BATH, U.K. — Two years following the release of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” everyone’s favorite “my first foray into BDSM novel,” the sales stats are astonishing.
“Fifty Shades” has spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times' paperback Best Sellers list and has been translated into more than 51 languages since its English debut, selling more than 100 million copies worldwide.
Anne Messitte, publisher of Vintage/Anchor Books in the U.S., forecasts only more “Fifty,” "We see new readers coming to the books every day and the sales, two years after our initial publication, remain strong and steady.”
For Lovehoney, a U.K.-based pleasure products company with the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute the official “Fifty Shades of Grey” sex toy range, says the the books’ continued popularity translates to continued success of its merchandise as well.
As a testament to the phenomenon, Lovehoney recently launched its new Fifty Shades of Grey Sensual Care Collection at Expomark in Cancun, Mexico. The range includes 11 personal lubricants and massage products that will be available beginning in April in the U.S.
According to Lovehoney co-Founder Richard Longhurst, the new range complements the company’s existing Fifty Shades of Grey Pleasure Collection of sex toys and bondage items.
“It’s fantastic for the industry that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is still introducing new readers to the erotic world of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele,” Longhurst said. “Everyone who reads ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ wants to get the same experience as the characters in the book and buying products from the Official Fifty Shades of Grey product range is the best way to do it.”
The upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie, slated for a February 2015 release, is being directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and stars former Calvin Klein model Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. Some adult industry players believe that the movie's impending release will reinvigorate the orignal "Fifty Shades" fervor that inspired many "vanilla" consumers to experiment with BDSM.
