‘Da Vinci Code’ paperback soars

“The Da Vinci Code” is a smash in paperback too.

More than 500,000 copies of Dan Brown’s historical thriller sold in its first week of U.S. paperback release, and an initial printing of 5 million has been upped to 6 million, publisher Anchor Books said Wednesday.

Russell Perreault, vice president and director of publicity for Anchor and Vintage Books, paperback imprints of Random House Inc., said the weekly sales were the highest in memory for a paperback. Anchor/Vintage has issued Bill Clinton’s “My Life” and numerous Oprah Winfrey picks, including James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” and Rohinton Mistry’s “A Fine Balance.”

Brown’s book has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide in hardcover.