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How steamy will the Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation be?

Prior to this day, fans can only speculate based on the contents of E.L. James’ erotica novel and the two movie trailers that have been released. In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, director Sam Taylor-Johnson revealed that the intimate scenes focuses on the “details, flesh and fingers and skin and eyes and looks.”

Taylor-Johnson felt that shooting a full-on racy display makes it so that “the mystery would be gone.” She does promise that “you see a lot, but you don’t have to see anything graphic.” What do you think?

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What were the most popular books at the Google Play store? According to a post on the Official Android Blog, these bibliophiles “loved reading stories — real and imagined — of love, adventure, and, OK, sometimes lust.” John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars was named number one on the “Books of the Year” list.

Veronica Roth captured two spots; Divergent landed at number three and Insurgent landed at number five. E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey came in second and Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave came in fourth. Below, we’ve collected free samples of all the books for your reading pleasure.
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Hollywood has been chasing after popular books for inspiration. Titles such as the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games trilogy, and The Fault in our Stars novel have been transformed into blockbluster film franchises.

At this point in time, a diverse array of adaptation projects are being developed for YouTube, Hulu, and the silver screen. In recognition of book creators, The Hollywood Reporter has crafted a list of “Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.”

J.K. Rowling claimed the number one spot because arguably speaking, “no single creator has had so much influence on a megafranchise since George Lucas and the original Star Wars trilogy.” We’ve posted the list of the top 10 authors below—what do you think?

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Barnes & Noble asked 100 authors to sign 5,000 copies of their latest books. Some of the participants include The Goldfinch author Donna Tartt, Inferno novelist Dan Brown, Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy writer E. L. James, Humans of New York blogger Brandon Stanton, and children’s book creator Jeff Kinney.

These 500,000 autographed books will be made available at Barnes & Noble’s 650+ brick-and-mortar locations. The data from the previous two holiday seasons show that the retailer’s sales figures have been in decline for both the digital store and physical shops.

Here’s more from The New York Times: “Drawing customers into its physical stores has become an urgent priority for Barnes & Noble. The chain has been battered in recent years by competition from Amazon and by a sluggish book market. It has closed more than 20 stores since summer 2013 and will spin off its money-losing Nook division into a separate company next year…Some authors said they hoped the new campaign would help the struggling chain.”

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Focus Features has unleashed the second global trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey. The video embedded above offers fans glimpses of Dakota Johnson playing Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan playing Christian Grey.

It also showcases a song by singer extraordinaire Beyoncé called “Haunted.” The first trailer for this film adaptation featured a newly arranged version of her 2003 hit track, “Crazy in Love.”

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Diversion Books has launched a new online bookstore exclusively dedicated to the romance genre. The organizers behind EverAfter Romance have developed a free app available for download on both iOS and Android mobile devices.

Seth Kaufman, the head of the marketing and PR team, gave this statement in the press release: “One of our goals is to help partners get their eBooks in front of a truly dedicated audience. So we feature titles from all leading romance publishers, including Harlequin, Avon, Kensington, Forever, Samhain, and Ellora’s Cave, and we sell everyone from Nora Roberts, E.L. James, and Georgette Heyer to Sylvia Day, Nalini Singh, and Debbie Macomber. But we also want to create space to sell new authors and titles.”

Consumers will be able to choose from over 100,000 titles through this shop. The app will give alerts about recommendations, flash sales, and free eBooks. To celebrate the launch, romantic fiction readers who download the app and register for an account will receive a free digital copy of Alessandra Torre’s novel, Sex Love Repeat.

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The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression will celebrate Banned Books Week from September 21st to September 27th.

The organization plans to shine a spotlight on graphic novels and comics. Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee, had this statement in a press release: “This year we spotlight graphic novels because, despite their serious literary merit and popularity as a genre, they are often subject to censorship.”

The American Library Association recently revealed the top ten list of most frequently challenged books for this year. Jeff Smith’s comic series, Bone, occupies the #10 spot. Earlier this year, Smith designed the cover for Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Banned Books Week Handbook. Follow this link to access a free digital copy. Check out the entire list after the jump.

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Finished watching season 2 of Orange is the New Black? Already devoured Piper Kerman’s prison memoir?

Lucky for you, the “Books of Orange is the New Black” blog has plenty of literary recommendations. The fan behind this Tumblr page collected the titles of books mentioned on the popular Netflix original series.

The characters on this show have been spotted reading Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Follow these links to check out the books featured on the first season and the second season.

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The musical adaptation of E.L. James‘ bestselling erotica novel 50 Shades of Grey has hit the stage. Written by Al Samuels, Emily Dorezas, Amanda Blake Davis, Jody Shelton, Ashley Ward and Dan Wessels, the show’s North American tour will open in Los Angeles next week.

The theatrical production is a parody of the book that takes things even further than the pages of the novel. The LA Weekly called the performances “ten times raunchier” than the novel. Check it out: “50 Shades! The Musical is a spoof on the sexual intensity of the book and the obsession many soccer moms have with it. When fuzzy pink handcuffs and lipstick vibrators are available for purchase at the merchandise table, you know you’re in for an interesting adventure to say the least.”

Follow this link to check out a video from the show.

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Two actors have joined the Fifty Shades of Grey movie cast. Jamie Dornan, best known for playing the Huntsman on the Once Upon a Time series, will replace Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey.

Hunnam announced that he had dropped out of this project two weeks prior. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dornan had to read for the role in front of director Sam Taylor-Johnson and author E L James.

The Huffington Post reports that Luke Grimes has signed on to play Christian’s brother, Elliot Grey. In the recent past, Grimes has been seen on the True Blood and Brothers & Sisters T.V. shows.

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Wondering how to pass the time until the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is released next August?

The Huffington Post reports author E.L. James collaborated with a team of California winemakers to create two Fifty Shades-themed wines. The Red Satin is made from a blend of Petite Sirah and Syrah grapes while the White Silk is a mixture of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

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In the upcoming adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, Dakota Johnson will play Anastasia Steele and Charlie Hunnam will play Christian Grey.

The adaptation of E L James‘ mega-bestseller is scheduled for August 1, 2014. Here’s more from the release:

Ms. Johnson’s first notable screen role was in the multi-Academy Award-winning 2010 feature The Social Network. Her subsequent movies include the upcoming feature Need for Speed, 21 Jump Street, and The Five-Year Engagement.  She also starred as Kate in the comedy series Ben and Kate. Mr. Hunnam currently stars as a regular on the critically acclaimed FX series Sons of Anarchy.  His feature film credits include Pacific Rim, Children of Men, Cold Mountain, and Nicholas Nickleby.

(Link via the AP)

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The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged library books of the year. We’ve linked to free samples of all the books on the list–follow the links below to read these controversial books yourself.

The list was part of the ALA’s 2013 State of America’s Libraries Report. During the past year, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received 464 reports of challenged books. Here’s more from the report:

In California, a school committee voted to remove the Stephen King novella “Different Seasons” from Rocklin High School library shelves. The lone dissenter on that committee was 17-year-old student Amanda Wong, who continued to fight the ban and spoke against the decision at a later school board meeting. After hearing Wong’s concerns that the removal “opens a door to censoring other materials,” the district superintendent overturned the committee’s decision and returned the book to the Rocklin High School library’s collection.

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Vintage Books is releasing a new writer’s guide from E L James‘ in which she reveals the inspiration behind her provocative erotica series as well as tips for aspiring writers. In The Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess (A Journal), Grey will include share excerpts from her novels alongside writing tips for aspiring writers, and even the playlists that she listens to while writing.

The book, which will include 125,000 copies in the first printing, will be available in May. The pressing boasts a foil-embossed leather cover and a red-ribbon bookmark.

“As E L James traveled and met with her readers, there was a great curiosity about how she got started writing,” explained Vintage/Anchor’s Anne Messitte, the acquiring publisher of the Fifty Shades series, in a statement. “Her personal story as a writer is inspirational to many women, and journaling has been an important part of her creative process from the start.”

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Hachette Book Group, Penguin and Simon & Schuster have launched Bookish, nearly two years after the site was first announced in May 2011.

The site will recommend books and let readers shop for books. It also shares book excerpts and features essays from its editors and authors (we’ve included some excerpts below).

According to Digital Book World sources, the publishers have invested “about $16 million” in the new venture. Bookish also counted the participation of 16 other major publishers, including Random House, Inc., Scholastic, HarperCollins Publishers and Perseus Books Group.

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E.L. James became the first author to be named Publishers Weekly‘s Person of the Year.

Many members of the publishing community, such as Washinton Post fiction editor Ron Charles, have shared their opinions about this announcement. Celebrities have also weighed in on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

As rumors continue to circulate about a film adaptation, we’ve rounded-up four videos featuring celebrities reading the book.

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Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games dominated Facebook this year, her trilogy taking the first, second and third spots on Facebook’s Most Read Books of 2012 list.

Above, you can see Facebook’s infographic about the top books of 2012. Below, we’ve listed the top five books on that list…

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay by  Suzanne Collins
4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Amazon has revealed the bestselling books of 2012, a list led by E. L. James, Gillian Flynn and Sylvia Day.

We’ve reprinted the complete list below, but you can also check out the company’s top 100 lists of the Adult Print Books, Kids & Teens Print Books, Adult Kindle Books of 2012 and Kids & Teens Kindle Books for the year.

1. “Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy” by E.L. James
2/ “Gone Girl: A Novel” by Gillian Flynn
3. “Fifty Shades Trilogy: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed 3-volume Boxed Set” by E.L. James

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With 11,525 votes, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling has won the Best Fiction award at the Goodreads Choice Awards. Earning 20,328 votes, Veronica Roth was named Best Goodreads Author for Insurgent.

We’ve collected all the winners below, each winner nominated and picked by Goodreads users.

What do you think of the choices?

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Today E L James became the first author ever named Publishers Weekly‘s Person of the Year, an annual award given to publishing leaders “shaping and, sometimes, transforming, the publishing industry.”

As part of the award, James will get a cover story and interview in the magazine. She joins a list of winners that includes David Shanks, Larry Kirshbaum, Jeff Bezos and Len Riggio.

Co-editorial director Jim Milliot explained the choice: “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.”

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Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have landed a “substantial” book deal with Simon & Schuster’s Gallery imprint for Beautiful Bastard–a repurposed version of the fan fiction hit, The Office.

The book will be released in February, published under the pen name, Christina Lauren. Hobbs and Billings (pictured) share a blog called Swoontini. The pair are represented by Holly Root from the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.

The Hollywood Reporter had the scoop: “The Office, which reimagined the Edward Cullen-Bella Swan relationship as a steamy love/hate romance between a boss and his assistant, was one of the pioneers of the Twilight fanfic genre, generating more than two million downloads, before being taken offline by the author in 2009.”

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The Piccadilly branch of the UK bookseller Waterstones spoofed E. L. James and Fifty Shades of Grey, creating an eye-catching display of titles from Persephone Books–the sleek covers all decorated with the same “One Shade of Grey.”

We’ve embedded a photograph of the display above, it reads: “Oh the bliss of Persephone Books! Beautiful editions of titles by neglected female writers.” Persephone Books is a UK publisher that releases both fiction and nonfiction. You can explore their catalog at this link.

Here’s more from the publisher: “Waterstones in Piccadilly has become our new favourite shop ever – totally without telling us they have done this fantastic display – very many thanks to cathyreadsbooks for taking the photograph. For weeks we have resisted making comments about really good grey books as opposed to really not good – ‘One Shade of Grey’ is a far wittier way of doing it.” (Via.)

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The designers at Neo Mammalian Studios have created “50/50 Shades of Grey,” an infographic looking at the sales figures, genre stats and literary merits of E. L. James‘ mega-bestselling erotica novel.

We’ve embedded the complete chart below, click to enlarge. What do you think?

The infographic includes a dramatic breakdown of the romance genre’s domination of the publishing scene. Here’s an excerpt: “Romance fiction was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market in 2010 at 13.4 percent. Romance Market Share Compared to Other Genres: Romance [was] 35.6 percent, Religion/Inspirational: 19.9 percent, Mystery: 17.9 percent, Science Fiction: 14.7 percent and Classic Literary Fiction: 11.9 percent.”

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Random House posted a 64 percent increase in operating profit for the first half of 2012. According to Variety, the publisher also boasted a 20 percent increase in revenue–rising to $1.2 billion.

Here’s more from the article: “The titillating [50 Shades of Grey] trilogy sold more than 30 million copies between March and June, with sales evenly divided between the trade paperback and e-book editions. The Social Network producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti are producing the big-screen adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey the first book in the trilogy, for Universal Pictures and Focus Features.”

Random House also credited the growth in eBook sales and the popularity of some of their biggest bestselling authors including George R.R. Martin  (A Song of Ice and Fire series), John Grisham (Calico Joe), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and Dr. Seuss (The Lorax).

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Record label EMI is capitalizing on the Fifty Shades of Grey erotica sensation by releasing a new soundtrack to go along with the book.

Fifty Shades of Grey – The Classical Album is meant to be listened to while reading the three book series. It has 15 tracks on the album, including music that is mentioned in the book such as The Tallis Scholars’ performance of Spem in Alium, Flower Duet from Lakmé, Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and the aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

If you want to sample ALL the music in the book, try Meg Latimore‘s massive Fifty Shades soundtrack mix (Spotify link). It includes 212 songs and 15 hours of music…

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