Will the success of Fifty Shades of Grey inspire more fan fiction writers to convert their work into straight fiction?
This GalleyCat editor wrote an essay for NPR exploring the Twilight fan fiction roots of Fifty Shades of Grey, E L James‘ erotica novel that just hit the No. 1 spot on the New York Times paperback best seller list this week.
Last year, veteran Amazon reviewer Amanda Ryan gave Fifty Shades of Grey her highest rating, calling it “Twilight XXX.” She acknowledged the fan fiction origins: “I really loved this story. I found myself drawing comparisons to Twilight a few chapters in–really, it’s impossible not to. It’s set in Washington state, our hero and heroine are mirror images to Bella and Edward, and the intense emotional and physical attraction to one another is remarkably similar.”
Ryan concluded her review: “how many of you out there are like me when reading the Twilight series and can’t help but feel disappointed at the lack of erotic description?”
There are hundreds and hundreds of popular books that have the same “lack of erotic description,” and many of them already have a fan fiction bookshelf. Do you think more writers will follow James’ example?