Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
In early February, #1 New York Times bestselling author E L James took to TikTok to announce a special, limited 10th-anniversary hardcover edition of her controversial, sensuous and phenomenally popular debut, Fifty Shades of Grey. Fans rejoice today with its highly-anticipated publication! Although, they’ll have to wait a little longer for the release of the 10th-anniversary editions of Fifty Shades Darker, which hits shelves in August, and Fifty Shades Freed, which will arrive in October.
The new edition boasts an all-new, navy linen matte cover, embossed with silver foil, as well as silver-stained edges, custom end sheets and a silver ribbon bookmark. James has even written a new foreword to accompany the book, and just when you think this anniversary edition can’t get any more enticing, James’ publisher, Bloom Books, an imprint of Sourcebooks, announced that readers can grab themselves a signed copy from Premiere Collectibles and Barnes & Noble.
NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN CONTENT
Although not a return to the magnetic, steamy love affair between demure, literature student Anastasia Steele and attractive young billionaire Christian Grey, the new edition does include previously unreleased content that’s sure to excite devoted readers. And if readers respond to the new bonus material as they have in the past, who knows what James will do next? After all, when the author included a few chapters she’d written from Christian’s perspective in the original trilogy’s final novel, Fifty Shades Freed, readers begged her for more … and she gave them an entire trilogy “as told by Christian Grey.”
James expressed in an interview with GMA last summer that she’s unlikely to continue the Fifty Shades series, stating that after Freed, “We’ve left [Ana and Christian] in a good place. Let’s leave them in a good place.” Nevertheless, die-hard fans may cling to the tiniest sliver of hope that she’ll revisit the characters one day after she followed up her previous statement with, “but I always say, ‘Never say never.’”
FAR-REACHING AND LASTING IMPACT
Whether or not James ever pens a new Fifty Shades novel, there’s no denying the colossal impact this series has had over the last decade. According to a CNN report, her novels “have held the first, second and third place on a list of the decade’s best-selling books,” with the original trilogy selling over 165 million copies worldwide. It’s also worth noting that the film adaptations, which starred Dakota Johnson opposite Jamie Dornan, made more than a billion dollars at the box office.
“This book changed lives. It inspired millions of readers to pick up a book, start reading and share their love of the story with their friends, family, neighbors,” says Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks. “It inspired readers who hadn’t picked up a book in years to develop a passion for romance and romantic fiction. It saved marriages and started love affairs. It inspired creative souls to begin telling their own stories and was the genesis for other writing careers. It prompted worldwide attention of the romance industry, which eventually opened the floodgates to widespread positive media coverage of romance novels, authors and the industry — which continues to flourish today.”
