Lost Symbol Sets Record in First Day

(NEWSER) - The follow-up to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code should finally see the light of day later this year, the New York Observer reports. Publisher Doubleday says The Lost Symbol will hit shelves Sept.15, 4 years after originally hoped. The first print run will be 5 million copies, the publisher’s largest ever. “This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait,” said a Doubleday exec. More»

Online megastore may also launch national chain

(NEWSER) - As if traditional publishers don't already hate Amazon . Now the online retailer-turned-publisher is planning to open a small boutique store in Seattle to test the waters for a national chain, Gawker reports via the Good E-Reader blog. The store will sell Kindle e-readers, Kindle Fires, and various accessories—as well as books, probably, considering that Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million have banned Amazon's publishing imprints. More»

Brown's DaVinci Code sequel has stunning first-week sales of 2M+

(NEWSER) - Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code sequel sold more than 2 million English-language copies in its first week, a Doubleday spokesman tells Publisher’s Weekly, making it the best debut Doubleday—or, for that matter, parent company Random House—has ever had. “The book is exceeding our expectations,” the spokeswoman said. The figure includes hardcovers, audiobooks and e-books. Symbol still has a ways to go, however, before matching Da Vinci, which has more than 81 million copies in print. More»

The master pulls off a DC Da Vinci Code : secrets, conspiracy, plus giant squid

(NEWSER) - Nobody can pull off Dan Brown's well-worn Da Vinci Code formula for treasure-hunt thrills anymore—except Dan Brown, Janet Maslin writes in the New York Times. Brown's new book The Lost Symbol, hitting bookstores tomorrow, "clicks even if at first it looks dangerously like a clone," packing in the "neat tricks" and "guilty pleasures" that are Brown's forte. More»

Big-selling author could lift e-reader sales

(NEWSER) - Dan Brown’s next book has a 6.5 million-copy print run—one of the biggest ever—but the Lost Symbol could mark a new chapter in the digital world, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Da Vinci Code author’s publisher says an e-book version of the novel will be released Sept. 15, the same day as the hardcover, which could help sales of e-readers soar. More»