Publishers Weekly Names 50 Shades of Grey Author E.L. James as its Person of the Year

Posted on December 1, 2012

Publishers Weekly has named E.L. James as its Person of the Year. This is the first time the annual award has been given to an author. It is awarded by the magazine to publishing leaders. Prior winners include Len Riggio, Jeff Bezos and Larry Kirshbaum.

Jim Milliot, PW's co-editorial director, had this to say about the selection: "From boosting sales of print books through bookstores to putting a spotlight on a genre that had received little publicity, E.L. James' impact on various parts of the book business cannot be overstated … She is well deserving of our Person of the Year award."

James has certainly had an effect on the publishing industry, although not everyone agrees that the effect has been positive. More than 35 million copies of Fifty Shades of Grey have been sold in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, sales have topped 65 million copies. The first novel began as Twilight fan fiction. James changed the names of the characters, stepped up the bondage theme and a bestseller was born.