50 Shades Of Grey Outsells Harry Potter By Two To One On Amazon

The growing appeal of 50 Shades of Grey appears to know no end. The books have been selling like hotcakes, they've been credited (or blamed - depending on your viewpoint on the over-population of Planet Earth) with creating some kind of unstoppable baby boom and they've caused an enormous casting frenzy in Hollywood, for the forthcoming movie adaptation. Still, the world is not sick of Fifty Shades of Grey just yet, it would seem. In the darkened recesses of the modern world, there are still some poor, under-nourished souls who have not yet had the pleasure (and, in case you hadn't heard, we're talking serious pleasure, here) of reading EL James' books. We know this, because people are still buying them.

And we know this because today (August 1, 2012) comes the news (via Walesonline.co.uk) that the first book in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is out-selling the last book in Jk Rowling's Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) by two to one on Amazon right now. The EU director of the e-book company Kindle had this to say on the matter: "If JK Rowling was the literary phenomenon of the last decade, then EL James looks certain to take that mantle in the current decade. In just four months, EL James has become Amazon.co.uk's biggest-selling author of all time, which is truly remarkable when you consider that we've been selling books for almost 14 years."

Meanwhile, the speculation over who will play Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey (the two main characters) in the movie is nearing fever pitch. Emma Watson's name has been bandied about, as has Kristen Stewart, though, given her recent extra-curricular misdemeanors, we're not sure if that would make her more or less likely to land the part.