THE LATEST ’50 Shades’ book hits Irish shelves tomorrow morning – and while some retailers say they’ve had a surge in pre-order sales in the run up to the publication, it appears customers in other areas are being a little more reserved about making a reservation.
Author EL James sprung a (pleasant) shock on her fans at the start of the month, confirming that she’d be publishing a new version of her sexually explicit novel, written from the point of view of the book’s titular character.
The story will be told this time out by tycoon Christian Grey – not the shy, retiring object of his desires, Anastasia Steele.
James’ ’50 Shades’ trilogy has grown to become a publishing phenomenon – selling more than 125 million copies worldwide, and being translated into more than 50 languages.
The runaway success of the novels has been credited with creating a new genre of adult fiction – spicing up sex lives and fueling a boom in sales of sex toys.
Irish booksellers are hoping the release will heat things up on the sales front too – heading into the summer months.
“We’ve been inundated with phonecalls in the last few days,” Susan Walsh, who handles marketing for the Dubray Books chain, says.
Monday in particular there were a lot of phonecalls – maybe people have just heard of it, but there’s an awful lot of interest in it.
The fact that the book’s release was announced less than three weeks in advance was an unusual move, she adds.
Normally you would hear about these books a long time in advance – so it’s very sudden.
People have been asking whether stores are opening early so they can pick up a copy, according to Walsh – who’s based in Bray, Co Wicklow.
The level of interest is in contrast with the standard summer paperback release, she says, which “people are happy to pick up off the shelves”.
The whole thing’s been an absolute phenomenon so far – and this will be a major boost for the year… It appeals to so many people who don’t read all the time.
“People very rarely reserve a book – but of course with the first books, shops were running out of stock quite regularly, so they’re probably a bit anxious.
We’re probably better prepared this time.
Reserved Rathmines
Over in the southside Dublin suburb of Rathmines, the excitement’s a little more muted.
“There’s a certain age group that would have been reading it – in their 20s, mostly – but they wouldn’t ask for it, generally,” Charles Hanna of the popular Alan Hanna’s bookshop says.
They’d find it themselves… They would find it on the floor and they would throw it in with one or two other books, maybe.
Hanna recalls having just three pre-orders for any of the ’50 Shades’ books in recent years – and “two of them were from foreigners”.
“It’s a very local area here and there are some very high-brow parents,” he laughes.
If any daughters bought it they would have hidden it.
The new book, if you’re interested, is called ”Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian”. James said she chose 18 June as the publication date, as that’s the fictional character’s birthday.
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