Two Professors at a Nearby University Want to Co-Author a New

Multiple Choice

Two professors at a nearby university want to co-author a new textbook in either economics or statistics.They feel that if they write an economics book they have a 50% chance of placing it with a major publisher where it should ultimately sell about 40,000 copies.If they can't get a major publisher to take it,then they feel they have an 80% chance of placing it with a smaller publisher,with sales of 30,000 copies.On the other hand if they write a statistics book,they feel they have a 40% chance of placing it with a major publisher,and it should result in ultimate sales of about 50,000 copies.If they can't get a major publisher to take it,they feel they have a 50% chance of placing it with a smaller publisher,with ultimate sales of 35,000 copies.
-What is the expected payoff for the decision to write the economics book?

A) 50,000 copies
B) 40,000 copies
C) 32,000 copies
D) 30,500 copies
E) 10,500 copies