<P> This reworked and extended version of Master of the Universe was split into three parts . The first , titled Fifty Shades of Grey , was released as an e-book and a print on demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers ' Coffee Shop , a virtual publisher based in Australia . The second volume , Fifty Shades Darker , was released in September 2011 ; and the third , Fifty Shades Freed , followed in January 2012 . The Writers ' Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing budget and relied largely on book blogs for early publicity , but sales of the novel were boosted by word - of - mouth recommendation . The book 's erotic nature and perceived demographic of its fan base as being composed largely of married women over thirty led to the book being dubbed `` Mommy Porn '' by some news agencies . The book has also reportedly been popular among teenage girls and college women . By the release of the final volume in January 2012 , news networks in the United States had begun to report on the Fifty Shades trilogy as an example of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica , attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-reading devices . Due to the heightened interest in the series , the license to the Fifty Shades trilogy was picked up by Vintage Books for re-release in a new and revised edition in April 2012 . The attention that the series has garnered has also helped to spark a renewed interest in erotic literature . Many other erotic works quickly became best - sellers following Fifty Shade 's success , while other popular works , such as Anne Rice 's The Sleeping Beauty trilogy , have been reissued ( this time without pseudonyms ) to meet the higher demand . </P>
<P> This reworked and extended version of Master of the Universe was split into three parts . The first , titled Fifty Shades of Grey , was released as an e-book and a print on demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers ' Coffee Shop , a virtual publisher based in Australia . The second volume , Fifty Shades Darker , was released in September 2011 ; and the third , Fifty Shades Freed , followed in January 2012 . The Writers ' Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing budget and relied largely on book blogs for early publicity , but sales of the novel were boosted by word - of - mouth recommendation . The book 's erotic nature and perceived demographic of its fan base as being composed largely of married women over thirty led to the book being dubbed `` Mommy Porn '' by some news agencies . The book has also reportedly been popular among teenage girls and college women . By the release of the final volume in January 2012 , news networks in the United States had begun to report on the Fifty Shades trilogy as an example of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica , attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-reading devices . Due to the heightened interest in the series , the license to the Fifty Shades trilogy was picked up by Vintage Books for re-release in a new and revised edition in April 2012 . The attention that the series has garnered has also helped to spark a renewed interest in erotic literature . Many other erotic works quickly became best - sellers following Fifty Shade 's success , while other popular works , such as Anne Rice 's The Sleeping Beauty trilogy , have been reissued ( this time without pseudonyms ) to meet the higher demand . </P>
where was fifty shades of grey first published
where was fifty shades of grey first published
The Writers ' Coffee Shop , a virtual publisher based in Australia
The Writers ' Coffee Shop , a virtual publisher based in Australia