I think you are arguing a false dichotomy. You have no evidence for your argument that non-serial is superior to serial in sales/marketing value. Both have pluses (lack of off-putting numbers vs. guarantee that you are not missing something) and minuses (fear of getting "filler" vs. gnawing suspicion that others define what is "good"). While there are certainly biases in any group of people/decision-makers, the idea that evidence supports strongly doing one vs. the other is basically false.

I think what all of us want is that everything be reprinted in some accessible form so that we can read whatever we want. The most guaranteed way to get there is serial reprints. However, it is reasonable to suggest that other forms of collections - best of, themed, etc - might satisfy a segment of the consumer base and we should certainly take their money. Doing so financially supports the serial program in the long-run by generating profit for collected editions in general and lowering repro costs for things that will ultimately be included in serial works. Ultimately, this moves us to the goal of everything reprinted and everyone except the people who complain for no reason will be satisfied.

D.