A work of erotic fiction is proving to be hot property in Derbyshire, with copies flying off the shelves of the county’s booksellers.
The worldwide literary phenomenon, Fifty Shades of Grey, has been such a hit that it has surpassed sales of the Harry Potter series to become the fastest-selling paperback of all time, with outlets struggling to keep up with readers’ demand.
Derbyshire’s fiction fans can’t get enough of the racy antics of Christian Grey, a billionaire whose physical prowess is graphically played out in the first installment in E L James’ hit trilogy.
Dawn Godfrey, manager of Waterstone’s on Vicar Lane, Chesterfield, said the publishers, Random House, have struggled to keep up with demand for the series.
She said: “I heard that the publisher’s printing press broke because they were trying to get it out so fast.
“It’s a fantastic phenomenon. We have got stock of the first book in the series, but we are currently sold out of the others.”
She added: “It’s a bit raunchy! There’s a copy going round the staff here, and it’s a bit of fun.
“But we are getting people in who are totally new customers and anything that gets people reading is brilliant news.”
Simon Cox, owner of Spire Books on Soresby Street, Chesterfield, said that he too has struggled to keep up with demand for the novels.
He said: “This book is going barmy off the shelves. I can’t believe how many I have been selling. About one every hour.
“It’s an unbelievable book. Its popularity just seems to be building and building. It has just snowballed.”
Charlotte Bush, Director of Publicity & Media Relations, Cornerstone Publishing, Random House Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the sales for the 50 Shades trilogy – this is truly an international phenomenon.”
Reviews of the first installment have been mixed, with 848 readers giving it five stars, and 541 just one, on Amazon.co.uk
Have you read the books? What do you think? Email comment@derbyshiretimes.co.uk
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