Abstract
This study was aimed at examining problems and contrariety about the four types of publishing statistics. As for the first, two statistics are only show limited parts of the whole sales in the publisher and the percentage that covers from the total sales is obscure. Regarding other two statistics, they indicate that the grounds for estimating the amounts are not clear and the figures include incomprehensible variables. Then, the four Statistics were compared and studied. As a result, it is found that there are various inconsistencies. In conclusion, quantitative studies on the publishing industry look almost futile as matters stand now.
