Readers Can't Get Enough of Christian Grey

Posted on June 23, 2015

E.L. James has another hit on her hands. Her new book, Grey, which tells Fifty Shades of Grey from Christian Grey's viewpoint has sold 1.1 million copies during the first week of its release in the U.S.

The book broke the record for most adult sales in one week which was held by Dan Brown for The Lost Symbol. That novel sold 551, 000 in its first week.

According to James' publisher,Vintage Anchor, the Grey sold 1.1. million copies in just four days when the ebooks, audiobook and print book sales are totaled. Publisher Anne Messitte said in a statement, "This is an astonishing number of books to sell over a weekend and speaks to the engagement and passion readers have for the Fifty Shades books."

Vintage had said earlier it would most likely have to go into a second printing, but those plans have changed. The publisher is now going into its fifth additional print run of the book in order to meet demand.

James said that the book came about because her fans have begged her to write the story from Christian's point of view. They really wanted to know what he's thinking during the events of the first book. She said, "Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story."