E L James Is Publishers Weekly’s Person of the Year

By Jason Boog 

Today E L James became the first author ever named Publishers Weekly‘s Person of the Year, an annual award given to publishing leaders “shaping and, sometimes, transforming, the publishing industry.”

As part of the award, James will get a cover story and interview in the magazine. She joins a list of winners that includes David Shanks, Larry Kirshbaum, Jeff Bezos and Len Riggio.

Co-editorial director Jim Milliot explained the choice: “From boosting sales of print books through bookstores to putting a spotlight on a genre that had received little publicity, E.L. James’ impact on various parts of the book business cannot be overstated … She is well deserving of our Person of the Year award.”

To date, James has sold over 35 million copies of Fifty Shades of Grey in the U.S. and over 65 million copies in the world. Her bestseller began as a work of Twilight fan fiction, you can read more about the history of the book at this link.