E L James’s FIFTY SHADES OF GREY trilogy tops 100 million copies in worldwide sales – and 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

100 MILLION COPIES  /  100 WEEKS NEW YORK (February 27, 2014):  This week, E L James’s #1 best-selling trilogy reached two milestones – the trilogy has sold 100 million copies worldwide; and Fifty Shades of Grey has spent 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  The Fifty Shades trilogy, which started as a word-of-mouth eBook sensation, has captured the attention of readers around the world. To date Vintage Books has sold more than 45 million copies of the trilogy in the U.S. in both print and eBook.  At the peak of book sales, there were two copies of the trilogy selling every second. The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is the fastest selling book series in the history of Random House.  And the trilogy continues to sell around the world (2013 sales topped 5 million copies in the U.S. alone). Publishers around the world have published and translated the Fifty Shades trilogy books in quick succession and with spectacular success.  Arrow Books has sold more than 27 million copies in the U.K. (and Commonwealth countries), and one million copies or more in Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, and The Netherlands.  The trilogy has been translated into 51 different languages, including Russian, Hebrew, Thai, Serbian, Mongolian, Icelandic, Latvian, Korean, Lithuanian, and Slovak.  “The Fifty Shades trilogy struck a chord around the world that continues to resonate,” said Anne Messitte, publisher of Vintage/Anchor Books in the U.S., “we see new readers coming to the books every day, and the sales, two years after our initial publication, remain strong and steady.” Vintage Books started publishing the three titles in the series in eBook on March 12, 2012; and in trade paperback April 3, 2012 (Fifty Shades of Grey) and April 17, 2012 (Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed). Since publication, the trilogy has continuously been on the New York Times bestseller lists for two years (with Grey usually in the top ten). First published as an eBook in May 2011, Fifty Shades of Grey follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele. Subsequent novels in the series, Fifty Shades Darker (September 2011) and Fifty Shades Freed (January 2012) explore the couple’s deepening relationship. The film Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, will be released on Valentine’s Day weekend 2015 by Universal Pictures and Focus Features.