According to his publisher, Dan “Da Vinci Code” Brown's latest book, The Lost Symbol, sold more copies in its first 36 hours than any other adult hardback sold in total. (A certain boy wizard is excluded by the artful qualifier, “adult”.) The sales of Brown's book were given a boost by an unprecedented price war. According to The Bookseller, an industry magazine, Waterstone's offered a mere 50 per cent discount – £9.49 instead of £18.99. Tesco asked £7 and Asda £5. Asda's book buyer celebrated “fantastic” sales, despite the fact that the store is thought to be losing £4 a copy. The old joke is made real: losing money on every sale, but making it up on volume.
据《达芬奇密码》(Da Vinci Code)作者丹•布朗(Dan Brown)的出版商介绍，布朗新书《消失的符号》(The Lost Symbol)最初36小时的销量，超过了其它任何一本成人精装书的总销量。（巧妙的限定词“成人”把某个男孩魔法师排除在了外面。）空前的价格战提振了布朗新书的销量。行业杂志《书商》(The Bookseller)的数据显示，Waterstone's仅提供50%的折扣，从18.99英镑降价至9.49英镑。乐购(Tesco)要价7英镑，阿斯达(Asda) 5英镑。阿斯达的图书采购员为销售“火爆”而欢庆，尽管据信，该店每售出一本书就亏损4英镑。那个古老的玩笑成了事实：每笔出售都亏本，但却会在销量上得到补偿。