<Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 780307033 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> Fifty Shades Darker </Td> </Tr> <P> Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E.L. James It is the first instalment in the Fifty Shades trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey . It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage / discipline, dominance / submission, and sadism / masochism (BDSM). Originally self - published as an ebook and a print - on - demand, publishing rights were acquired by Vintage Books in March 2012 . </P> <P> Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best - seller lists around the world, selling over 125 million copies worldwide by June 2015 . It has been translated into 52 languages, and set a record in the United Kingdom as the fastest - selling paperback of all time . Critical reception of the book, however, has tended towards the negative, with the quality of its prose generally seen as poor . Universal Pictures and Focus Features produced a film adaptation, which was released on 13 February 2015 and also received generally unfavourable reviews . </P>

When was the book fifty shades of grey written