Da Vinci Code Book Sales Info

Source: CNN and NY Times

"Unborn babies must be reading 'Da Vinci,...Who else on this planet is left?" - Laurence J. Kirshbaum

Perhaps the most relevant information about the mid-May blockbuster release The Da Vinci Code is tracing its source material's sales. Adapted from the Dan Brown same-titled novel, the increased awareness of the big screen release has revived popular interest in the book and triggered a newly released paperback version of the 2003 Hardcover original. "The Da Vinci paperback came out March 28, not because interest in the hardcover had slowed down, but in anticipation of the May 19 film version, starring Tom Hanks."

According to Kirshbaum, head of the Time Warner Book Group, 500,000 copies of the mass market paperback edition were sold in The Da Vinci Code's first week of April distribution, and Anchor Books will up its paperback printing to 6 Million copies. The softcover has held the pole position on the New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks running, and the hardcover edition is currently sitting at #3 (down from the runner-up last week) though it has been in circulation for 159 weeks. To put that in perspective, only one other hardcover fiction book in the top 16 has a double-digit week history length, and coincidentally it is The Last Templar(12 weeks), a similarly themed religious object detection story. In addition, Brown's Angels and Demons(133 Weeks) and his Deception Point(12 Weeks) are sitting in the 4th and 8th Paperback Fiction spots respectively, cementing the high demand for his books following on Da Vinci Code's heels.

Numerous adjoining travel guides, including one from Fodor's, and several rebuttal Da Vinci themed books are also on the market. Over 40 million copies of the hardcover edition have already been sold worldwide.

Update 4/15

Source: NY Times

In keeping up to date with author Dan Brown’s book sales tracking, the sales numbers for the New York Times Bestseller list for the week of April 15th are in. Brown’s The Da Vinci Code hardcover edition has slipped to 6th place in its 160th week of release. His paperback version continues to hold onto the pole position three weeks after hitting stores.

While Brown’s paperback edition of Angels & Demons fell from 4th to 5th place, it still has the longest history, 134 weeks, out of any of the top 15 paperbacks. The second longest paperback legs belong to Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (84 weeks), with Brown’s Deception Point (60 weeks) having the third longest run. Deception Point fell four spots to land just shy of the top 10, in 12th position.

In addition, Brown’s paperback Digital Fortress becomes his fourth book to snare a top 20 sales slot where it sits at 17th. In the hardcover, Brown’s Angels & Demons also holds the 17th spot.

You can go here to view more information on the current best seller list