The trilogy started out as posts on the seminal site as an amateur writer’s erotic take on Twilight after its popularity online, the first title was released by a small publisher as an e-book and a print-on-demand title-not exactly an origin story fit for the notoriously elitist literary world.ĭespite its populist backstory, Fifty Shades was an easy sell for James’s literary agent Valerie Hoskins, thanks in part to the online accolades and word of mouth fueling its demand. James first signed a seven-figure contract with Random House’s Vintage Books imprint in 2012, some literary agents dismissed the deal as a fluke.
