'Fifty Shades of Grey': What Did E.L James Reveal On Book Tour?

By Justine Ashley Costanza | April 30 2012 10:44 AM

Fifty Shades of Grey has quickly become an erotic phenomenon. Not only has the series appealed to women of all walks of life, it has revolutionized the publishing industry. What started as fanfiction by E.L James eventually developed into a self-published e-book trilogy. The basic premise centers on a 21-year-old college student, Anastasia Steele, and a controlling millionaire, Christian Grey. The inexperienced young woman becomes enraptured with Christian while interviewing him for school paper. After a series of encounters with the gorgeous entrepreneur, he asks her to become his submissive. this means that she must sign a contract agreeing to obey his commands.

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During a Miami book signing, James expressed her surprise over the series's immense popularity. She told the Associated Press: I'm staggered by this. I never set out to do this.

Interestingly enough, James rarely wrote prior to developing Fifty Shades of Grey. A dedicated wife and mother, the British TV executive was inspired to write the sensual story after reading the Twilight series. So are any of the raunchy scenes from the book drawn from real experiences? She revealed: Some yes, some no, some I just used my imagination. The book's popularity has been linked to a woman's need to relinquish control. Women are expected to maintain careers, relationships, families, friendships, and, in some cases, a household. Fifty Shades of Grey explores the abandonment of responsibilities. Anastasia's submission allows her shed some of the everyday worries that women grapple with.

This month the paperback version of Fifty Shades hit shelves and according to CBS News is now being translated into 30 languages. Add a film adaptation to the mix and it seems that submission may be a popular international theme in the months to come.