Who Wrote Fifty Shades of Grey, and Where Did It Come From?
E. L. James wrote Fifty Shades of Grey. It started as a long piece of fan fiction based on the Twilight books, titled Master of the Universe, which she posted online in 2009.
She rewrote it with new characters and it was published in 2011 by a small Australian press, then by Vintage Books in 2012.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | E. L. James (Erika Leonard), British |
| Began as | Master of the Universe, Twilight fan fiction, 2009 |
| Online pen name | Snowqueens Icedragon |
| First published | 2011, The Writers' Coffee Shop (Australia) |
| Vintage Books | Acquired the rights in March 2012 |
Who is E. L. James?
E. L. James is the pen name of Erika Leonard, born Erika Mitchell, a British writer born around 1963 in London. She worked in television for about twenty-five years before turning to fiction.
↑ Back to the topIs it really based on Twilight?
Yes. After finishing Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books, James began posting a story called Master of the Universe in installments on a fan-fiction site in 2009, under the pen name Snowqueens Icedragon. It reimagined Bella and Edward in a much more adult story than the original.
Following comments about the sexual content, she moved the story to her own website and later rewrote it as an original work with new characters and names. That version, split into three parts, became the Fifty Shades trilogy.
↑ Back to the topHow did it become a bestseller?
The first book appeared in 2011 as an e-book and print-on-demand title from The Writers' Coffee Shop, a small Australian publisher. Interest spread by word of mouth, and Vintage Books acquired the rights in March 2012 and re-released the trilogy, which topped best-seller lists around the world.
The books were later adapted into three films released between 2015 and 2018.
↑ Back to the topWhat did she write after the trilogy?
James followed the trilogy with three retellings from Christian Grey's point of view, published in 2015, 2017 and 2021. See our guide to the books and films in order for the full list.
↑ Back to the topMore about Fifty Shades of Grey
This guide covers the novels. It contains adult themes, and the films differ from the books in places.