reflecting a Scandinavian ethos of sustainability married to a Silicon Valley understanding of scale.

Gelato’s model is deceptively simple: instead of shipping books from one centralised factory across the globe, the platform connects creators and publishers to local print partners in over 30 countries. When a reader places an order, the nearest partner prints and ships the book. This approach is faster, cheaper, and far more environmentally friendly than the traditional model.

The Power of the Platform

The genius of Gelato lies in its platform. It does not own vast factories or massive warehouses. Instead, it orchestrates a network of hundreds of professional print partners around the world, from Europe to Africa to Asia. By doing so, it achieves a trifecta that publishers have long sought but rarely attained: scale, speed, and sustainability.

Consider the experience of a reader in Nairobi ordering a new biography. Rather than waiting weeks for a book to arrive from London or New York, it is produced locally and delivered in days. Meanwhile, a teacher in Cairo can order textbooks tailored to their students’ curriculum and receive them without shipping costs or customs delays. The impact on carbon emissions is dramatic — often reduced by up to 90 per cent — while local printers gain access to a global customer base.

Gelato is essentially creating a distributed cloud for physical production. The comparison with Spotify is apt: just as Spotify gives music creators access to a global audience without producing vinyl or CDs, Gelato allows publishers and authors to reach readers worldwide without physically overproducing. The books exist digitally until demand calls them into existence, bridging the gap between digital immediacy and physical tangibility.

Empowering Publishers and Creators

Henrik’s vision is not limited to logistics; it is also about creativity, empowerment, and inclusion. Gelato’s platform integrates with e-commerce tools such as Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce, as well as traditional publishing workflows. It allows publishers — both independent and established — to produce books, merchandise, and other printed media on demand.

For creators, this is transformative. Imagine a small press launching a new poetry collection. Instead of risking tens of thousands of pounds on an uncertain print run, they can upload the manuscript to Gelato, and the platform takes care of printing, shipping, and tracking, wherever the readers are. Authors can also test new markets, customise editions, and even personalise books for individual buyers.

Henrik calls it “the Spotify moment for printed content”. Just as streaming liberated musicians from physical constraints and gatekeepers, Gelato liberates authors and publishers from inventory risk and geographical limits. It shifts the industry from a model of scarcity to one of access, immediacy, and responsiveness.

The Digital Product Pass: Traceability Meets Transparency

One of the most forward-looking innovations from Gelato is the Digital Product Pass, developed with the help of Dominik Haacke. This concept gives every printed product a digital identity — a unique, trackable record of where, when, and how it was produced.

A digital product pass can include:

  • Production data — the printer, location, and date.

  • Material and sustainability information — recycled paper, energy use, and carbon savings.

  • Ownership and authenticity verification — critical for limited editions or collectibles.

For publishers, this adds a layer of intelligence and accountability. Readers can engage with the story behind the book, seeing how it was made and how it impacts the planet. Educational institutions can ensure textbooks meet regulatory or sustainability standards. And publishers can use the data to refine strategies, optimise production, and demonstrate corporate responsibility.

“It is about making the invisible visible,” Henrik explains. “Every book, every printed product, tells a story. The digital product pass ensures that story is transparent, traceable, and valuable.”

Sustainability at Scale

Gelato’s vision is deeply rooted in sustainability. Unlike initiatives that rely solely on offsets or donations, Gelato integrates environmental responsibility into the core business model. Local production reduces shipping emissions. On-demand printing eliminates waste. Digital workflows streamline processes.

The result is a profitable, regenerative system that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Publishers reduce costs, creators reach more readers, and the planet benefits. In Henrik’s words, “sustainability is not a constraint — it is a competitive advantage.”

For the publishing industry, this model represents a radical shift. Where once environmental considerations were secondary to economics, now efficiency and impact are synonymous. The global network becomes a circular ecosystem, where resources are used responsibly, and every printed copy has purpose.

AI, Automation, and the Creator Economy

Gelato is not stopping at localised production. The platform is increasingly integrating AI and automation to help creators design, format, and personalise their work. Publishers can automatically generate book layouts, experiment with cover designs, and even personalise editions for individual readers.

This is particularly relevant in the era of the creator economy. Just as YouTube or Patreon enabled independent artists to monetise their work directly, Gelato gives writers, illustrators, and small publishers global reach without intermediaries. It is an ecosystem where creation, production, and distribution are seamlessly connected, guided by data, and optimised by AI.

For Henrik, this is about democratising access. Independent authors in Latin America, Africa, or Southeast Asia can now compete on the same playing field as traditional publishing giants. Their books are no longer bound by geography, inventory, or capital. They exist digitally until readers demand them physically — and then they come alive.

Transforming the Supply Chain

The traditional publishing supply chain has long been linear and opaque. Gelato’s platform transforms it into something circular, intelligent, and responsive. By capturing data on demand, production, and delivery, publishers can adapt instantly. Popular titles can be scaled globally. Limited print runs can reach specific markets. And unsold inventory — once a financial and environmental burden — is eliminated.

This model also gives publishers a new tool: insights-driven strategy. By analysing which regions, editions, or formats perform best, publishers can make informed decisions in near real-time. The era of guesswork is ending; in its place is a data-driven, agile publishing ecosystem.

A New Era for Books

What Gelato offers is more than efficiency; it is a cultural and structural transformation. Books become fluid, local, sustainable, and connected. Every edition carries not just words but a story of creation, impact, and connection. Authors can reach readers everywhere. Publishers can experiment without risk. Readers can engage with the production journey.

In Henrik’s vision, every printed book becomes part of a dynamic ecosystem, seamlessly linked to the digital world and governed by principles of transparency, sustainability, and accessibility. It is a vision that reimagines what publishing can be in the 21st century — a vision in which the physical and digital co-exist, intelligently and responsibly.

Here are several lessons for publishers facing disruption:

  1. Think Platform, Not Factory: Physical production can be orchestrated like a digital service, with global reach and local execution.

  2. Embrace On-Demand Models: Inventory is costly, wasteful, and environmentally damaging. Producing only what is needed creates efficiency and flexibility.

  3. Leverage Data and AI: Analytics and automation enable smarter design, production, and distribution decisions.

  4. Embed Sustainability in Core Strategy: Environmental responsibility is no longer optional; it can drive innovation, brand value, and customer loyalty.

  5. Empower Creators Everywhere: Democratising access to production and distribution opens new markets, audiences, and revenue streams.

These principles are not abstract; they are actionable strategies that are already reshaping publishing, education, and creative industries worldwide.

The Future of Gelato 

Looking ahead, Gelato’s ambitions are expansive. The platform is exploring 3D and on-demand manufacturing beyond print, creating products that are customised, traceable, and sustainable. AI-assisted design tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated, allowing creators to visualise concepts, test ideas, and produce them seamlessly.

Henrik’s long-term vision is to build the world’s production cloud — a system where ideas, whether a book, a poster, or a piece of merchandise, can move from conception to creation anywhere, instantly, and responsibly. For the publishing industry, this represents a radical redefinition of what a book is, how it is produced, and how it reaches readers.

As Henrik puts it: “We are creating the infrastructure for a new kind of publishing. One that is global, local, intelligent, and sustainable. One that gives every creator the tools to reach their audience, and every reader the transparency to understand the story behind what they hold.”

The Spotify Moment for Books

The analogy with Spotify is more than metaphorical. Just as Spotify turned music into a service that is immediate, personalised, and accessible worldwide, Gelato is turning books into products that are on-demand, traceable, and globally accessible. Authors, publishers, and readers are connected in a network that values efficiency, sustainability, and creativity equally.

Henrik Müller-Hansen’s Gelato is proving that the future of publishing is not about centralised factories, pulped inventory, or speculative print runs. It is about platforms, data, and responsible production. It is about reimagining books as living products, dynamically created, locally produced, and globally distributed. It is about making the invisible visible, from carbon savings to production stories.

In the 21st century, the book is no longer bound by paper and ink alone. It exists in a digital-physical hybrid ecosystem, enabled by visionaries like Henrik Müller-Hansen and platforms like Gelato. For readers, authors, and publishers alike, it is the Spotify moment for books — a transformative leap that could reshape the industry for generations to come.

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