In news that will surprise precisely nobody, the new ‘Fifty Shades’ spin-off novel has been a stunning sales success. In the first four days since it was released on Thursday June 18th, ‘Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian’ has sold 1.1 million copies.

It’s particularly impressive since its author, E.L. James, only announced the existence of the book barely a fortnight before its release date. Even other hugely anticipated novels, like the sequel to Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, have been given promotional periods over several months.

50 Shades'Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian' has sold over 1 million in four days

“This is an astonishing number of books to sell over a weekend and speaks to the engagement and passion readers have for the 'Fifty Shades' books,” said Anne Messitte, a publisher at Vintage Anchor, said in a statement to the New York Daily News. “Christian’s side of the story is proving to be irresistible.”

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Vintage is already planning third, fourth and fifth printings of ‘Grey’, the fourth addition to the original trilogy of erotic novels which have sold over 125 million copies around the world, in order to keep up with the voracious demand anticipated over the coming weeks, meaning that over 2.1 million physical copies will exist.

Writing on her personal blog on June 1st when the follow-up was first announced, James wrote “Christian is a complex character and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past.”

It’s yet another big pay-day for the author this year, after the runaway success of the first Fifty Shades of Grey movie in February and its recent home video release. Plans are already afoot for Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed to be made into movies, although director Sam Taylor-Johnson will not be returning to helm them after reported behind-the-scenes disputes with James over the screenplay.

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