Correction RE: dissertations

["Michael Zeoli" <mzeoli@ybp.com>]

Correction to data below: YBP profiled 8 revised dissertions from 
PSUP in 2010 - not 17.

________________________________

From: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu on behalf of Michael Zeoli
Sent: Tue 4/19/2011 11:13 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: RE: open access to dissertations

Sandy,

Helmut Schwarzer is a rare wit - at lunch last week he asked if I 
ever had contact with you or his "dear friend" Patrick Alexander. 
His numbers are reliable, of course (few would dare contest 
Helmut's knowledge of publishing), when considering dissertations 
from all publishers.  As my numbers showed, UP *Revised* 
dissertations sold an average of 85 copies while the Trade Press 
dissertations sold fewer than half that number.  As a percentage, 
UP's fared much better after jettisoning the ballast of the Trade 
ones (Trade Revised Dissertations sell less than 50% the number 
of their titles generally).

As to your challenge, I did look (but must admit I cheated ;-)). 
Library collecting of Penn State University Press is excellent 
(higher than the average UP sales by almost 20% on a per title 
basis) - a credit to you and your colleagues.  Last year YBP 
profiled 77 new PSU titles. 58% of YBP sales of PSU titles were 
via 'auto-ship' approval.

There were 8 Revised Dissertations (no Unrevised Dissertations). 
52% sold on auto-ship approval.  There were 17 titles with a 
Latin American focus.  62% were acquired by libraries as 
'auto-ship approvals, and the 3 Revised dissertations in the 
group sold 52% on auto-ship approval.

The worst PSU sellers were a reprint, a journal monograph, a 
periodical anthology, personal narratives ('autobiographies' by 
people such as me), and titles focused on individual U.S. states 
(there were 8 of these and one was a reprint, a double whammy).

The best-sellers were brilliant, particularly in the fine arts - 
one winning the ALAA 2011 Art Book Award and a notable percentage 
on YBP Core Title lists.  As for your challenge about the 
"narrowness" of the Latin American titles, library acquisition of 
them proves you are right - and the librarians know it!  [If 
you'd like the spreadsheet with this information, Sandy, just let 
me know where to send it.]

Mike

**************************************
Michael Zeoli
Director, Global Consortia
YBP Library Services
mzeoli@ybp.com
(603) 748-3529