I don’t know when I’ve laughed so hard recently. Today I received a check in the mail from ProQuest for $16.11 US. Upon inspection, this check represents my royalties on copies of my dissertation that ProQuest sold during 2004. Apparently, they sold 24 copies of my dissertation, making a cool $700 in the process (22 downloads and 2 paper copies), and I get $16 bucks.
Don’t people know they can download my dissertation for free??? It’s the #2 return on a Google search for wiley and dissertation. And who would pay $40 bucks for my dissertation? Well, it certainly cheered up my Tuesday afternoon at any rate… If I save up my money, and they sell 25 more this year, I might even be able to afford to buy my own copy of it!
And, what can we learn from this – there are really smart people out there, like those ProQuest folks who will charge people for online material that is also distributed for free. I’ve remarked lately a tendency that when I Google papers that I know I’ve accessed in the past, I may be taken to one of those expensive Pay-for Academic-papers, services instead of directly to the owner’s page.
I don’t know which agreement you’ve signed with ProQuest, David?
I signed the agreement which every doctoral student is literally required to sign in order to graduate. đŸ˜‰