Tag Archives: Fifty Shades

Fifty Shades Helps Random House Win UK’s BIA Publisher of the Year

Posted on by
Reply

According to @fiftyshadesUK, the Bookseller Industry Awards are the equivalent of the publishing Oscars. Thanks, in part, to the record-breaking sales of the Fifty Shades trilogy by E L James, The Random House Group reps didn’t get dressed up for nothing.

The event, held at London’s Park Lane Hilton on May 13th, celebrated Random House’s success by honoring chief executive Dame Gail Rebuck and her team with the top publishing award.

We were honoured with the top publishing gong, after a record breaking year which started with the publishing phenomenon that is Fifty Shades and ended with us being the UK’s number 1 publisher.

In 2012 Random House achieved 28 number ones, won 70 prizes for its titles including the Nobel, Samuel Johnson and TS Eliot, and was hailed for its rapidly growing digital activity, now accounting for 22% of its UK net sales.

The award is a terrific tribute that reflects the Group’s collective creativity, skill and successes.

win_2013

Courtesy of The Bookseller

Congrats to Random House! The power of Fifty continues…

Sources: The Random House Group, The Bookseller

Fifty Shades #1 On Amazon’s Best Adult Books of 2012

Posted on by
1

When it comes to customer favorites, it is no surprise that this was clearly the year of Fifty Shades. While the first two books in the series were published in 2011…, the third in the series was published this year and promptly became a customers’ runaway favorite.

  • 2012 Top 10 Customer Favorites in Adult Books (print and Kindle.):
    #1 – Fifty Shades Freed by E L James
  • Top 100 Adult Print Books of 2012
    #1 – Fifty Shades Freed by E L James
    #2 – Fifty Shades Trilogy 3-volume Boxed Set by E L James
  • Top 100 Adult Kindle Books of 2012
    #1 – Fifty Shades Trilogy 3-volume Boxed Set by E L James
    #4 – Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

To celebrate, Amazon has all of their “Best Books of the Year” on sale.

Congrats, E L James and FSoG fans!

Fifty Shades Phenomenon Continues With Phenomenal Sales

Posted on by
4

It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that combined sales (print, audio, digital) for the English, German, and Spanish versions of the trilogy is over $70 million — a figure reached in less than a year (March-December 2012).

According to Bertelsmann, the German media company that owns the trilogy’s publisher Random House, Fifty Shades is “the fastest-selling series in the company’s history.”

“It’s a gigantic number,” said Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Trachtenberg. “It’s the kind of series that every publisher dreams of having.” He goes on to wonder why these three books in particular broke out, answering that “People really don’t know.”

We think he’s just asking the wrong people ;) E L James wrote an epic love story that took the Twilight fanfiction world by storm. That loyal fanbase supported her when she self-published and continued to support her when the story went mainstream, a voice that helped introduce the characters to a whole new audience. Critics can say what they will about the books, but millions of fans can’t be are not wrong.

Source: Wall Street Journal Speakeasy

Team Fifty Progress Report

Posted on by
3

 Delayed gratification — Resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later.

While progress seems slow to anxious FSoG fans, there is progress nonetheless.

  • Producers Dana Brunetti and Michael DeLuca recently met with FSoG screenwriter Kelly Marcel.

Lunch with a couple of friends @MichaelDe_Luca & @MissMarcelpic.twitter.com/RnZXI5re

Team Fifty Meeting

  • Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter released a Q&A with Universal Chairman Adam Fogelson, the movie studio bringing the books to the big screen. To read the complete article, which includes a possible summer 2014 release of the first installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy, go here.

Q&A: Universal Chairman Wants ‘Fifty Shades’ for Summer 2014, More ‘Bourne’ and ‘Van Helsing’ Reboot http://shar.es/YMpYI 

 Retweeted by E L James
-
  •  With the author herself preparing for a trip to California, Fogelson’s reply to THR’s question about Angelina Jolie being asked to direct FSoG is even more compelling.

No. We’re involved in a different project [the World War II drama Unbroken] with her. But we have had really, really interesting, great conversations with talented, serious filmmakers.

Let’s face it. We’re talking about Fifty here. Would we really want anything less than large and enduring? *raises glass* Here’s to delayed gratification ;)

THR’s 2012 ‘Rule Breakers’ Includes E L James

Posted on by
1

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “No one had more of an impact on publishing in 2012 than E.L. James.” The FSoG fandom couldn’t agree more!

WE LOVE THIS PICTURE!

The books’ success got publishers to take fan fiction and the threat of self-publishing seriously. (Grey began as a Twilight-inspired online story before snagging a seven-figure advance from Vintage.)

“I didn’t go through an agent and wait six weeks while they decided,” says the married mother of two teenage sons of her nontraditional path. The great thing about being an author, confesses James — even a best-selling one — is that “I can still get on the [subway] without being recognized.”

Those of us who have been a part of the fanfiction world for a long time know that E L James has now become the Oprah of fanfic. (Ironically enough, there are four different covers for the ‘Rule Breakers’ issue, and Oprah is featured on one of them.)

The door was only open a crack for fellow fanfic writers before Fifty Shades came along and flung it wide open. We’re thrilled to see other authors/stories getting mainstream recognition, such as Sylvain Reynard (Gabriel’s Inferno/Gabriel’s Rapture), J M Darhower (Sempre), Debra Anastasia (Poughkeepsie), Alice Clayton (Wallbanger), and Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard).

Hollywood is clearly taking notice too, having recently secured the rights to Sempre. With the support of a built-in fan base behind them and a growing number of new fans, we won’t be surprised if more fanfic authors find themselves landing a major publishing deal and/or getting an ”I nearly fell off my chair” email that Hollywood has come calling.

To read the complete THR article, click here.

One more time… Congrats, E!

OFFICIAL Fifty Shades of Grey Merchandise

Posted on by
5

The official Fifty Shades of Grey line of merchandise is starting to hit stores! E L James was thrilled to see fans wearing t-shirts from Hot Topic on her recent U.S. Book Tour.

The CopCorp Licensing spokesperson we talked to said, “Hot Topic is a retail partner where fans can look for official merchandise. In a few weeks, fans should also be able to find officially licensed merchandise (starting with t-shirts) at Amazon, Icing, and other retailers.”

Fans can look forward to t-shirts, fashion knit tops, hoodies, loungewear, sleepwear, hosiery, and more from licensed retail companies FREEZE Clothing (which includes Hot Topic), Briefly Stated, and HYP.

It was also announced today that the author has partnered with UK company Lovehoney for an official Fifty Shades of Grey Collection of sex toys inspired by the books.

SOURCE

According to Team Fifty, Lovehoney “is for UK, Europe and Australia and we hope to have some news re the US sex toy business very soon.”

Since we’re dealing with an international market, things can be a little confusing. We will do our best to keep you updated as more official merchandise becomes available across the markets. Be sure and check out the “Merchandise” tab at the top of our page when you stop by.

The main thing to keep in mind is that there is a lot of unauthorized merchandise out there. The official brand name is FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. For example, you will be able to identify official apparel because it will have FIFTY SHADES OF GREY printed beneath the graphic design followed by a “TM” (trademark).

We know that Team Fifty appreciates the passion all of us have for celebrating the trilogy. That is why they have worked hard to bring us a quality line of clothing and accessories. We hope you will join us in supporting them!

50 Shades Author E L James Tours the Land of Fifty

Posted on by
3

With the author’s second U.S. book tour taking her to Washington and Oregon, she finally got to visit locations that she brought to life in the Fifty Shades Trilogy.

For those of you not able to follow along as the story unfolded, here is a montage of images from her Twitter timeline and the official Fifty Shades Trilogy Facebook page.

E L JamesE L James ‏@E_L_James

Seattle :’) http://yfrog.com/h0v8lahsj 

You can see the Space Needle @AFMtoo http://yfrog.com/nv115echj 

Pike Place Market http://yfrog.com/gye39eepj 

First Starbux :) http://yfrog.com/ntvbqrtj 

The Sound :) http://yfrog.com/mo4vwmcj 

Elliot Bat Marina http://yfrog.com/ocbwroguj 

:D http://yfrog.com/kf7moeej 

@E_L_James the 6 letters of the alphabet that can make millions of women squeal!!! #Escala #homeOfTheKinkyFuckery

Space Needle from the Escala penthouse :) http://yfrog.com/kfuzkdaj 

From Official Fifty Shades Trilogy Facebook Page

Balcony :) http://yfrog.com/gyx5pjxwj 

Escala roof :D http://yfrog.com/j2tscopj 

From Official Fifty Shades Trilogy Facebook Page

Wine Cellar at Escala… :D http://twitpic.com/axdpw6 

@E_L_James The smile on your face says it all, E . . . your inner goddess is doing jumpy claps :)

E L JamesE L James ‏@E_L_James

Cosmo…at the Zig Zag Cafe :D #excellentcosmopolitanhttp://yfrog.com/hs453gvqj 

@E_L_James at the Zig Zag.. ? Sawyer will be in trouble for this and so will you. LOL

E L JamesE L James ‏@E_L_James

Seattle Rocks. I love it.

From Official Fifty Shades Trilogy Facebook Page

Today’s catch Pike Place Market http://yfrog.com/oezskjkzj 

Sbux…from the original Sbux – Latte. Simple. Perfect. Yum.http://yfrog.com/kf592aaj 

Beautiful view…Kate and Ana live close by… http://yfrog.com/h0v0qotmj 

@E_L_James looking at all your photos, I feel like I’m walking around inside your books!!! Love them!! Thanks for sharing with us all xxxxxx

E L JamesE L James ‏@E_L_James

For those who might enjoy fishing.. http://yfrog.com/nvniuztfj 

Thanks for a wonderful stay. <3 http://yfrog.com/o04jvsij 

@E_L_James OMG…this is where C&A stayed when Leila was aftr them

@dec39sag it is…and the Fairmont put me in the suite it’s bigger than my house!

@E_L_James is it the same suite Ana and Christian stayed in? X

@fiftyjojo Yes. And now I have stayed there :) #ItWasWonderful…

Cascade suite :) http://yfrog.com/odn7ctbxj 

Sweet dreams :) http://yfrog.com/h2jrjkcj 

Dining room behind… http://yfrog.com/odyzsmaj 

@E_L_James You do know you’ve forever changed how we view pianos, right? ;)

Dining room http://yfrog.com/odhjnfij 

Close… :D http://yfrog.com/kg43nymij 

:D http://yfrog.com/h8hyebhj 

Campus http://yfrog.com/j2y5ngkj 

E L JamesE L James ‏@E_L_James

Many an hour spent here http://yfrog.com/ocp4veuj 

For my favourite neighbourhood megalomaniac http://yfrog.com/ocv7wcnrj 

Awwww http://yfrog.com/o0kf6fij 

Good books :D http://yfrog.com/mnomltij 

Student Newspaper http://yfrog.com/od98bygmj 

View from my bed… http://yfrog.com/kjxx7ffj 

Hmmm…bed http://yfrog.com/odq3rikj 

@E_L_James would it be too forward to say I wanna be in your bed? *waggles eyebrows*

@Jburdick1 Come snuggle… room has been redone… normally they have sunbursts above the bed. :)

@E_L_James I sooo wish I could! Ooohhh the Heathman? Very nice! I’m loving the pics by the way! I’m living vicariously through you ;)

E L JamesE L JamesVerified‏@E_L_James

Goodbye :’) http://yfrog.com/nwd3eusj 

A special thanks to E L James for sharing her epic trip in real time with fans. As surreal as it was for us, we can only imagine what it was like for her!

To see more pictures, check out her Twitter timeline (@E_L_James) and the official Fifty Shades Trilogy Facebook page (here).

Fifty Shades Rumors: True or False?

Posted on by
8

#TeamFifty consists of @E_L_James @UniversalPics @FocusFeatures @MichaelDe_Luca and @DanaBrunetti.

TRUE.

As the producers have tweeted, meetings have been taking place with screenwriters. We would imagine they are close to making an announcement. However, both a screenwriter and a director need to be added to the team before official casting can begin according to producers Michael DeLuca and Dana Brunetti.

**********

A fourth book, told from a much anticipated Christian’s point of view, is on the way. 

FALSE.

Author @E_L_James continues to graciously answer this question for #FSoG fans. Her mantra remains “Never say never.” But for now, the answer is no.

**********

There is an official Fifty Shades Magazine.

FALSE.

The magazine on stands now is unofficial and unauthorized. While we love that some of our twitter tweeps are mentioned in it, and deservedly so, statements like “BOOK 4 ON THE WAY!” are not coming from Team Fifty.

**********

@fiftyshadesUK announced the sale of a limited edition hardback set of the Fifty Shades trilogy in the UK, and it will soon be available in the US.

TRUE.

According to the author’s agent, there is a plan to make this happen. We should have details very soon!

**********

Tweets regarding casting.

Bret Easton Ellis ‏@BretEastonEllis
Just got inside information that James Deen is actually in the running to play Christian in “Fifty Shades of Grey” with E.L. James support.

Bret Easton Ellis ‏@BretEastonEllis
“Fifty Shades of Grey” will be budgeted at 12-15 million and James Deen is on the list of actors to play Christian Grey according to source.

FALSE.

Michelle Brown @Michjan
@E_L_James Morning, for the fifty shades of grey movie is James Deen really gonna play Christian? I’m sorry but he doesn’t suit the part.

E L James @E_L_James
@Michjan News to me!!!

Michelle Brown @Michjan
@E_L_James I just saw that he had ur support to play the part of Christian but he’s not what u described in ur book. He’s not Christian.

E L James @E_L_James
@Michjan It’s just a rumour and it’s not true.

scarlett @gbcaramia
@BretEastonEllis @DarlasDesigns @E_L_James “James Deen is actually in the running to play Christian..” ARE U KIDDING ME? If so, I’m done.

E L James @E_L_James
@gbcaramia News to me… (sighs) @DarlasDesigns

**********

Tweet regarding #FSoG screenwriter, budget, and casting Ana.

Bret Easton Ellis ‏@BretEastonEllis
Fifty Shades of Grey movie will DEFINITELY be written by a woman and the budget will be below 15 million. Ana will be played by an unknown.

GREY AREAS.

There’s a 50/50 chance the screenwriter will end up being a woman ;)

No word on the budget, nor would we be the ones to have that information.

Pretty sure it goes without saying that casting has not begun, not that we are opposed to an unknown being cast.

**********

Robert Pattinson will not be considered for the role of Christian Grey.

FALSE.

linda severdija ‏@lindas106
@karrobertson @latersbaby5050 the sad part @E_L_James does not want Rob to play Christian and it’s quite upsetting @FiftyShadesFilm

FiftyShadesFilm ‏@FiftyShadesFilm
@lindas106 No @E_L_James didn’t say that and has repeatedly said that was a misquote. @LatersBaby5050 @karrobertson
Retweeted by E L James

The bottom line is that no one has been ruled out because…say it with us now…it’s too early for casting ;)

**********

@Noghar, husband of @E_L_James, has a new book (Crusher) available for presale. He discusses it and the fifty shades that now color their lives in a new article for The Guardian. 

TRUE.

Please see our previous post for complete details :)

**********

We will continue to bring you official news as soon as it becomes available.

TRUE.

We love the #FSoG fandom and are happy you spend time with us. Don’t forget that you can sign up for email alerts of future posts, as well as follow us on the social media outlets listed on our sidebar.

The Summer of Fifty Shades of Grey—NY Times Video

Posted on by
2

In this new video narrated by David Gillen, Deputy Business Editor of The New York Times, key people in the publishing industry weigh in on the impact of author E L James’s Fifty Shades Trilogy on the already successful romance genre industry. Check out the video here: 50 Shades Widens Romance

Safe to say we can all agree with Gillen’s opening statement. “It’s been the summer of Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Sara Nelson, Editorial Director of Books and Kindle, Amazon.com: “Fifty Shades of Grey, the trilogy, the four books—we at Amazon talk about them as four books; there are three in the trilogy and then there’s an omnibus edition—and those are the top of our bestseller list for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks now. So, to the romance business, they’re hugely important. To books in general, they’re enormously important.”

The books are also luring a new kind of reader to the genre.

Stacy Agdern, Romance Specialist, Posman Books: “I think what it comes down to, at least with Fifty Shades of Grey, is that because it’s so popular, people throw away their preconceived notions of what a romance novel is. Or even more specifically, what an erotic romance novel is; and they discover that in these books, sex is written as something the characters are both taking pleasure out of.”

Audrey Goodson, Editor, Romantic Times Book Reviews: “I think the romance community loves Fifty Shades just because it’s brought so many non-romance readers to the genre. I mean, it’s introduced a lot of people to some authors that maybe they hadn’t recognized or hadn’t read before, and we love it.”

The popularity of @E_L_James’s books is also changing the way publishers look for talent.

Paul Bogaards, Spokesperson, Knopf Doubleday Publishing: “In the old days, it was a kind of cloistered and closed network. Agents would submit books to publishers, and publishers would either accept or reject them. But now, of course, you know, everybody’s going further afield. You have agents and publishers both reading blogs. You know, you have writers who are building out their own platforms.”

Audrey Goodson, Editor, Romantic Times Book Reviews: “For me, I think the biggest change that Fifty Shades will have on publishing is that it clearly is ushering in an era of self-publishing being a viable route for writers.”

Paul Bogaards summed it up best when he said, “There’ve been a lot of voices raised about the pro and con for the trilogy but at the end of the day, the readers have their vote. And, you know 25 million readers can’t be wrong.”

Source: The New York Times

Our First Impression of 50 Shades: Who Is “Best Suited” for the Role?

Posted on by
30

We’ll have plenty of glimpses of Mr. Grey from stills and clips of the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey movie long before it’s released in theaters, but discussions here have us in agreement that Fifty will be making his first impression on fans when Ana tumbles into his office and looks up at the hand extended to her.

You know what they say: You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Hence the reason men are encouraged to wear a suit on a job interview. We think this would be good advice for any actor who auditions for the role of Mr. Grey, too! But fair warning guys — some men just wear a suit better than others, and fans are expecting the actor to be perfectly tailored to the role of Christian Grey!!

If our first view of Mr. Grey, seen through Ana’s eyes, is as described, “So young–and attractive, very attractive. He’s tall, dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie with unruly dark copper-colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes that regard me shrewdly,” it is imperative that the actor look impeccable in a suit.  (Fifty Shades of Grey, page 7)

The suit is Christian’s armor and establishs his dominating power as a succesful businessman of highly sophisticated tastes.

We look forward to that onscreen first impression of Mr. Grey and revel in the hopes that it will be a cinematic lasting impression.

We thought we’d have a little fun with the Christian Grey composite sketch (source). Below are some of your favorite candidates for Mr. Grey, but we’ve hidden their faces. Based solely on just how well the man makes the clothes, tell us who YOU think is best suited for the role by voting in our poll! Answers and results will be revealed in a future blog post.

********************************************************************************************************************

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

NOW FOR THE REVEAL.

Although we think some die-hard fans had their favorites figured out already ;)

#1 – Josh Kloss

#2 – Henry Cavill

#3 – Channing Tatum

#4 – Matt Bomer – WINNER!!!

There was no tricking you ;)

#5 – Joe Manganiello

#6 – Chris Evans

#7 – Robert Pattinson

#8 – Alex Pettyfer

#9 – Jessie Pavelka

#10 – Ryan Gosling

#11 – Taylor Kitsch

#12 – Alexander Skarsgard

#13 – Chris Pine

#14 – Ian Somerhalder

#15 – Chris Hemsworth

#16 – William Levy

#17 – Colin Egglesfield

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED!!