Fifty Shades Of Grey Helps Boost Nationwide Book Sales

2012 saw four per cent increase in sales despite recession

EL James reading
EL James reading
(Image credit: Press Association)
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2012 saw four per cent increase in sales despite recession

Fifty Shades of Grey fans helped contribute to an increase in book sales last year despite the recession.

According to the Publishers Association, total book sales last year rose by four per cent in 2012 in stark contrast to 2011's two per cent decline, bringing total sales to 3.3bn.

Digital sales are partly behind this as they grew by 66 per cent, but erotic fiction fans had a part to play, too.

The book was staggeringly successful, with 10.5m copies sold in the UK, helping to boost the country's book industry.

The erotic tale of a graduate and S&M loving businessman dominated the book charts all year, with the first book in the trilogy taking the top spot in the 2012 best-sellers chart.

It's now being made into a hotly-anticipated film, but it's still a mystery as to who will play the lead characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.

THE FIFTY SHADES MUSICAL PARODY

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