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Hi ... If a book is still selling well, it is likely to stay in print. Else not. Sometimes negotiations between author and publisher may affect whether the book stays in print (even a successful book), as may the financial condition and other publishing commitments of the publisher. It does NOT pay a publisher to do little print runs (though new technology may be changing the economics -- I don't know about that), and it is certainly not profitable to do a large run that will simply molder in a warehouse. Beyond that, publishers have an interest in producing NEW books (they MUST do that for their long-term viability), and must make room for the new by dropping the (unprofitable) old. Also, I heard some years ago that changes in tax law led to sharp reductions in publishers' back lists. Publishers could no longer afford to retain stock of older books, and simply remaindered out the left overs. I am not an expert by any means, but I think the above is a fair summary. No "hard and fast figures" are likely to be available, or if available, they are very unlikely to be meaningful with respect to any specific book. (Just as life-expectancy tables tell you nothing about how long someone you see walking down the street is going to live. The tables are inapplicable to individuals.) This is my own personal understanding as a long-time observer, and I am not speaking for anyone else, but I hope it is of some use. Regards, Ken Umbach At 11:06 AM 2/1/98 -0600, you wrote: >I have been wondering about this also. Every year the literature teachers at my -- Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D., Policy Analyst California Research Bureau, California State Library Sacramento, California E-mail: kumbach@unlimited.net Phone (voice) 916-653-6002 (fax) 916-654-5829 Personal Web page and selected papers: http://members.unlimited.net/~kumbach This message reflects my opinion, not that of my employer or anyone else. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST NOTE: Please allow time for confirmation from Listserv. For more help see LM_NET On The Web: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=