Fifty Shades of Grey…The Critics, The Reviews, The Readers, The Success

People either LOVE this book or they HATE this book.  According to Amazon’s star ratings at the time this was typed, the book had 1,963 5-stars and 1,309 1-star and the combined total of  2- through 4-stars was 1,158.

4,430 Reviews

5 star:		(1,963)
4 star:		(464)
3 star:		(312)
2 star:		(382)
1 star:		(1,309)

I have read some of the critic reviews
for Fifty Shades of Grey.  Many are negative and harsh yet the book has become the bestselling book of 2012.  I find this interesting.  The reading public obviously likes the content or 10 million copies would not have been sold.  If the book has been so well received by readers and has sold that many copies, does that leave one to assume the critics are too critical?  Or maybe they are not in touch with what readers consider a good book?  It certainly confirms the saying “You can’t believe everything you read.”


According to the Los Angeles Times, the book is most popular in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New York.  The article states the source of the information is over 8.6 million members of GoodReads.com.  Shown below is the graphic that appears with the article.



A friend of mine purchased the eBook trilogy and can’t put her IPad down.  She is almost through the first book and says it is fantastic.  She has told me the story is great and it is a relief that it doesn’t contain all the flowery language and unrealistic word usage.  “It reads like what I would be saying in my own head.”


I feel the success of E L James with her novel is a shining example of the changes happening in the publishing industry.  Indie publishing has become easier to do and a route many authors are choosing to take.  They are able to control the content, retain the creative reins, and the time to market is much quicker.  The publishing of a novel is no longer bound by an opinion formed from a quick glance that results in a rejection letter.


Writings of an author are intimate thoughts and a path traveled in solitude.  Putting pen to paper is a difficult task at times even though a writer enjoys the process.  Every novel, poem, haiku, short story, blog post etc. has a piece of the author’s soul hidden within.  Yes, we writers are aware that not everyone will like what we write, some may have harsh things to say, but in the end it is the purchasing of our work and the positive feedback we receive that makes all those hours of solitude worth it.


Congratulations to E L James and to the successes of other Indie Published authors. 
The publishing industry is changing a breakneck speed and I am ready to hold on for the ride.


Thanks for reading,


Brooke Ryter