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

Posted on April 8, 2013 by 17FL

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!

E L James Dominates 2012 Digital Book Sales

Posted on March 22, 2013 by 17FL

This comes as no surprise, but the numbers are still impressive.

15 Million+ for All Three

*Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One. E.L. James. Vintage

*Fifty Shades Darker: Book Two. E.L. James. Vintage

*Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three. E.L. James. Vintage

850,000+

*Fifty Shades Trilogy Bundle. E.L. James. Vintage

The margin between ebook sales and print sales isn’t very wide for some titles, and 2013 looks to narrow that margin even further.

However, print sales for the Fifty Shades books is roughly double their electronic counterpart. We think that has everything to do with the author’s loyal fans, her successful book tour, and her humorous accessibility on twitter (@E_L_James).

Way to go E L James, and way to go FSoG fans!

Source: Publishers Weekly

Team Fifty Progress Report

Posted on February 21, 2013 by 17FL

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.

Dana Brunetti ‏@DanaBrunetti

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

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.

Hollywood Reporter ‏@THR

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 ;)

Game on! ELeven “Would you rather…” Questions with E L James

Posted on January 16, 2013 by 17FL

We know the author gets a lot of the same questions from the media and FSoG fans, so we thought we’d make her first interview of 2013 a fun one!

DANTE OR AUSTEN? Austen
FLIP FLOPS OR HEELS? Uggs…
TROPICAL GETAWAY OR SKI LODGE/CABIN? Tropical Getaway
THE VOICE OR X-FACTOR? Pass…
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings
SUMMER OLYMPICS OR WINTER OLYMPICS? Team GB!!! Summer Olympics
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
BURGER KING TELLING YOU “YOU HAD IT YOUR WAY” OR RONALD MCDONALD TELLING YOU “YOU WERE LOVING IT”? In and Out Burger FTW!
HAKUNA MATATA OR YOLO? Hakuna Matata
COOKIE DOUGH OR BROWNIE BATTER? Brownie Batter
MASTER OF ALL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OR MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE? MOTU ;)

ELementary, my dear Ms. James ;)

Screencap from the movie “Cosmopolis” spotted and submitted to us by laureate.

Looks like one fan favorite was in his ELement ;)

Feel free to play along in the comments and tell us your answers to the questions.

We enjoyed this and hope to play again sometime. What “Would you rather…” questions would you like us to pose to her? We’ll include our faves in the next round!

Ms. James’s eager participation is another greyt reason to vote for her in the Shorty Awards in the Author category. Vote here.

Fifty Shades of Grey Ratings Rumors

Posted on January 9, 2013 by 17FL

If this journey has taught us anything, it’s that the media loves to put a spin on things. They know that the FSoG fandom is hungry for information and what it takes to push our buttons.

We’re as excited as you are to hear about Team Fifty’s progress, so when online articles started to surface about interviews with Kelly Marcell, the screenwriter for the project, we eagerly clicked away and started reading. However, after reading, we went with our gut and decided this was another case of the media putting a spin on her words and waited before posting anything here. We’re glad we did.

Kelly Marcel took to Twitter to denounce using the word “raunchy” when talking about the FSoG script as well the NC-17 rating. (To read more about MPAA movie ratings, go here.)

Michele ‏@bale4fifty

@allimar17 @fiftyshadesfilm supposedly Kelly marcel used the word in the interview. Only going on what I read.

7 Jan

Allison ‏@allimar17

@bale4fifty @FiftyShadesFilm If @MissMarcel used ‘raunchy’ not the classiest of words. I’d prefer for the film to be tasteful.. Thoughts?

8 Jan

Kelly Marcel ‏@MissMarcel

@allimar17 @bale4fifty @FiftyShadesFilm not a word I used.

Kelly Marcel ‏@MissMarcel

To be absolutely clear I NEVER said what the film would be rated. Only the ratings board can decide what the rating will be.

The age of Twitter has given us a vehicle of direct contact with Team Fifty. We are lucky that they are willing to respond to fans, allowing us to wisely use it for validation before buying into the media hype.

In addition to Team Fifty Twitter accounts (@E_L_James, @MichaelDe_Luca, @DanaBrunetti, and @MissMarcell), other great resources are @fiftyshadesUK (Fifty Shades Trilogy UK website), the author’s official website, and the new Fifty Shades Of Grey The Movie Facebook page [see sidebar for links]).

As the author has told us, this is an extremely slow process. With an unprecedented amount of buzz surrounding the movie adaptation, it’s understandable that fans are eager for things to get moving. However, we believe it’s a good thing that Team Fifty is taking their time. Christian and Ana’s epic love story deserves to be told right. We have complete faith that it will be worth the wait, so hang in there!

(A/N: THR also did a nice job covering the rumors, an article which the author supports. In it, co-producer Dana Brunetti reiterates, ”The script isn’t even written yet, so how could we know how [the MPAA's Classification and] Ratings Board will rate it?” Read more here.)

Fifty Shades of Grey Wins Specsavers National Book of the Year 2012

Posted on December 26, 2012 by 17FL

Earlier this month, Fifty Shades of Grey was named most popular fiction book of the year at the Specsavers National Book Awards in London (read more here). The win put the book on the shortlist for best overall book of the year, which was then put to a public vote (read more here).

Well, the voice of loyal FSoG fans has been heard loud and clear. Fifty Shades of Grey is your winner!

Written, of course, by E L James, the author had this to say about the win. “Thank you so much for this wonderful award. I am truly honoured. I have to thank the readers and the retailers for making Fifty Shades of Grey the success it has become. It’s really quite overwhelming.”

The founder of the UK based Specsavers, Dame Mary Perkins, said, “These awards were a celebration of the books that people took to their hearts and in some cases made the headlines in 2012. Anyone given book tokens for Christmas only needs to look at the shortlist for inspiration as to what to spend them on.”

To read the complete article regarding the announcement and view the list of categories/winners nominated for the award, go here.

We want to thank everyone who took the time to vote, too. ‘The Year of Fifty’ continues :) Congrats, E!

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

Posted on December 21, 2012 by 17FL

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!

‘Fifty Shades Freed’ Named Amazon.com’s Best-Selling Book of 2012

Posted on December 15, 2012 by 17FL

The year of Fifty Shades continues!

Amazon.com has announced its list of customer favorites, and it comes as no surprise that Fifty Shades Freed is #1 in both adult categories. (Click the links to see the complete list for each category.)

Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker were published in 2011 but finished strong in in 2012 with individual sales and as part of the Fifty Shades Trilogy.

Way to go E L James and FSoG fans!

Fifty Shades of Grey Nominated for National Book Awards Book of the Year

Posted on December 5, 2012 by 17FL

First of all, congrats . . . again . . . to E L James for another well-deserved award! Fifty Shades of Grey was named most popular fiction book of the year at the Specsavers National Book Awards in London.

From National Book Awards: ”Dubbed the ‘Oscars of the publishing industry,’ The Specsavers National Book Awards showcases the best of British writing & publishing, whilst celebrating books with wide popular appeal, critical acclaim and commercial success.”

This now puts Fifty Shades of Grey on the shortlist for best overall book of the year. The winner will be announced on December 26th.

So let your voices be heard once again FSoG fans by voting here!

A/N: According to the site, voters will automatically be entered into a drawing for National Book Tokens and a Google Nexus 7 tablet. Good luck!

Win Artwork Featured in Christian Grey’s Office!

Posted on December 4, 2012 by 17FL

As we told you here, artist Jennifer Trouton’s artwork was featured in the trilogy by E L James, who is not only a fan of the artist’s work but also a friend.

FSoG fans have a unique opportunity to WIN this limited edition (only 850 exist!) print.

DESIGN

EACH PRINT NUMBERED & SIGNED BY ARTIST

FRAMED ARTIST PROOF ”LOOKING AT THE OVERLOOKED”

Jennifer will be joining Real Sisters Talk Radio for a special program this Wednesday (12/5) at 1:00 pm PST/4:00 pm EST to discuss the exclusive release of her print, Fifty Shades of Grey, and giveaway details.