what is the meaning of "still lost money on seven out every eight books it published"?
The whole sentence is:The president of one of the largest publishing houses in the world confessed to me that his company,after seventy-five years of publishing experience,still lost money on seven out every eight books it published.
Thanks a lot.

Question

what is the meaning of "still lost money on seven out every eight books it published"?
The whole sentence is:The president of one of the largest publishing houses in the world confessed to me that his company,after seventy-five years of publishing experience,still lost money on seven out every eight books it published.
Thanks a lot.

Answer

It means that statistically in average only every 8th book they publish is profitable.

Answer

Of all the different titles that the company published, 87.5% (seven eighths or 7/8ths) lost money.
Put another way, only 1/8th of all the titles published made money.

Answers · 3

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