How I Lost Christian Grey at Auction
I’M AN EDITOR. Actually, I’m a romance editor, and because of that very few of my friends ask me about the books I work on. But ever since Fifty Shades of Grey started gaining traction, every person I know has asked me about E. L. James’ series of erotic novels. They want to know what I think—are they well written? Are they really that scandalous? Am I somehow embarrassed because they actually made it out of the shadowy world of fanfiction and into the mainstream hands of women everywhere? Are they trash?
From my editorial and publishing standpoint, my position on Fifty Shades is simple: we read it in-house, we bid on it, we lost, and we wish we’d won—won the auction, that is.
What is the “untold” publishing backstory of Fifty Shades? Well, it all began fairly simply, with the submission itself (which is, of course, far different than the “submission” in the books). We first heard about the project from scouts—those somewhat mysterious people who are tasked with finding projects to develop for the movies. We often get leads from scouts, but this time they were all abuzz about this work that had originated in fanfiction and was now selling—yes, actually selling!—for the impressive price of $9.99. It had a movie deal before it had a US book deal. Within a week the first book had hit the e-book New York Times bestseller list, and that’s when things really began to get interesting. What did this book have that others did not?
Because I was busy, I had a few trusted colleagues read it in-house first. Their reports didn’t reveal anything that would normally lead us to believe that this would be a publishing sensation; they said that this was the same sort of story that Harlequin had been publishing for years. Yes, this book had more sex, but what’s surprising is it didn’t really have that much more sex than some of the steamier historical romances published back in the 1980s.
One report said, “Could see why story is resonating with so many readers. You have strong, stoically handsome billionaire hero. He’s emotionally damaged, sexually charged and yet is tamed and redeemed by a young, innocent, and virginal woman. Despite the BDSM and Room of Pain stuff (also loved the contract Christian had her sign detailing how many days she should work out), it’s actually a classic romance, sweet in a way. Heroine helps him work through his tortured past/childhood, heroine gets all-consuming love and unlimited money. Storytelling is good.”
For those of us who have read a lot of romance through the years as well as a fair amount of erotica, none of these elements are particularly unusual. Which is precisely what the readers who have come to Fifty Shades of Grey often don’t know. These aren’t romance readers who are flocking to this book. In fact, most of these readers would probably be horrified to be told that what they are reading is, at its heart, a romance novel.
Yet we were intrigued that it was selling for $9.99 as an e-book. And the price for the trade edition was higher than most hardcovers. So we made an aggressive bid, but it was not aggressive enough. We didn’t know how high was up when it came to Fifty Shades, which brings me to why—why is everyone reading this book?
Perhaps it’s one of the first big stories of the digital reading age—because while it’s doing well in print, it’s also doing well as an e–book, maybe because no one sees a cover when you’re reading on a device. The appeal could also be the characters, because in addition to the sex, readers seem fascinated by Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. As of this writing, the search for the actor to play Christian Grey is getting as hysterical as the long-ago search for Scarlett O’Hara. Plus there is that connection to Twilight.
Yet maybe it is the sex. Could it be that the women of America are finally ready to embrace the dark side of their sexuality? Therapists have told me that patients are talking about this book endlessly in their sessions. Or perhaps it is that the hero of Fifty Shades is sexier, more attentive, provides better, and treats his partner more as a physical being than the guy sitting in the living room watching ESPN?
Fifty Shades is, at its heart, a fantasy: I’m pretty sure most women know that some man of incredible fortune is not going to sweep her off her feet. I keep thinking of the Washington Post essay “Reflections on Jake Ryan of the John Hughes Film ‘Sixteen Candles’” and its reminder that “Jake Ryan … is never coming to get you,” because, let’s face it, neither is Christian Grey. But maybe the bottom line is that Fifty Shades is fun, at a time when we could all use some fun. Some distraction.
One thing I believe: Fifty Shades is a phenomenon, unlikely to happen the same way again … and, as an editor, I still wish we’d won that auction. Oh, and if you liked it, ask me what other books you might like. I’d be happy to welcome you to the world of romance novels.
EDITOR X has been an executive editor of romance fiction at a major publishing house for a very long time and has many New York Times bestsellers to her credit.